Each year, researchers from across Luxembourg venture back into the classroom to inspire a new generation of future scientists. Chercheurs à l’École, an initiative that was started by the Fonds National de Recherche 12 years ago in 2010, took place during the 14 – 18 March this year, and saw many researchers discuss their work with teenagers from schools across Luxembourg. From the University of Luxembourg’s Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust, Dr. Grégoire Danoy visited the Lycée Nic-Biever in Dudelange to speak to over 100 teenagers between the age of 15 and 18.
à l’École event? What did you share with the children?
Well, it’s a very different experience to my usual kind of presentation. As researchers we’re so used to presenting a research article or project, so to talk about my personal experience, my career path so far, it’s very different. One of the things I wanted to convey was that my own studies weren’t straightforward, and that I’d tried different paths before finding something that I really enjoyed. Even if you know what you want to do at that time in your life, you can be wrong – as I was – but you can redirect and find your way!
I wanted to share specifically what it’s like to do a Ph.D., because most people think going down this path would lead them to pursue a scientific career. But a Ph.D. is not just about the science, it’s a job, and a personal experience in which you can learn how to manage yourself, a project and acquire so many skills that can be transferred into companies not just in the scientific sector.
Additionally, I wanted to share the benefits of the University here. Being in a multi-lingual and multi-cultural environment presents a very unique opportunity, and the chance to be a part of a dynamic job market afterwards. With mandatory semesters abroad and access to the Erasmus programme, you also have the potential to see what’s happening outside of our country. This environment is exactly what brought me to Luxembourg.
Why did you decide to participate in this year’s edition? Would you recommend the experience to other researchers?
It was my very first time attending this event, and I think it’s a really great concept. I tried to keep my presentation interactive, using tools such as polls and quizzes, and completely honest. It’s important not to portray that everything is perfect. Of course, there are many positive aspects to being a researcher but also negatives too – not unlike any other career. I wanted to share my own experience about the indirect way I took to become a researcher, and how my studies didn’t follow a straight line. I really hope that I was able to demystify the image of researchers, bring them some helpful information that they can use to decide on a potential career path, and also present a down to earth view of the professional world.
I enjoyed the experience a lot, and would definitely do it again. I’d also recommend it to other researchers. It costs us a bit of our time – and right now with so many deadlines for project proposals that can be quite a commitment – but it’s definitely worth it. I would like to thank the FNR for the great initiative and organisation, as well as the Lycée Nic-Biever and its students for the warm welcome.
Dr. Grégoire Danoy is a research scientist and Deputy Head of SnT’s Parallel Computing and Optimisation research group (PCOG). His research interests include artificial intelligence techniques applied to unmanned autonomous systems, satellite communications, vehicular networks, bioinformatics, as well as high-performance and cloud computing. Of his many projects at SnT, Dr. Danoy is the principal investigator of the FNR CORE project ADARS, which explores automating the design of autonomous robot swarms.