Andreas Baumgartner – Keen to understand the world I handle all things related to the SNI PhD School. For me person- ally, the most important aspects are the academic and social in- teractions with the doctoral students, as well as organizing the SNI’s “Nanoscience in the Snow” Winter School, the rhetoric workshop, and the workshop “From Lab to Startup.” I also orga- nize the evaluation of project applications and the subsequent search for suitable doctoral candidates. I’m always delighted to answer queries from near and far — and to lend a hand with communication and outreach activities. What’s your professional background? After a wide-ranging degree in “Interdisciplinary Natural Sci- ences” at ETH Zurich, I completed my doctoral dissertation in solid-state physics at ETH on the topics of atomic force microscopy and the quantum Hall effect. After three years as a postdoc in Nottingham (UK), where I primarily worked on quantum optics with semiconductors, I joined the University of Basel. Since then, I’ve been conducting research into, above all, superconducting nanostructures, atomically thin materials and quantum bits. Since 2017, I’ve been in charge of the PhD School at the SNI, which is a great way to nurture my broad scientific interests. What motivates you about your job? Personally, I’m driven by a desire to understand the world around me — and my work as a scientist and at the SNI PhD School is ideal in that sense. The latter constantly exposes you to wide-rang- ing topics from both an academic and organizational perspective. This is not only hugely exciting and never gets boring but also provides opportunities for deeper reflection. What are you currently working on? The evaluation of new project submissions has just begun, so I won’t have much capacity for other tasks for a while. Fun Facts Tea or coffee? Coffee in the morning, then tea Cats or dogs? Dogs in the past, now cats — but really, neither Early bird or night owl? Night owl (if I’ve got a stubborn problem to deal with) Favorite place: Home sweet home with as many trips as possible (above: a view of my local mountain, the Wasser- fluh) Favorite food: All kinds of Indian food Last vacations: Traveling around China by train and diving in Sardinia, both with family Secret talent: I can read really bad sci-fi books right to the end “Andreas has an impressive knowledge of the natural sciences and is always keen to explain c omplex subject matter as clearly as possible.” Christel Möller on Andreas Baumgartner’s superpower 31 SNI INSight June 2026