Interview with alumna Dr. Antonia Hufnagl: “With a lot of energy and a bit of luck to success”

Antonia Hufnagl with her PhD hat at GSI/FAIR. © privat
Antonia Hufnagl with her PhD hat at GSI/FAIR. © privat

Studying, radiotherapy, Sweden? Possible with GSI! As a doctoral student in biophysics, she started her work at GSI/FAIR. Now she works for the Swedish company Scandi-Dos in the field of radiation therapy. Dr. Antonia Hufnagl did her research at GSI/FAIR during her doctoral thesis and talks about her time at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung.

The interview was conducted by Constantia Bernhardt, Stephanie Bittner, Miriam Großmann and Sofia Grözinger, who are studying “Science – Media – Communication” at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). As part of the course “Media and Public Relations”, in which KIT and GSI/FAIR cooperate, students conducted interviews with young researchers at GSI/FAIR.

Already at school, Antonia Hufnagl was interested in biology and physics. So it was only natural that she enrolled in the bachelor’s degree programme in biophysics at Goethe University Frankfurt after graduating in 2011. She first came into contact with GSI/FAIR through a lecture in the fifth semester: Her course went on a field trip to the research institute. “It was there that I became interested in the research facility,” she says. At GSI, a new cancer therapy with heavy ions was developed, which has been in clinical use for several years. Although no patients are treated at GSI/FAIR today, heavy ion therapy is continuously being developed further in research projects.

Antonia Hufnagl at work at ScandiDos. © privat
Antonia Hufnagl at work at ScandiDos. © privat

After further lectures and email contact with a former student who worked at GSI, Hufnagl decided to write her Bachelor’s thesis at the Helmholtz Centre. “It was the first time I was able to do research on this scale myself,” she explains. “I was very lucky that a publication could even be written about my topic. That motivated me a lot!”

After completing her Master’s degree at Goethe University in Frankfurt, she came back to the Research Centre for her doctoral thesis. Hufnagl’s research was in the field of cancer therapy and focused on modelling tumour development and secondary cancer risk after particle irradiation. “GSI/FAIR offered me the opportunity to deepen and apply what I had learned in my studies and to deal with other interesting topics,” she recalls. As her research progressed, new opportunities and ways to achieve success in her work emerged. For example, she published an article on the topic of her doctoral thesis with her doctoral supervisor and another colleague and attended conferences to bring the topic of her research to the public.

Hufnagl is optimistic about the future of cancer research. Especially for the combination of different cancer therapies such as radiation or immunotherapy, combined with surgery, she sees high chances of success. Despite her personal successes, Hufnagl retired from research last year. It is uncertain whether she will return. “If I do, I would like to continue my research in cooperation with industry,” she says. “Pure modelling is always a bit abstract, now I want to get to know the practical side as well.”

Experiences and friendships that stay

Antonia Hufnagl at a medieval festival in Sweden infront of a classical Swedish house. © privat
Antonia Hufnagl at a medieval festival in Sweden infront of a classical Swedish house. © privat

Hufnagl has fond memories of her time at GSI. What she enjoyed most there was working with modelling. Especially the combination of biological and physical models was interesting. Her great fascination, however, remains the research area of radiation theory. “Above all, I find the future and the changes in this field very interesting!” GSI/FAIR also continues to accompany her life away from research. During her time at GSI/FAIR, she made close friendships with colleagues that have outlasted time.

And now? Sweden!

With the completion of her doctoral thesis, Hufnagl left research and GSI/FAIR. In September 2020, she moved to Sweden to live with her boyfriend. There she now works at the company ScandiDos in Uppsala and is still involved in radiation therapy. The company manufactures products that are used for quality assurance of radiotherapy. Her tasks include installing these products in hospitals and helping customers with questions and problems. But Hufnagl has not lost her penchant for science. In her free time, she likes to educate herself, for example by taking a programming course or reading books. “I also love discovering nature and enjoying free time with my life partner”.

Success is not just a matter of luck

In the interview, Hufnagl argues that some things in life are a matter of luck. But in her opinion, one should not wait for luck, but take things into one’s own hands: “Either it works and pays off or it doesn’t.” The advice she can give to young talents and young scientists is to seize the opportunity: “If you want something, you simply have to do it. Don’t wait for it to happen on its own.”

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