Welcome to the History Blog featuring the connections between Switzerland and the Midwest. I am Joerg Oberschmied, Deputy Consul General in Chicago. My interest in history started at an early age and I hope you enjoy these journeys through time. The views and opinions expressed below are solely those of the respondent and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author.
Lydia Bieri is a tenured Full Professor of Mathematics at the University of Michigan (UM) in Ann Arbor. She completed a doctorate in mathematics at ETH Zurich and then joined Harvard University. In 2010 she joined the faculty in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Michigan. Her research concerns geometric analysis and the investigation of nonlinear partial differential equations with the main focus on the Einstein equations in general relativity. These equations are the physical laws of the universe written in a geometric language. Exploring these equations via mathematics, we gain insights into new physics. Further, the mathematical structures are beneficial to solve problems in other areas of science.
Joerg Oberschmied: You grew up in the Canton Lucerne, tell us about it:
Lydia Bieri: I grew up in Sempach in the Canton of Lucerne. Together with my parents and my brother, who is three years younger than me, we spent a lot of time in nature. Our family furthered an inquiring mind. And our parents taught us to question things and form our own opinions. That influenced my brother and me. So, I got naturally interested in the wonders of nature. After a long hike in the mountains with family and friends, you look up to the stars and are amazed by this mysterious universe, its vastness, and all the secrets that are waiting to be discovered. I read many books about astronomy. And this led to physics and mathematics. Looking back now, I think that this is how we should teach kids at school. Have them ask questions, then they go and explore these, trying to find answers by ‘scientific methods’, guided by the teacher. I feel very lucky having grown up like that. At a young age, a few of my ‘excursions’ in the neighborhood together with other children ended up quite adventurous. There was always something interesting to explore.
JO: Aside from your parents, which person had the greatest influence on your development in Switzerland?
LB: Of course, my family and close friends have been most important as well as my partner whom I met at ETH in Zurich. He now works for an insurance company in the US. Along the way, I had a few excellent teachers or mentors. In terms of professional development, my Ph.D. advisor Demetrios Christodoulou played an important role. One of the most renowned mathematicians and physicists, he has been a leading figure in the world of general relativity and other theories. When I was about to finish my studies at ETH in Zurich, he arrived from the US to take on a position in mathematics and physics at ETH. This was perfect timing, as I was considering various topics for a dissertation. I ended up working with Demetrios, solving a problem at the heart of mathematics and physics, that has to do with stability of gravitational systems that we find in the universe. Later, this became important also for research on gravitational waves. Demetrios’ deep insights as well as his enthusiasm for the scientific endeavor have been most inspiring. And we have been friends for over 20 years.
JO: What brought you to America and in particular, to Michigan?
LB: Short answer: my work. In the last year of my Ph.D., I was looking at the academic job market. The latter presented itself with a huge gap between the US and the rest of the world, in particular Europe and Switzerland. Top US universities were hiring numerous junior researchers from all over the world across the spectrum of important fields in mathematics and physics. Still, the competition was huge. But there were almost no positions in Switzerland. Moreover, in my field there was no community in Switzerland. The interesting research was done in the US. That’s a well-known problem. At the same time, I found most inspiring and dynamical work environments in American departments. I started my first position after my Ph.D. at Harvard University in the Department of Mathematics in 2007. This was a very interesting and fruitful time. Then, in the fall of 2010, I joined the faculty at the University of Michigan, Department of Mathematics, in Ann Arbor. I have enjoyed working here because of the excellent department, wonderful colleagues and inspiring dynamic.
JO: You are a Mathematician with research interests in general relativity, but you began your work life as an apprentice in a bank. How did you make the jump between these unrelated fields?
LB: Yes. I did an apprenticeship with the Swiss Bank Corporation (now UBS) in Lucerne. However, in the meantime, I had become interested in many other subjects. For instance, I read a lot of French literature and general history at the time, but also on psychology and medicine. Of course, my passion for mathematics and physics grew as well. Therefore, I left the bank, and I completed the high school degree with the “Maturitätskurs für Erwachsene” in Lucerne, a school for people in the work force leading to the degree within 3 years; you attend school twice a week and learn the rest by yourself. During this time, I decided to study mathematics and physics. I chose mathematics at ETH Zurich as the main direction and filled in extra physics and astronomy classes along the way. The most fascinating worlds opened up especially when mathematics and physics are interwoven as in the theory of general relativity, established by Albert Einstein in 1915. Progress in mathematics in the last decades has allowed for breakthroughs in this field enabling researchers around the world to get deeper insights into the universe. Also, very importantly, this theory and continuous progress made GPS possible. Without general relativity there would be no GPS. I then wrote a dissertation in the field of general relativity, where new mathematics and physics are at play.
JO: Tell us about your current research:
LB: I work on mathematical structures and dynamics of the Universe. My main research concerns the theory of general relativity which combines geometry and physics through the Einstein equations. These equations govern the geometry of spacetime and thereby the phenomenon of gravitation. They constitute the physical laws of our Universe. To answer questions in physics, I develop geometric-analytic machinery which on the one hand yields the desired physical answers and relates them to experiments and on the other hand has a life of its own within mathematics. These mathematical methods again can be applied in very different fields where the underlying structures share mathematical properties. This can be anywhere from economy to biology. One of my main research avenues concerns gravitational waves. These waves travel through our universe – and they visit us too. Gravitational waves were measured for the first time in September 2015 by the “Advanced LIGO” experiment in the USA. This marks the beginning of a new era in which gravitational radiation provides information about its sources and thus from regions that no telescope can see. Gravitational waves are produced when black holes or neutron stars merge or during a supernova. We can imagine these waves as ripples in the universe, more precisely as changes in the curvature of spacetime. In general relativity theory (GRT), space, time and gravitation are combined to form a curved spacetime. Gravity “curves” our world. We can see this curvature in the universe. Whenever a gravitational wave packet travels past us (and that happens often), this curvature changes. The universe even “remembers” the passage of the wave packet. The latter leave a footprint in spacetime, so to speak. GRT has not only predicted these waves, but also decodes the information they contain for us. Within the framework of GRT, together with mathematics and physics, further secrets of our universe are being explored. These contain bizarre objects such as black holes. These are regions in which gravitation is so strong that not even light can escape. They absorb all the matter in their surroundings. Once something ends up in the black hole, it stays there. Further, we would like to know under what conditions galaxies and other astrophysical objects are stable, how black holes form and what the structures of these are. Finally, many of the questions concerning the ‘large’ scale structures are connected with the ‘small’. For instance, there is a big gap between what is measured in astrophysics and called the dark energy driving the expansion of the universe, and the so-called vacuum energy of quantum physics. We do not (yet) know how these are related. This remains one of the big open questions in the search for a theory combining the physics of the ‘large’, namely GRT, with the physics of the ‘small’ described by quantum field theory. With each problem solved, we find more fascinating questions to be investigated.
JO: What are the main differences between working in your field in Europe and in the US?
LB: There are many differences. As I mentioned above, the US provides a top research environment for creative scientists. A lot of energy is put into hiring junior researchers. There are many postdoc and tenure-track positions in mathematics and physics. Junior people are given responsibility early in their career. The top departments are hot spots of dynamical research. This is in contrast with Europe, including Switzerland, where there are only very few such positions. And many universities are hesitant to invest in junior people, rather they want to hire at a senior level trying to avoid risk. The latter is a big problem in Europe. It also creates unfortunate situations where a new field of research has taken off somewhere else, because the university leadership could not decide if it would be a chance or more a risk to invest in a certain direction. Here, the US is the world leader. This reflects the American mentality of seizing opportunities. For instance, in the field of gravitational waves, the US has led the efforts, whereas Switzerland has lost connection. When this happens, it is typically difficult to try build new groups. On the other hand, in these areas of study, in Switzerland there is typically more money available per student or per professor. It may be more comfortable from that point of view. But then again, the dynamics and the people are missing. Sure enough, at the education level, it is an advantage in Switzerland and parts of Europe to have access to university education at a reasonable cost. Whereas in the US, tuition for students and living costs have exploded. Generally, at the postdoc and professor level, it is easier to be creative in the US than in Europe. There is no free ride, but with a reasonable amount of effort you get things done.
JO: What do you see as the greatest challenges ahead for your science in America?
LB: For science in general, the politicization of scientific facts is a big problem. Science is important for everyone. This could be and is for me and many of my colleagues a wonderful way to make connections around the world. More specifically, in my areas of mathematics and physics, I see many chances as well as challenges. The latter include views of universities or funding agencies who have to decide which directions of research to fund. There are many fields that may promise fast lucrative applications. Whereas these should be supported at certain levels, it is equally important to continue funding fundamental research across the board. History of science has shown repeatedly that unusual ideas that did not fit into the big picture at the time, have become essential and many of these ideas are implemented today in technologies like our cell phones. The hope is that the spirit of science will prevail.
JO: What do you value the most about Switzerland and what do you value most about the United States?
LB: In Switzerland, I value a lot the culture of a political dialogue among the people, the good social welfare, health insurance for everyone, and generally people like to discuss. In the United States, I value very much the openness and welcome culture, its tolerance and the freedom of the individual. In the places that I have lived, people are very supportive and at the same time respect the individual freedom. And of course, I like the Swiss Alps, also the Michigan lakes and rivers. Finally, not to forget Swiss chocolate.
JO: Lydia Bieri, thank you for taking the time to share these stories with our readers.
To learn more about Professor Bieri and her research, you can visit her website here.
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