All the team members have a great deal of experience in research, consulting or industry. Eckle herself studied physics in Munich before completing a doctorate in experimental physics under Ursula Keller at ETH. “We built the world’s most accurate clock,” she recalls. She then moved on to postdoctoral research, working as a senior assistant at the Paul Scherrer Institute, where she was involved in the analysis of different forms of energy as a basis for guiding policy decisions. But she found the work too theoretical: “We wrote reports, but all the action was going on elsewhere,” she says, summing up the situation.
Eckle grew up in a family where the environment was an important topic. “My grandmother was a member of Greenpeace,” she says. And one thing was clear to her: “I want to do something that is socially relevant.” In 2011 there was a meltdown in three nuclear reactors in Fukushima, and Germany launched its energy transition policy – and Eckle wanted to be in the thick of it. So before joining sus.lab, she spent five years working in consulting, where one of her priorities was always to ensure that the research could be put to practical use. “Every sector was targeted, from banks to pharmaceuticals,” she says.
Dream job at ETH
She has been Executive Director of sus.lab since December 2017. “I have found my dream job,” she says. It really is important for her to do something positive. “And without wanting to sound arrogant: my background clearly provides a good platform to drive things forward.” Even so: is it not frustrating to work in a field that is so vast and when no quick fixes can be found? Eckle ponders for a moment. “I’ve just turned 40,” she says. “But even just the changes that I have actively been aware of show how important it is to take action.” She notices the changes during her free time, for example, when she is often out in nature, sailing or hiking in the mountains. Or around Heidelberg, where she grew up: in the surrounding vineyards, the vines have to be planted a few metres higher up the slope every year due to rising temperatures. At the same time, figs are now ripening on the tree in her parents’ garden. “That would have been inconceivable earlier,” she says.
On the other hand, in her daily work she sees how attitudes are changing and what individuals can achieve. “Our customers are often individuals who are intrinsically motivated and then implement projects with our support. All you need is a couple of determined determined allies.”
