[Interview] Dr. Panagiota Papakonstantinou, Research Fellow
From Greece through Europe to Daejeon, Dr Panagiota chats to IBS Webzine about her successful transition to IBS and her future goals
Dr. Panagiota Papakonstantinou sits patiently in a second floor meeting room in IBS that doubles as an interview location. She sips her coffee and waits for the interviewer to set up. The air con is trying to battle the immense heat that circles outside the office. It’s the dead of summer but Panagiota is not feeling the heat too much. The many stifling summers she spent in Greece has prepared her well to cope with the intense Korean sun.
The reticent Greek scientist becomes voluble when the conversation turns to physics and the catalyst for her interest in the study of the universe “Everything we see around us is made of just a hundred kinds of small building blocks, the so called atoms, and inside each atom there is a tiny nucleus, which was cooked in a star a long time ago” explains Panagiota, “I was in my element with mathematics, but I decided to study physics because, in the end, the object of my curiosity is the world around me. Math and computers are now my tools. IBS is an ideal institute for me. Here I can pursue independent and long-term studies as a nuclear physicist and be part of a project to build a heavy ion accelerator. RAON is expected to launch in 2021.”
The young Greek scientist first began to study these building blocks of life in Greece, in the University of Athens where she gained a PhD in Physics. “I specialized in nuclear physics and had planned to remain in Greece as an accelerator was scheduled to be built but it didn’t happen so I moved abroad to Germany.” Panagiota enrolled at the Darmstadt University of Technology and engaged in a lot of theoretical work, developing complex new models for nuclei. “I found it very motivating to work and collaborate with the in-house experimentalists. Darmstadt was a great place to be to get started as an expert,” explains Panagiota, reminiscing about her German life.
To further develop as a theoretical physicist and garner a greater understanding of how nuclear physics is used in astrophysics, Panagiota moved to France, to the University of Paris-Sud. She joined a team of nuclear physicists, astrophysicists, and computer scientists studying supernova explosions, gigantic and spectacular explosions of stars that produce new materials like gold and iron and the carbon in our bodies.
Toward the end of her two-year term in France, Panagiota was looking for an innovative research institute, which would provide a calming and professional environment suitable for pursuing independent research. It was the perfect timing for Dr. Papakonstantinou as IBS was also seeking to hire an international researcher who would help lay the foundations for future research projects centered on RAON.
“The institute (IBS) was new and far from my home but looked ambitious. The mission of the lab where I would work – the Rare Isotope Science Project – was to build RAON, a new accelerator for nuclear physics. That was more than I could wish for; I knew almost nothing about Korea so I visited before I accepted the offer. I got a real good impression and now, almost two years on, I am very happy I jumped at an opportunity like this.”
In the beginning of her new adventure Panagiota admits there was a period of adjustment, the language in particular was a big barrier: “I didn’t have as much language difficulty when I lived in Germany and France,” but she adds that she did not experience any major culture shock. Reminiscing about her life before Daejeon, Panagiota recalls, “What I miss the most is going to a bookstore to browse through the new books.”
Challenges faced and met with the help of her family in Korea
The difficulties in communicating with Koreans were initially a worry for the mother of one, but she resolved this by taking a Korean class and trying to gain some familiarity with Korean customs and food. The communication barrier with her colleagues proved moderate and she holds her Korean counterparts in high esteem “You need to be patient when communicating with people from different backgrounds. We should be open-minded in understanding one another.”
“It took some time to get used to Korean food, but now I enjoy them a lot”, says Panagiota, who takes particular delight in kimchi, bibimbab and galbi stews. Her family was one of the biggest contributors to her successfully adapting to Korea. She lives with her Belgian husband and daughter. Thanks to traveling to many countries, her family is open to experiencing new cultures and is a great support to her.
When Panagiota is not busy with her research she delights in spending time with her family. Her weekends are spent with her husband and active daughter, who give her great joy. They usually visit parks and museums, and whenever she has time, she reads books or watches movies.
Her daughter’s education was her biggest concern and was one of the biggest factors that made her hesitate to come to Korea. Panagiota considered two international schools nearby IBS, but decided to send her daughter to a Korean kindergarten instead, considering that her young age wouldn’t hamper her in learning Korean.
“I was worried at the time about sending my daughter to a Korean school; worried whether she would adapt well, but now she is having a great time learning the Korean language and Taekwondo. Everybody in my family is happy with Korea and so I am happy.”
Nuclear physics is a challenging research field – one in which I hope to play a leading role
Nuclear physics is the study of atomic nuclei, atomic particles, and high-energy radiation. It determines what composes the universe, and the phenomena and birth of constituents of the universe. Nuclear physics is a complicated and challenging area, available for utilization in the basic sciences, but also technology, energy and medicine.
Panagiota researches what comprises nuclei, and analyzes and predicts results after bombarding the nuclei with particles and each other. Based on these experiments, she suggests new projects to advance her research. Large scale equipment, like an accelerator is necessary for experimental research in nuclear physics. Since the heavy ion accelerator that IBS is planning to construct has yet to be put in place, much of her research is focused on theoretical studies and external collaborations.
Dr. Papakonstantinou is a self-learner and pursues her research independently. International collaboration has been a great help for her research. On an institute level, IBS strongly encourages her collaborations with other advanced countries, including Germany and France.
She notes “Science is internationalized. Therefore, international cooperation is a must. I contact collaborators by participating in international conferences and visiting other international institutes.”
She went on “I think that recommending IBS to other scientists would depend on an individual’s career and personality. To someone like me with work experience, IBS is a fitting place. You can work independently, learning for yourself in top class research facilities. From a perspective of international scientists, I think IBS, as a young institute, has taken risks and is flexible with research. I would recommend IBS to a scientist who is up for a new challenge.”
“The IBS staff has been so very helpful to me. My colleagues helped me enormously to find an apartment and set-up a bank account. I couldn’t do any of those things when I first arrived here and I am thankful that they were there for me. I hope I can stay for a long time at IBS, where my research is valued and my expectations are met.”
