Hello, Ms. Neidhardt, congratulations, you have almost completed your doctorate! What topic are you researching?
In my doctoral thesis, I investigated auditory illusions generated via headphones. This is interesting for virtual or mixed reality systems. We can use it to make virtual objects seem acoustically realistic as well, but also to make real objects appear to be sound sources. A popular example is the application in museums, where the exhibits themselves tell their story. But there are of course many other possible applications. My research has focused on the question of how accurately people can perceive acoustic room reflections. Exact imitation of real acoustics can become very costly and computationally intensive in rooms with many reflective surfaces. Therefore, for the efficient realization of mixed reality systems, it is interesting to develop psychoacoustic optimizations and imitate room reflections with simplified approximations, which, however, do not sound different to humans.
What excites you about your subject?
I find the connection between technology and human perception very exciting. Therefore, I take great pleasure in investigating how different audio signal processing approaches can be used to manipulate auditory perception and, for example, create believable spatial auditory illusions such as virtual sound sources.
What were the challenges of your PhD and what is your daily teaching and research routine like at TU Ilmenau?
Unfortunately mostly stressful... it is always a challenge to acquire new project funding in time before the contract runs out. Unfortunately, this takes up a lot of time and sometimes comes at the expense of actual research and teaching.
After working in industry, you decided to return to the university. Eventually, your path led you back to Ilmenau.
I realized that I still had too much curiosity in me. Therefore, after working in industry, I decided to do a second master's degree in Graz. The program was called "Electrical Engineering-Sound Engineering" and was offered jointly by the TU Graz and the University of Music and Performing Arts. So I could deepen my knowledge in the field of music, audio and acoustics significantly. Afterwards, I worked for two and a half years in applied research at Fraunhofer IDMT in Ilmenau. During this time, I developed more and more my own research questions and discovered my interest for in-depth research of my own. So I started to design my first own research project and to raise the funds for it. This is a bit of a tough process at first and needs experience. But in the end, I managed to secure my PhD position. That was about six years ago now. I think my PhD story is not necessarily a typical one. Many people do their doctorate in an existing position on a given topic, and even then, doing a doctorate is a task that takes a lot of energy.
On today's Girls' Day, girls are encouraged to get a taste of technical and scientific fields. Were you interested in research even as a schoolgirl, and what made you decide to pursue a career in science?
I realized early on that I always wanted to understand exactly how things work and what happens if you do things differently. I've always been pretty curious and liked to try things out. Sometimes I think I can't be anything but an explorer because I have a deep inner need and a real passion for it. I can only encourage girls to always be curious and explore the world. It's important to always have people asking why and not just accepting things. That's important everywhere, of course, but researchers especially have that task.
What hurdles have you personally experienced in your scientific career that men are less likely to encounter?
I think one "problem" in my everyday life is that I still feel responsible or accountable far too often, even though it's not actually part of my job. My impression is that men have a much easier time with not feeling responsible.
Why do you think more women are needed in science?
I think that basically diverse teams have the most potential to make good teaching and research possible. It's good when the strengths and weaknesses of individual team members complement each other and constructive collaboration can develop. Women also sometimes have ways of thinking that men don't come up with, but which are good. In general, though, I would like to see less loudness and self-promotion in the world and more room for reflection instead. That's regardless of gender. Many institutions would do well to listen more to the quiet ones.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I'm a big music fan, I like to go to concerts and festivals, but I also like to make music myself. At the moment I'm rediscovering my synthesizers for myself. I like cooking nights with friends, but also hiking or windsurfing together.
Do you have a favorite spot on campus?
Sitting in the sun in front of the Audimax, I really like that. But I also like that there's this well-stocked whiskey bar in the bi club.
What's next for you in the near future?
I would very much like to do more research. But it's not easy to find a good position for that. That's probably my main task for now.
About the person
Annika Neidhardt was born in Plauen in the Vogtland region of Saxony and went to school there. After graduating from high school, she spent a year working and traveling in England and then began studying electrical engineering at the TU Chemnitz, specializing in automation technology. She did her internship and her diploma thesis at the Fraunhofer IDMT in Ilmenau and worked on virtual acoustics. After graduating, she worked briefly in industry programming and developing signal processing for car hi-fi systems. At the TU Graz, she studied "electrical engineering-sound engineering" and subsequently worked at Fraunhofer IDMT in Ilmenau. For the past six years, she has been working on her doctorate at the Electronic Media Technology Group at the TU Ilmenau. She is the deputy head of the Group and chair of the DEGA expert committee Virtual Acoustics.
