What have been the key steps in your professional career?
Caroline Chanel: I’ve been fortunate enough to study in two countries: Brazil, where I’m from, and France, tackling different subjects within the field of robotics. These techniques that can get objects to function by themselves have fascinated me ever since I was a child. My end of studies project and PhD gave me the chance to learn more about automation, robotics and artificial intelligence, fields that are useful to my current research.
Serena Ivaldi: My PhD work in robotics helped get my career off the ground, but it was my two postdocs that really kicked things into gear. For the first one, managing to get an EU project really helped launch my career. Through the second I was able to meet colleagues who would go on to support me, dispensing valuable advice to help boost my career as a researcher.
Anne Spalanzani: I have taken an interest in a range of different themes: robotics is such a wide field! I discovered cognitive science through my DEA (Diploma of Advanced Studies), before getting into IT during my PhD in speech recognition algorithms and evolutionary robotics during my postdoc. What this means is that I can now be a bridge between the different subjects my team are working on and work with colleagues from a range of different fields, whether it’s IT, automation or psychology.
Why did you opt for academic research in robotics? Why not work in industry?
Caroline Chanel: The worlds of industry and academia, which I discovered during my studies, don't move at the same speeds. What I enjoy most is developing a real understanding of a scientific subject, studying it and exploring it in depth: the rhythm the industrial world moves at is too quick for that. Teaching, combined with research, gives me the opportunity to pass on my knowledge. That’s one aspect I really enjoy.
Serena Ivaldi: Because of the passion I have for my projects, almost all of which I have worked on in positions in academia. I followed my dreams, one of which was to develop a forward vision. One area of my current research into humanoid robotics is still quite a long way from practical application - at the moment, it wouldn’t have its place in the industrial sector.
Anne Spalanzani: As interesting as it is to create or produce things, I still feel that the challenges in academic research are far more interesting than in the industrial sector. I like to see projects through to their completion, to really get stuck in to designing and developing them. I also appreciate intellectual support, something the academic world is really good for. I’m really flourishing in this environment.
To what extent has your PhD work influenced the rest of your career? How much flexibility do you have when it comes to choosing your research subjects?
Caroline Chanel: My years as a PhD student were really important - and not just from a scientific point of view! I was able to build up a network of colleagues, researchers and engineers that I am still working with today, linking up with them for collaborative research projects. These projects meet the objectives of the ISAE-SUPAERO road map, which guides our research, but we still have total freedom when it comes to the subjects we put forward.
Serena Ivaldi: I view a PhD as an introduction to scientific research. It is there that you learn how to structure your thoughts, set realistic, attainable objectives, build a bibliography, solve a given problem, explore different avenues and present your results to a community: it provides comprehensive training. The only limits on my current research are related to funding. Projects in robotics, which involve various human and material contributions, always require a compromise between what we want and what we're able to do. It’s up to us to strike that balance.
Anne Spalanzani: The only limit on our imagination is our capacity to find sources of funding for our ideas. Other than that, I have total flexibility when it comes to developing and running my projects. My PhD work was pretty far removed from robotics, a field that wasn't nearly as developed then as it is now. That said, the concepts I was studying - how to adapt automated systems to changes in their environments - are central to my current research. Nothing goes to waste.
What advice would you give to young scientists just starting out in their academic careers?
Caroline Chanel: Find a subject you’re passionate about and which you want to devote time and energy to - research takes a lot out of you. The intellectual opportunities offered by a subject are vast. Make sure you don't spread yourself too thinly either - remember, professional achievement isn’t the only source of fulfilment. Finding a balance in your life and doing things you love outside of scientific research is also part of a good career.
Serena Ivaldi: A subject you find interesting is essential, but it’s not everything. The intellectual or human environment of a team or a laboratory are perhaps just as important: you learn a lot from your peers, who will often give you a brilliant idea or some useful advice. Bear in mind as well that the life of a researcher doesn’t just revolve around their scientific work - they have a lot of other responsibilities as well. Some might seem off-putting, but they are part of the job. Becoming a researcher is something that happens over time. In your first years you will be asked to do a lot of work and a lot of adapting. You might even have to make one or two sacrifices.
Anne Spalanzani: Feed your curiosity and your imagination! Robotics, like many other disciplines, is very broad: don’t just concentrate on one subject. If you're able to, take the time to go to conferences in other fields. Keep your mind as open as possible!
*Rahaf Rahal, Jessica Colombel, Benoit Antoniotti, PhD students at Inria in Nancy or Inria in Rennes.
