Ask me anything: Gwenaëlle Lefeuvre ‘Not everyone is built to be a specialist and there is nothing wrong with that’

Gwenaëlle Lefeuvre is the network coordinator for Photonics Bretagne, an innovation hub supporting the photonics ecosystem in Brittany, France

Gwenaëlle Lefeuvre studied physics at Sorbonne Université in Paris, France, before moving to Université Paris Cité to do a PhD in experimental particle physics. After postdocs at Syracuse University in the US and the University of Sussex in the UK, she left academia and worked for 10 years at the UK company Micron Semiconductor Ltd. Here, Lefeuvre set up a business unit dedicated to designing and manufacturing CVD diamond sensors.

Lefeuvre now works as the network coordinator for Photonics Bretagne – a non-profit association in Brittany, France. As an innovation hub, the organization supports the development of the photonics ecosystem across industry, research and education in Brittany, and helps integrate photonics technologies into other sectors.

What skills do you use every day in your job?

When it comes to skills I need for my role, my scientific background is just the starting point. I am the contact point between the Photonics Bretagne team, our members, our European partners, and any other parties interested in what photonics have to offer. While my background gives me credibility, what I really use is the inquisitive spirit that a physics education imprints in us. I ask a lot of questions, all the time and to everyone, so I can better understand what people work on, what they need, and how their products can be used in different situations.

Of course, this means that communication and networking are also crucial. Representing my member companies, for example, means that I must be able to translate what they are offering so it’s understandable for people who might work in a very different sector, such as mobility, agriculture or cosmetics.

Finally, being flexible is a must. I wear different hats depending on the task at hand, and need to be able to switch them around quickly.

What do you like best and least about your job?

I love many aspects of my role, but top of the list is having the opportunity to keep learning about new technologies and applications. The breadth and depth of knowledge my co-workers and our members possess is as humbling as it is inspiring. While I am more of a “generalist physicist” myself, I have worked on many different types of experimental systems so can appreciate the expertise at play.

I also enjoy the diversity of my work, which makes my days fun and varied. I might be meeting with members and looking for ways to support them; organizing a delegation visit with my European partners; or advocating for photonics in cross-sector events – and that’s just naming a few of my responsibilities. There is never a dull day.

With the diversity of my role and my enthusiasm to find out more comes the challenge of prioritizing. There are so many things I would love to be doing, but we are a small team and we must focus our efforts on those actions that can best serve our community. And of course, the administrative and reporting tasks are never loved by anyone and take up more valuable time than I would like. They are a constant in every job though, and can be managed through good planning.

What do you know today, that you wish you knew when you were starting out in your career?

Three things come to mind. The first is that it’s helpful to know whether you will enjoy becoming a highly specialized researcher, or if you would thrive in a more general role. Higher education in physics is designed around gaining a finer and finer degree of specialization. I realized during my postdocs that I was not enjoying staying in one given field (neutrino physics, in my case) as much as I expected to. What I loved was working hands-on with different types of sensors, which is a more transversal specialization, so to speak. Not everyone is built to be a specialist and there is nothing wrong with that. Many career options are open to those who embrace remaining curious about everything, provided they have a strong background to back it up.

There are so many ways to work in, with or for the physics community – the main limiting factor for my younger self was probably my own imagination

Secondly, it’s worth remembering that people change, and ambitions do too. It has been said many times in this column, but life isn’t linear and neither is a career. It is important to account for the person you will become, so that you don’t make choices today that will make your future self unhappy or stuck. There are so many ways to work in, with or for the physics community – the main limiting factor for my younger self was probably my own imagination. Luckily, many degrees now include broadening experiences like semesters abroad or entrepreneurship classes.

Finally, I wish I had realized earlier that people love it when we ask them questions about their work. Doing so does not showcase our ignorance but our interest – it’s a true win-win.