“What, Josephson? The Josephson junction Josephson?” A wonderful read from Rubina Davtyan after their stay at the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings.
It's been five days since the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, and my LinkedIn feed is still buzzing with pictures, impressions, and reflections from the event. This is all because I had the opportunity to connect with some of the coolest young scientists from various countries, nationalities, and academic disciplines. We, about 600 young researchers, had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet more than 30 Nobel Laureates and a Fields Medalist. As a non-binary person, an advocate for diversity, and an immigrant, I was delighted to see such a diverse representation of both research topics and backgrounds. A fellow young scientist expressed it perfectly: "It's so cool to see people who look like you in STEM"—an experience that, unfortunately, is not always common. When I learned I'd be going to Lindau, I was both ecstatic and anxious: how does one prepare to be near such greatness? My anxiety quickly dissipated after noticing how engaged, approachable, and charismatic the laureates were. It's well-known that a sharp mind, hard work, focus, and determination are common traits among Nobel Prize recipients, but I would add charisma to that list. Excitement, engagement, and deep discussions—be they scientific, philosophical, or societal—were everywhere. One memorable moment was when Bill Phillips handed me a little card with recommended values of fundamental constants for asking a question. While I was beaming with happiness, he remarked, "Where else other than Lindau would people be happy getting fundamental constants?" 😃 A proud nerd moment.🤓 Among other incredible experiences: I discussed the role of physicists in countering climate change with Steven Chu, had dinner with Saul Perlmutter and Laura Nelson while talking about scientific outreach, music, and diversity, and learned from George Smoot how he got to play himself on "The Big Bang Theory." I also had the pleasure of nerding out about the beauty of mathematics with Efim Zelmanov, and so much more. When I mentioned to an acquaintance that they should check out a lecture by Brian Josephson, whom I had just met, they exclaimed, "What, Josephson? The Josephson junction Josephson?" Meeting the human beings behind the complex theories, equations, research papers, and textbooks is what the Lindau Meetings are all about. #LINO24😊 P.S. Thanks Ragnar Söderbergs stiftelse and The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for the support and nomination. And of course, to Heiner Linke for being such an awesome and supportive PhD supervisor.