Scientific careers build on more than published articles. Young scientists often face questions that cannot be answered from a textbook. How do I achieve a good work-life balance? Should I move to this new job? How do I decide which projects to work on? In this session, a successful scientist with many years of experience will give a look back to give a personal perspective of their career.

This year we are happy that Susanne Buiter, Team leader for Solid Earth Geology at the Geological Survey of Norway (NGU) and Researcher at the Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics (CEED), has agreed to partake. Susannes research focuses on quantitative modelling of complex Earth systems and their dynamical behaviour. Her activities bridge multiple scientific fields, such as structural geology, geomorphology, tectonics, but also contribute heavily to community-wide efforts such as benchmarking of models. On top of all that, Susanne is a key player at EGU level, always aiming to improve the meeting and pushing new initiatives for the community.

We will discuss how her decisions subsequently affected her career, which problems she had to face, and how research is affected by life and vice versa. Her account of life and work will be fascinating window to how a master scientist works, and there will be plenty of opportunities for questions from the audience to get advice on how to succeed in an academic career.