Happiness is endless in research
While every researcher’s career path is unique, it’s important for young scientists at the beginning of their journey to understand that the challenges they encounter can be overcome. This is why sharing successful experiences is so crucial. Graduating from the University of Timisoara, earning a master’s degree from the Johannes Kepler University in Linz, followed by postdoctoral scholarships in Lausanne and Zurich, a professorship in Gothenburg, Sweden, and a current position as a university lecturer at the Vienna University of Technology — Laura Kovacs’s professional journey has been marked by numerous transitions. Yet, her passion for research and deep love for mathematics and logic have remained constant throughout. She shares her experience in an interview with the Romanian Nőileg Magazine.
Laura Kovács earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science with the highest distinction from the Research Institute for Symbolic Computation (RISC-Linz) at Johannes Kepler University in 2007, and her Habilitation in Computer Science from the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) in 2012. Her research focuses on developing mathematical methods in IT to ensure the correctness of software systems. She has contributed to numerous research projects, including recent ones such as ForSmart: Effective Formal Methods for Smart-Contract Certification, Abenteuer Informatik für Volksschulen, and SpyCoDe: Semantic and Cryptographic Foundations of Security and Privacy by Compositional Design. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Amazon Research Award (2024), the ERC Consolidator Grant (2020), the ERC Proof of Concept Grant (2018), and the ERC Starting Grant (2014). She is currently a Full Professor and Head of the Research Unit for Formal Methods in Systems Engineering.
The academic environment and her father’s love for mathematics greatly influenced Laura’s future interests. She was fortunate to enter the first mathematics and informatics program of Western University of Timisoara. Her curiosity and wide-ranging interests matched perfectly with this interdisciplinary program. However, it wasn’t just luck that paved her way to success—it was her outstanding academic results and her openness to working anywhere in the world, adapting to different demands, and meeting the highest standards.
Prof. kovacs emphasizes how important it is for researchers to stay on the move, to embrace change, and to apply themselves. ‘There are always new opportunities out there, and you have to be open to them,’ she says. Addressing early-career researchers, she encourages them not to fear the challenges that come with creating something new, but to be fascinated by research. One of her secrets to success, she reveals, is finding joy in your work—whether it’s teaching, mentoring students, creating new things, or achieving meaningful results. ‘There is quite a lot of competition in IT, but when you come up with something new and it works, it’s great.’
Laura’s words of support are especially important for female researchers, who still face many challenges: ‘There are more and more opportunities, and it’s worth looking for them and taking advantage of them! It’s about what we feel like doing, what we are motivated to do, what we are interested in, and what makes us curious.’