"We have a unique spirit at DESY"
He's going out, she's coming in: we are at a summit meeting in the Directorate, a double appointment with Beate Heinemann and Helmut Dosch. The mood on this gloomy Tuesday afternoon in mid-March is cheerful, in this time between farewell and inauguration – just a few days before the change of leadership at DESY. We can hear the echoes of past experiences and achievements, of wishes and visions, of missed opportunities and possible chances. "Looking back is not my kind of thing," says Helmut Dosch before the first question. But there is a lot to talk about, including looking ahead in this short and entertaining conversation with two great personalities at the crossroads of their DESY lives.
Beate, Helmut – can you remember your first day at DESY?
Beate Heinemann: I had three of them: in 1987/88 as a pupil on the advanced physics course. At the time, I didn't understand much of what was being said – DESY was like a new universe for me. The second time, I was already at university and was on campus more often for practicals, my diploma, and doctoral thesis. And finally, I came back in 2016 after 16 years abroad. I still remember the warm welcome I received from the DESY staff.
Helmut Dosch: The very first time I was on the DESY campus was around 1988, when I registered a project here after returning from the USA. Man, those were the days... When I think of my first day in the office, I immediately think of the weather: cloudy, single-digit temperatures. "Great" was all I could think.
Helmut, did you have the personality or the desire to be at the top from the start - or did everything just happen the way it did?
Helmut Dosch: A difficult question. One day you become a class rep – and 35 years later a spokesperson for a European consortium. I suppose that some of my character traits fit: I'm rather hands-on and have boundless self-confidence; you definitely need that. I think I've always been very empathetic; that also helps. And you develop the necessary assertiveness over time. However, I never had a well-timed career plan. Today, everyone would say: "Wow, Dosch, incredible!" – but that's how it was. I still remember: when I left the house, my father – he was a civil servant on the railway – shouted after me: "Listen to me, no matter where you are and what you're doing: do your job well and don't moan about it." And I followed that, one thing led to another.
