Dr. Josine Schrickx

Why did you join the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities?
Really, because of Thesaurus Linguae Latinae (TLL) – the Netherlands had endowed a three-year scholarship and I decided to stay on afterwards because I enjoyed it so much.

What does your work involve?
I now hold the position of general editor of the TLL, which means I have overall responsibility for the dictionary project. I coordinate the on-time hand-over of dictionary entries, control their quality and manage the printing process.

What is it about your work that drives you?
It is important for me to have good cooperation between all colleagues, whether they are working directly on my project, on other projects, or in an administrative capacity.

What role does the BAdW play in your life?
I studied Latin, so working on a Latin dictionary is like a dream come true for me. The BAdW provides a very stimulating environment where you can fully devote yourself to the research.

How do you explain what the BAdW does to your friends?
I always explain that we conduct basic research on the one hand and that we are a community of scholars on the other. Basic research is important because it allows other researchers to build on our work.

How would you describe your working environment?
The TLL is like its own community within the Academy. We often have scholarship recipients working with us as well as visiting academics from all over the world. This gives our team and our library a very international dimension. We go for lunch together quite frequently, which really helps us to get to know each other.

Which skills do you need day-to-day but did not learn during your qualification?
I studied Latin and Greek at university, but now I need the skills to manage a project – formulating plans, leading a team, that kind of thing.

What do you count as your highlights of working at the BAdW?
My personal highlight was being appointed as general editor. It’s a new task and I enjoy it very much, but it brings a lot of responsibility at the same time. Another really good highlight was the lake cruise on Ammersee with all of our BAdW colleagues.

I’ve had a good day at work if …
… I have been able to help young academics with their work on the TLL project and hopefully inspire them. It’s great when we finish a dictionary entry, but even better is the one day a year when we can release a fascicle – an instalment of a volume.