Dana Heinemann

Everyone at the Thünen Institute knows the woman with the pink cat ears on her headphones: when there's a problem with the website, Dana Heinemann knows where to find the solution. She is the mistress of the editorial system and often enough the saviour in times of need, a mediator between IT and information.

Originally, the Wolfsburg native wanted to catalogue and manage books. And because she is passionate about science, the library of a research institute was exactly the right place for her to work. But even during her training as a media and information services specialist, it became clear that librarianship had to make the leap into the digital age. What's more, Heinemann's training ended just as the Thünen Institute was founded and a new website was needed. She switched to the IT department. Since then, she has been training web editors and ensuring the website is accessible, among other things – all online. "Sometimes I miss dealing with the public," says Dana Heinemann. “But theoretically, 100 web editors could call me every day.”

It is important to her that she can continue to develop despite working for the same employer. She studied media sciences and communication design alongside her job. She managed the second relaunch of the website as project manager. However, she taught herself much of what she knows through professional exchanges in forums. "I appreciate the creative freedom and flexibility of research work," she says.

Dana Heinemann is still an exception in the IT industry: only just under 17 percent of jobs in Germany are held by women. This puts our country in the middle of the pack among OECD countries. Still, Dana Heinemann has a female boss. At the Thünen Institute, the Centre for Information Management is headed by a woman.