To content
Department of Physics

Interview with Marina Macias

To get to know Marina Macias a little better, we asked her a few questions:

What is a person of trust? Is there anything that distinguishes you as a person of trust?

A person of trust is contact the difficult and conflictual situations that can arise in everyday academic life. As a person of trust, I maintain a cordial and appreciative approach and have a basic understanding that close collaboration could hide potentials for conflicts of interest as well as misunderstandings in addition to fun research.

Foto of Marina Marcias Barrientos © TU Dortmund

What kind of concerns can I come to you with?

You can come to me with all difficult situations from the academic environment. I always happy to listen, even if you doubt whether your concern is right for a person of trust - we can then gladly clarify this together.

How can I tell if my supervisor is not being fair to me? What can I do in this case?

If you notice that your supervisor is not acting in accordance with the "Principles of Effective Career Support in Science" or the "Rules of Good Scientific Practice", it would be advisable to seek advice from the person of trust. The same applies if the relationship with the supervisor is difficult for some reason, which may or may not be understandable. Of course, a direct conversation with the supervisor is also a common way, but unfortunately it is not always easy in the situation where the relations are already somewhat tense. Together with the person of trust, the situation is discussed, reflected upon and a joint decision is made on how to proceed.

 

My caregiver has not behaved fairly, but I don't want to blacken anyone's name either. How can I be sure that I won't make my situation worse if I talk to you?

No one will hold it against you if you turn to the person of trust, nor will anyone find out about the conversation. Of course, all content and names discussed will be kept confidential and will not be shared. There will only be a formal notification to the faculty that the counseling offer has been taken up, without giving any personal data. Further actions, if necessary, will only be taken in consultation with you, only in your interest and only with your consent.

What is the best way to reach you?

The best way is to call me! You don't have to describe your situation right away on the phone, we will make an appointment for a personal conversation.