Precision isn’t just a technical challenge - it’s also a cultural one. Professor Michèle Heurs advances high‑frequency non‑classical light sources and cutting‑edge photodetection to reduce quantum noise in next‑generation gravitational wave detectors. Her work increases sensitivity where it matters most: at the quantum limit, where tiny improvements open entirely new windows on the universe.
Asked what she’d like to be known for, Michèle answers by saying “For doing excellent science - and doing it with fairness and integrity, in a system that doesn’t always reward this”. She is convinced that responsibility and self-reflection are part of the research toolkit.
As a student, she believed gender was inconsequential in science. Experience taught her otherwise: bias - conscious and unconscious - still shapes how competence and communication are perceived, and repeated microaggressions are exhausting. Many of her male colleagues were surprised to hear how commonplace such incidents are for women and gender‑diverse scientists. Michèle’s approach: talk about these topics more, inform rather than accuse, and build allyship that carries beyond familiar circles. Belonging grows in groups that treat diversity as the advantage it is - and it takes perseverance to make that the norm in the broader field.
Role models matter
Michèle highlights Jocelyn Bell Burnell, discoverer of the first radio pulsar, whose groundbreaking work was recognised with a Nobel Prize awarded to others. She once had the chance to meet her – an encounter that left a lasting impression. She also names Lise Meitner, whose scientific legacy stands in striking contrast to the recognition she received. Having attended an Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium, Michèle sometimes reflects that it could just as well have carried Meitner’s name.
What should change?
Michèle wishes more people genuinely understood diversity as a real advantage (in science and in general) - not a “box to tick”. But she also points to something deeper: existing structures in academia are persistent, and meaningful change rarely happens on its own. It requires conscious choices about how we work, collaborate, evaluate, and lead.
Communication norms require attention too: different communication styles shouldn’t marginalise voices, and support must extend to neurodivergent scientists. Flexibility, mutual respect, empathy, and a willingness to translate between perspectives are not “add‑ons”; they’re conditions for better science.
We’re proud to have Michèle Heurs in QuantumFrontiers - advancing quantum optics for gravitational‑wave astronomy and helping shape a research culture where excellence and integrity go hand in hand.
#PushingTheBoundaries
In our #PushingTheBoundaries series, we highlight our female QuantumFrontiers professors and draw attention to the challenges women face in male-dominated fields such as physics and engineering. Between International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February and International Women's Day on 8 March, we explore how women shape the field through their expertise, and discuss the changes we wish to drive forward.
