Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOFJena / 21. February 2026
"A pretty wild combination"
Susanne Vogel between science and Jena's city history
“Science, history, and art make a great match,” says Susanne Vogel, assistant in the Opto-Mechatronic Components and Systems department and certified city guide in Jena. We accompanied Susanne on one of her city tours, during which she told us why Jena is such a great city, how she found her way to Fraunhofer IOF, and what all this has to do with the perfect combination of interest and career.
February 21 is celebrated worldwide as International Tourist Guide Day. It honors the work of qualified tourist guides. Susanne Vogel, assistant in the Opto-Mechatronic Components and Systems department at Fraunhofer IOF, is not only employed at our institute but is also a certified city guide in Jena. She regularly offers new employees guided tours of the City of Light—a great opportunity to get to know their new home and strike up conversations with colleagues. We were able to accompany her on one of these city tours and learn not only more about the history of science in Jena, but also about Susanne's life and work between science, history, and art.
It is shortly before 5 p.m. on Jena’s market square: contrary to the weather forecast, the predicted downpour has so far not materialized. In front of the tourist information office, within sight of the Hanfried statue, not all of the registered participants for the English-language IOF city tour have arrived yet. Susanne Vogel shifts nervously from one foot to the other—“healthy excitement”, as she later describes it.
On the hour, when all the interested colleagues who had registered finally gathered, it was as if someone had flipped a switch in Susanne − much like the complicated mechanism that triggers the “Schnapphans,” the late Gothic clockwork at Jena City Hall. Her initial nervousness is no longer apparent from the very first sentence of Susanne's remarks.
Now also a DIN EN 15565-certified tour guide: Susanne at the Steg der Wünsche (Bridge of Wishes) at Leuchtenburg Castle after the ceremonial presentation of the certificates.
The "pretty wild combination" during the studies
Only the most petty residents of the City of Light would describe Susanne Vogel as a Jena native rather than a Jenenserin. “I grew up in Winzerla from an early age, but I was born in Saalfeld in 1984, not in Jena. So I can’t officially call myself a Jenenserin. So shhh!” says Susanne with a laugh, holding her index finger to her lips.
After graduating from high school, Susanne was faced with the same agonizing question that most school graduates who are considering studying ask themselves: Which study program is right for me?“ On the one hand, I wanted to study something I was good at, and on the other hand, something that interested me,” says Susanne. The result was a “pretty wild combination,” but one that felt “just right,” as she tells her guests with a smile during the tour: art history, mathematics, and economics. In 2009, Susanne − probably the only student with this combination of subjects − earned her master’s degree.
Boring? Not at all: “I’m having so much fun right now!”
Susanne has quickly established the motto for the IOF city tour: “Science, history, and art make a great match.” In addition to well-known places and sights such as the Hanfried statue on the market square, the Volkshaus, the former Zeiss main factory, and the Pulverturm tower, Susanne wants to tell more stories than there are hours in the day on the way to the individual stops.
Time and again, she stops at places that, at first glance, might not appear particularly historic to the untrained eye. “I’m having so much fun right now”, one participant whispers excitedly as Susanne leads her guests through a narrow alleyway into the inner courtyard between the foyer and the sub-library of the university’s main campus.
The participants thank Susanne with a warm applause as the tour ends in the university’s main building.
"Back to the roots"
“Nope!” Susanne swiftly replies when asked whether she already knew back then what she would do with this combination of subjects in her studies in her professional life, and continues: “After that, I did an internship in Berlin at an architecture firm that specializes in exhibition architecture, which was the topic of my master’s thesis. This led to a job as an executive assistant at a Berlin landscape architecture firm.
When Susanne’s now husband received a job offer in Jena in 2012, it quickly became pretty clear that she would be drawn back to her hometown. At that point, the idea of becoming a city guide had not yet taken shape. But advertising Jena came easily to her before that: “Even as a child, and especially during my studies, I realized that we have great things here in Jena. Many important things have happened here, both in terms of art history and the history of science,” says Susanne with sparkling eyes, and you can immediately sense her burning enthusiasm for the city of light flaring up again.
Back in Jena, Susanne takes a job with the German Red Cross as an executive assistant, where she is responsible for the area of children, youth, and family. However, her search for the perfect career combination is not over yet. In order to “get back to the roots and get back to the library,” as she says, Susanne is taking a course at the Volkshochschule (adult education center) to train as a city guide in 2019, alongside her family and work commitments: 8 months, 3 hours a week. No walk in the park! In February 2020, Susanne successfully completed her training. But due to the coronavirus and the lockdowns, working as a tour guide is out of the question for the time being.
Fraunhofer Magazine 4/2019: The article “The weird, wonderful quantum world – the future is now” about quantum technologies at Fraunhofer IOF inspires Susanne to apply for a job. At the time, she didn’t know that Erik Beckert (pictured here) would become her future boss.
Susanne shows her guests an illustration of the city center as it was at back then on the roof of the Johannistor gate
“It could be a little bit more science.”
However, something was still missing to perfectly combine her personal and professional interests. “ It could be a little bit more science,” says Susanne, looking back on 2019 and her decision to leave her previous job. The Fraunhofer IOF was also undergoing a transformation at that time: in November 2019, four assistant positions were advertised for the institute’s new departmental structure.
“I must admit, I knew nothing about Fraunhofer IOF before. But as an art historian, you also deal with the scientific discoveries and inventions of different eras, as many of them have influenced art. I was particularly interested in the history of science because you can find many connections between mathematics and art – if you want to. That’s why I was already familiar with Erwin Schrödinger and his famous thought experiment with the cat. When I applied for the vacancy at IOF and learned that quantum cryptography was being researched there, I found it super exciting. Number theory, which is the basis of conventional cryptography, was my focus during my mathematics studies,” says Susanne, who never misses an opportunity to mention Schrödinger’s work as a professor in Jena during her tours.
“While preparing for the job interview, I came across an article in Fraunhofer Magazine entitled 'The weird, wonderful quantum world – The future is now' featuring Marta Gilaberte Basset and Erik Beckert, my future superior. At the time, I was very impressed by the article, not only in terms of content but also artistically. I thought it was really cool, and what was even cooler was that I ended up working for Erik as a new department assistant—hehe! “Susanne recounts, visibly amused, adding: ”It was he who supported me in offering city tours as part of the onboarding process for the IOF. He even joined me on my very first tour in the summer of 2021, along with three colleagues.
Door opener for Jena’s history – now with certificate
Susanne skillfully dispels clichés of boring city tours with her nonchalant manner—in stark contrast to the places that are otherwise inaccessible to the public. In front of the Zeiss Monument, the Johannistor, and the main university building, Susanne always says with a big grin: “The door is locked − but I have the key!
In September 2025, Susanne passes her desired certification as a city guide with flying colors. A ceremonial presentation of the certificates at Leuchtenburg Castle marks the culmination of Susanne's search for the perfect combination of history, art, and science.
About "Faces of Fraunhofer IOF"
A passion for light - that is Fraunhofer IOF. Here, innovative solutions for light-based future technologies are developed. But who are the people behind the research and science? We introduce them in the series "Faces of Fraunhofer IOF".