Grazyna Odyniec, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Nuclear Science Division
Grazyna has an MSc and a PhD, both in physics, from the University of Warsaw, Poland. She began working at Berkeley Lab as a staff scientist in 1982 and was also an affiliated professor of physics at the University of Washington from 1995 to 2000. At Berkeley Lab, Grazyna has been the Program Head for the Relativistic Nuclear Collision Group since 2016 and was the group’s Deputy Program Head from 1995 to 2011.
What inspires you to work in STEM or operations?
Curiosity initially inspired me. I became interested in understanding the world around us and how nature works. But I soon understood that we can only answer the question “how does it work?” not “why does it work this way?” because nobody knows why. Knowing how is important because it may lead to some understanding of why.
What excites you about your work at Berkeley Lab?
The high potential for discoveries and breakthroughs; that Berkeley Lab is a center for original, extraordinary, and substantive research; and the exploration of ambitious, possibly risky, concepts are a few examples of what makes my work at the lab exciting. The wide opportunities, often at the boundaries of physics and other scientific disciplines, concentration of unbelievably great minds, and presence of engineering expertise and superbly equipped shops (priceless when designing a new apparatus) are also benefits.
How can our country engage more women, girls, and members of other underrepresented groups in STEM or operations?
Encouraging children’s curiosity at an early age (not later than the third grade) and showing how understandable science can be by relating it to examples from everyday life would be good ways to start. Science from the third grade on should be taught with a lot of examples, demonstrations, and experiments, and probability and statistics should be taught starting in third grade.
Do you have tips you would recommend for someone looking to enter your field of work?
Develop a good understanding of science fundamentals, and do not limit your education to textbooks. Read about scientists and how they succeeded. Develop strength, perseverance, and stubbornness. And never take “no” for an answer without proper justification.
When you have free time, what are your hobbies?
Architecture, art history, literature, interior design, skiing, and sailing.