Interview with ICSS alumni Malin Frank

21 February 2024

Photo: Sebastian Ganso/Pixabay

Malin Frank

• Could you please tell me briefly about your academic journey?      

I studied Geosciences in my Bachelors at Uni Bremen, and then applied to SICSS. Afterwards, I briefly studied dance and acting in Los Angeles. 

• How did you come to your current position and what motivated you most about the job (in an academic context or in the private sector)?

I'm currently working in marketing. I think it's a bit of a trend, at least in my generation; I think a lot of companies realized 'Oh, we really need someone for marketing', and they took someone who didn't come from a marketing background but the background specific to the company. For example, I have a friend who studied health management and is a physiotherapist, and now also works in marketing for a healthcare company, and in general, a staggering amount of my friends 'ended up' in marketing. So in my case, I do marketing and everything creative for a group of companies that deal with energy efficiency and energy consulting (Envidatec), solar PV systems for SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) in Uganda (enPower.life), and solar carports in combination with charging stations for e-mobility (Sun and Charge). It's three different companies that are run by the same team, that's why I work for all of them. I started working for them during the pandemic. Before then, I had been freelancing in the film industry in London, but at the time I was isolating in Sweden. My father is one of the founding members and managers of Envidatec and enPower.life and said they could really use some help with their marketing, and I was obviously completely out of work as the film industry was completely shut-down. So that's how I started.
I also created my (still very small) sustainable clothing line, Motti by Malin. I wrote my Master's thesis about sustainable fashion, so it all came together.

• What have you been able to take away from your studies at SICSS for your current work?

On a very hands-on level, of course the knowledge about sustainability and the climate system. Specifically, how climate change and security/peace are interconnected, as I wrote my thesis with Prof. Dr. Jürgen Scheffran and that was his expertise. But beyond that, also how to get things done. How to work your way into new subjects, how to organize events, how to run events, how to explain a scientific topic in a relatable way, how to write scientific and academic texts with a red thread and a throughline. During my Bachelors, all the things I learned felt a little bit disconnected. In the Master's, the connections became clear, and now at work, it's about bringing all of this out of the academic bubble into real-life problems. By that I mean socio-economic, political, and structural hurdles: In Uganda for example, we are not allowed to feed solar energy back into the grid, so that requires some extra technical knowledge. Or batteries would be great to be able to go (nearly) 100% solar, but batteries are not always economically feasible, so it doesn't make sense or is simply not possible financially. In other words: there is a reason why there is a gap between the best theoretical solution for maximum sustainability, and what is actually getting done.
And without my Master's thesis, I probably wouldn't have started my clothing line.

• What difficulties did you encounter in preparing for your career?

I'd say mostly just the strange times we are living through: The pandemic, the ongoing economic crisis, those things. And, but that's a very personal thing: I have a lot of very different interests. Getting them into my life is really hard sometimes. I've also always been a very creative person, but that's not always what's wanted or called for in academia or the corporate world. I am lucky I get to be at least somewhat creative in my current job.

• What do you remember most when you think back to your time at SICSS or in Hamburg (if you live outside of Hamburg)?

I really enjoyed my time at SICSS. We were a small group, I think 14, and we spent a lot of time studying and cooking together. It was a really nice community and a really special time. Much more free than now with full-time work, haha! Make the most of it ;) I also really enjoyed working on my thesis. With sustainable fashion, I picked a topic that I really loved. I enjoy working 'broad', and so I explored the topic from a multitue of angles. I dug into toxicity of dyes, carbon footprints, consumer behaviour, I went to Berlin Fashion Week, I learned about patent rights for genetically-modified cotton seeds and how the patent-holdings companies are connected to companies that produce pesticides. I looked into the modern slavery in the fast fashion industry, into the cruelty of leather, and so much more. It was a lot, but my supervisors, Jürgen Scheffran and Christiane Fröhlich, allowed me to get very creative and gave me a lot of freedom. This is not what everyone needs, but for me, it was a great experience. Besides that, I spent a lot of time at the dance studio, which was really great.

• Do you have anything else you would like to share with our ICSS students?

If I were to share one piece of advice it's to pick a topic for your thesis that you genuinely enjoy. That you can really see yourself spending a lot of time with, because you will. It'll help you push through the long nights and the hard parts. Also, like I said, make the most of being a student, and of being in Hamburg. If you haven't done it yet, I'd strongly advise to go up the Geomathikum on a sunny day. Try to get up as high as possible and catch a glimpse over Hamburg from up there for free ;)

Also, if you like a 'European Indian' kinda meal (as in, not so spicy :D) check out Go Palam opposite the campus. I think it's 9,90 for lunch but it's filling and different from what the Mensa has to offer.