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My name is Anna Toschi, and I was born in Milan, Italy. I’ve always been curious about how things work, which led me to study Engineering Physics at Politecnico di Milano. During my Master’s, I completed my thesis at the synchrotron in Grenoble, France — a great experience that confirmed my passion for research and international environments.

I’m now a PhD student in the EDPY program at EPFL, and being part of this community has been incredibly rewarding. The program offers a wide range of courses that allow you to explore diverse areas of physics, along with opportunities to teach and engage with students. From day one, I felt supported — whenever challenges come up, you can openly discuss them with your supervisor or colleagues, and there’s always someone willing to help.

The research environment is dynamic and collaborative, and I’ve learned a lot of experimental techniques while working in a great team. On top of that, the campus is beautiful and international, with many events that make the experience even more fulfilling.

I’m a final-year PhD student in the Fields and Strings Laboratory led by Prof. João Penedones.

My PhD journey has been full of surprises. I struggled in my first years. I often felt slow and unprepared for the challenges of theoretical physics research. What made the difference was something I consider essential in any student–advisor relationship: my advisor always showed that he believed in me. His trust not only supported my morale but had real consequences. At the end of my second year, I published my first paper, and when he was invited to a high-profile conference in the US but couldn’t attend, he proposed that I go in his place. I was nervous at the thought of giving a one-hour seminar in that setting, but after a lot of preparation, it went well. That experience boosted my confidence and transformed the rest of my PhD. The sense of inadequacy that marked the early years gradually gave way to the joy of research and the curiosity that drives a passionate academic. A crucial consequence of that shift was that I began to feel more comfortable asking very basic questions. I’ve learned that this is perhaps the most important quality in a researcher: being confident in one’s own ignorance and open to questioning the basics of building strong foundations. In the last two years, I’ve published more papers and broadened my interests.

In October, after I graduate, I’ll start a postdoc in Turin.

P.S. The picture is from the EPFL competition My Thesis in 180 Seconds—that was fun!