Interview with Charlotte Cramer Kristensen

Charlotte Cramer Kristensen is Head of Section at the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority (Trafikstyrelsen).

Where did you graduate from and with which degree?

I graduated in 2022 with a MSc in Astrophysics from the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen.

Please give a description of the work you do in your current position.

I am working as Head of Section at the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority in Team ATM/ANS, where I have the responsibility for the Flight Procedure Design area. My work consists of a lot of different ad hoc tasks, but the main one is having oversight with all instrument flight procedures in Denmark, Greenland and Faroe Islands. I have to make sure that all the procedures comply with all the right regulations related to aviation, in order for the pilots to use the procedures to land and take-off safely.

Currently, I am in the process of becoming a flight procedure designer for me to learn how to actually design the procedures I have to review.

Beside working with flight procedures, I am also in charge of running different projects related to flight safety. 

What motivated you to study physics or engineering in the first place?

I have always loved science and especially astronomy. When I was a little girl my mother always took me to the Planetarium, where my older cousin worked and that started my interest in astronomy. When I started my STX I was fully determined that I had to pursue a career in astrophysics and I moved back to Copenhagen to start my BSc at the Niels Bohr Institute.

What made you decide to pursue a career in the public sector?

During my studies I had always thought that I wanted to continue with a Ph.d., but academia was not the right thing to pursue when I finished my MSc.

Since I have always been very interested in aviation and actually wanted to become a fighter pilot when I was younger, it was a no-brainer to combine my interest in aviation with my degree in physics. When a position to work with aviation came up, I had to apply and fortunately I got the job. 

How do you use the skills you learned as a physicist or engineer in your work?

Everyday I use the mindset of a physicist and especially apply the problem solving methods I have learned to every case I have. The aviation industry is very complex with a lot of different regulations to comply with, so I have to learn new things almost every day. It is also very important to have a systematic approach to make sure there is no compromise with safety. 

What does being a physicist mean to you?

To me, a physicist is curious and wants to explore how the world works usings math and science. 

Being a physicist is a big part of who I am and even though it doesn’t define me, I will always be proud of what I have achieved. It would not have been possible without the support of the people I’ve met during the years studying physics. 

What advice would you give to young people (in particular women and minorities) with a background in physics who would like to pursue a career in the private industry/public sector?

Don’t be afraid to expand your horizon of what a physicist can do. Most job descriptions are not one-to-one with the competencies you have learned during the studies, but it doesn’t mean that you are not the right person for the job. You can always learn new skills and if the job sounds interesting, then just try to apply. The only thing that matters is that you will be happy with what you do.