Helga Nowotny’s memoir provides a detailed account of her life, highlighting the challenges and triumphs of a woman who defied convention in a male-dominated field of science. From her early days in Science and Technology Studies, where she faced bureaucratic hurdles, to her influential role in shaping the European Research Council, Nowotny offers a candid look at her career. She shares personal stories of navigating the complexities of academia and policy, revealing the uncertainties and contingencies that shaped her life and work. This memoir resonates with anyone who has pursued a path less traveled, and offers a glimpse into the resilience and ambition required to succeed in challenging environments.

Helga Nowotny is a Professor Emerita of Science and Technology Studies at ETH Zurich and a Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Nowotny is the former president of the European Research Council (2010–2013) and one of its founding members (2007). She served as the Chair of the European Research Advisory Board, advising the European Commission from 2001 to 2005. Throughout her professional career, she has been engaged in science and innovation policy matters and continues to serve as an advisor at the national and EU levels.
Helga Nowotny has published widely in Science and Technology Studies, as well as on social time. She is the author of In AI we Trust: Power, Illusion and Control of Predictive Algorithms (2021), The Cunning of Uncertainty (2015), Naked Genes: Reinventing the Human in the Molecular Age (with Giuseppe Testa) (2011), Insatiable Curiosity: Innovation in a Fragile Future (2008), and the editor of Cultures of Technology and the Quest for Innovation (2006).