Author interview with Paty Novais, astrophysicist at Universidade de São Paulo

Paty first got in touch to ask us if she could have an Overleaf duck, and seeing as she was so enthusiastic about Overleaf we decided to ask her more about her work and her use of the platform! Oh, and we sent her some ducks too, of course :)

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?

Let me see... I'm a 29 year old girl, married to a Social Worker, I live in São Paulo state since forever and I love science. I'm an astrophysicist! I'm doing my PhD at Instituto de Astronomia e Geofísica da Universidade de São Paulo (IAG/USP), I work with spatially resolved stellar populations inside galaxies!

Shelly's note: You can find out more about Paty and her research on her homepage, and if you're also at Universidade de São Paulo, you can get a free upgrade to Overleaf Pro thanks to our #CampusChallenge!

What are the biggest challenges you face in your work?

Currently, my biggest challenges are about finishing my PhD. I've been developing a new approach to deal with stellar population inside galaxies and this is not easy, because I need to learn how use many tools and skills, like computation and statistics.... I've been working really hard to achieve this goal and, despite these difficulties, I will!

How did you first find out about Overleaf?

I found Overleaf in a serendipitous way! Because of my work, often I need to write reviews, reports, make presentations.... So, some day, I was looking for a essay template in Latex and I found a template in the site latextemplates.com that redirected me to this beautiful platform! And was love at first sight!

How would you describe your experience of using Overleaf?

Amazing! With Overleaf, I can manage my stuff in such a easy way! I can use any device, I don't need to use always the same computer, I need to be connected to internet and just this! I can access my works, my texts and essays from anywhere! Besides this, work with collaborators, or even with my advisor, became simple and fast!

What's next for you and your work?

Well, I'm starting the last year of my PhD and, as soon as possible, I will begin to write my thesis! Of course, Overleaf will make this task easier for me, because I can write all my work using your platform! After finishing my PhD, I intend to start a post-doctoral fellowship and Overleaf will be essential to write my papers and make collaborations!

In summary, how would you describe Overleaf in one sentence?

Just one sentence? Ok, let me try it...

"Overleaf, an easy way to make my life smoother!"

Since speaking with us, Paty has now joined our advisors programme, and also supports the awesome PyLadies São Paulo!