After eight years of study in the field of subatomic physics and astroparticles, a doctoral thesis on the subject and nearly ten years of experience as a researcher, Antje Farnier joined the Ubisoft Annecy studio as a data scientist.
After her studies and thesis in subatomic physics and astroparticles between France and Germany, Antje joined Ubisoft Annecy, where she works as a data scientist. She is also co-leader of the Women at Ubisoft Annecy Employee Resource Group.
I like: “My family & my friends, who enrich my life!”
I don’t like: “Conflict”.
CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND? HOW DID YOU GET TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
ANTJE FARNIER - Since I was a little girl, I have always been a dreamer. I looked at the stars with fascination, which brought out many questions in me. I started to leaf through as many books as I could on the sky, the solar system, the emergence of humans on our planet, etc. That's when I started asking myself questions about our world, and I haven’t stopped since! I wanted to understand how humans, although so small on the scale of the universe, had managed to be born here. Like Goethe's Faust, I wanted to know “if I could finally know all that the world hides within itself”, if it was possible to approach these questions through the lens of philosophy, mathematics or biology. It is the physical sciences that have particularly marked me. From then on, I knew that I wanted to focus my career on this field.
After my schooling at a middle school and a French high school in Berlin, I continued my higher education between France and Germany. Captivated by Stephen Hawking's work on black holes, I became interested in astrophysics, until I met a professor of cosmology and astroparticles who totally changed my view of things. He allowed me to understand that it was possible to answer fundamental questions about the infinitely large by means of experiments on the extremely small. He also gave me the opportunity to take a field trip to one of the largest scientific laboratories in the world, CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research), in Switzerland. Totally fascinated, I decided to specialize in particle physics and astroparticles, leading me to complete a thesis on this!
THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER, YOU HAVE LIVED IN DIFFERENT EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. HOW DID YOU EXPERIENCE THESE CHANGES IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT?
A. F. - I was surrounded by the French language from a very early age, and I always wanted to study both in my country, Germany, and in France. However, I was very worried when, at the age of 21, I decided to take the plunge and move to France.
I then discovered during my studies that physics could allow me to travel and discover the world, both through lectures by leading experts and through scientific experiments. I've been lucky enough to set foot on every continent, even in Antarctica, where I helped launch an astroparticle detector. Little by little, I really enjoyed discovering other cultures. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to meet so many inspiring and caring people, and I feel that I have learned a lot from my colleagues as well as the Nobel laureates I have met along the way.
After my thesis in France, I realized that it was difficult to get a contract as a researcher on a permanent basis. I then moved to Stockholm, Sweden, for a three-year contract. I loved this city and my comfortable life there, but after many years away from Germany, I felt I was losing my culture. I went back, but soon realized that I no longer felt German enough to live there. Since then, I have moved back to France and have never left.
HOW DID YOU ADAPT TO THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY AND LEARN ITS PARTICULARITIES?
A. F. - My adaptation went very well! By moving to the industry side, I wanted my research to have a concrete and direct impact on what I work with, and that's exactly what happened. I find that many things are similar, although the pace of work is faster, and the deadlines are shorter. The major changes I experienced were the structural differences between the public and private sectors, such as salary negotiations and annual evaluations. I had a little trouble getting used to it. Except, my colleagues often tell me that I have trouble letting go of my perfectionism. I always want the most exact result possible! (laughs)
WHAT WAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH VIDEO GAMES BEFORE JOINING UBISOFT?
A. F. - I had consoles when I was a kid and I mostly played Nintendo games on Gameboy. I always liked video games and board games, but my favorite thing to do was to watch my brother play, especially on PC. Six years ago, when I quit my last job as a researcher, I was living in Annecy and was already thinking about Ubisoft. However, I thought that the video game industry was a closed environment and that I couldn't enter it without having previous experience. At the time, I didn't dare to apply, and I went to work for a start-up in Paris. The pandemic having passed by, living in Paris had become difficult: my partner and I decided to move back to Annecy. My first instinct was to submit a spontaneous application to Ubisoft!
TODAY, YOU ARE THE FIRST SENIOR DATA SCIENTIST RECRUIT AT UBISOFT ANNECY. YOUR JOB HAS A NAME THAT WE HAVE OFTEN HEARD BEFORE, BUT THAT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO PICTURE. COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHAT IT IS?
A. F. - I am asked if, with X data from different sources, it is possible to know X, Y, Z. My goal is to identify the tools that will enable the analysis of this data (through algorithms in particular) and to see how to transform it to obtain results. I am also in charge of creating dashboards to visualize it, present the results, follow up by seeing if it works or not, and if so, improve the performance. I am constantly staying up to date with the technology /science in the field of data science. I read scientific literature to learn about advances in the field. To summarize, a data scientist has analytical, computer and communication skills.
HOW DOES YOUR WORK APPEAR IN THE GAMES?
A. F. - I work on game performance using a production tool that allows me to easily identify game performance issues from the beginning to the end of their development. To put it simply, I help limit the slowdowns and freezes that players encounter in game!
WHICH TEAMS DO YOU WORK WITH?
A. F. - I work within the Technology Group and collaborate, for example, with developers, data engineers, data analysis teams and other data scientists. As a member of the innovation team, I am also in contact with the game engine teams (Ubisoft Anvil and Snowdrop).
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB?
A. F. - My favorite part is when I get it wrong. I like to discover that the assumptions I had are wrong and understand why I am wrong. For me, it is like a puzzle for which I do not have the pieces. The iterative process is continuous: I have to constantly estimate the right size, the right shape, the right color, etc. When I finally understand why a solution works, it is always a very powerful moment.
YOU ARE ALSO CO-LEADER OF THE WOMEN AT UBISOFT ANNECY EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUP (ERG). CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE AND ITS OBJECTIVES?
A. F. - The Women at Ubisoft Annecy resource group is a group of women employed by Ubisoft at the Annecy studio. It aims to create a space for exchange and support, where members can collectively create tools dedicated to personal growth and development. As soon as I joined the company, I was interested in the diversity of the studio and wanted to know what percentage of women were working there. This is an issue that needs to be addressed and taken seriously.
Since the creation of the Women at Ubisoft Annecy ERG in March 2022, 10% of my work time is allocated to it, for which I am co-leader. In particular, I participate in its structuring by defining our scope of action, by organizing events and by creating a community around our group, a safe place. Our goals are to inform others about the issues faced by women and to help debunk the myths surrounding those who work in the video game industry. We also organize meetings with the studio's professionals.
GENERALLY SPEAKING, HAVE YOU YOURSELF HAD ANY OBSTACLES IN YOUR CAREER BECAUSE OF YOUR GENDER?
A. F. - As much as I wish I could say no, I think so. I work in a very masculine field where prejudices against women persist. I often heard that physics was too complicated for a woman, that I couldn't do this, couldn't do that, etc. Unfortunately, I think that the obstacles are also psychological. By dint of being told you can't do it, you end up censoring yourself and not trying. On my level, this is something I have felt a lot.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR YOUNG WOMEN WHO WOULD LIKE TO PURSUE A CAREER IN TECHNOLOGY?
A. F. - Follow their dreams. I would advise them to find a mentor, an ally who can help them in all the procedures (which subjects to choose, which courses, which universities), listen to them and advise them in all aspects. You have to listen to your passions, keep going, don't get discouraged and don't be put off it because others say you can't do it.