This chapter examines the contributions to quantum physics made by Lídia Salgueiro (1917–2009) and a team of women researchers at the Laboratory of Physics of the University of Lisbon. Between 1929 and 1947, the Lisbon laboratory rose to prominence as a successful research school in atomic and nuclear physics. The 1947 political purge by the dictatorial regime of the Estado Novo, however, led to a drastic reorganization, including the ousting of one of its leaders, Manuel Valadares. The right-wing physicist Julio Palacios was then appointed director. We here analyze how these institutional changes impacted Salgueiro’s agency. While Palacios opted for a new research agenda on electrochemistry, Salgueiro and women researchers gathered around her took responsibility for continuing research along the lines previously set up by Valadares. This group of women successfully extended their research into quantum physics to the study of radiation emitted at the atomic and nuclear levels, with a particular emphasis on X-ray spectroscopy. They asserted themselves as a relevant group within the Portuguese emerging research community in the field, participating in the many avenues asserting experimental atomic and nuclear physics on a global scale.

Collaboration between researchers has become increasingly common, enabling a level of discovery and innovation that is difficult to achieve by a single person. But how can one establish and maintain an environment that fosters successful collaboration within a research group? In this case study, I use my own experience when directing the ABC Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin. I describe the heuristic principles for setting up a research group, including (i) common topic and multiple disciplines, (ii) open culture, (iii) spatial proximity, and (iv) temporal proximity. I then describe heuristics for maintaining the open culture, such as setting collective goals, including contrarians, distributing responsibility, making bets, the cake rule, and side-by-side writing. These heuristics form an adaptive toolbox that shapes the intellectual and social climate. They create a culture of friendly but rigorous discussion, embedded in a family-like climate of trust where everyone is willing to expose their ignorance and learn from the other members. Feeling accepted and trusted encourages taking the necessary risks to achieve progress in science.