In late 2020 Alys Brett stepped down as president of the Society of Research Software Engineering in the UK. Coming from a physics background she moved into the world of research software engineering. That transition wasn’t always easy. But Alys helped to build and shape the RSE movement right from the start. In our conversation we look back over her part in the RSE movement and also talk about what lies ahead. Alys is now leading a team of research software engineers at the UK Atomic Energy Authority working on nuclear fusion experiments.