Team and committees
With over 320 student members, 90 professors and 20 postdoctoral members, ViDSS is one of the largest doctoral schools at the University of Vienna. A range of bodies and individuals are responsible for the management, coordination and administration of ViDSS and the Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences, or take on advisory roles.
Fields, supervisors and doctoral candidates
Speakers and Steering Committee
ViDSS is governed by a speaker and a steering committee comprising representatives of all departments at the Faculty of Social Sciences, as well as two student representatives.
Steering Committee members act as a point of contact between the Doctoral School, the Faculty’s departments, and the Student Representatives in Social Sciences. The Steering Committee meets twice per semester to make decisions regarding the profile and organisational development of the Doctoral School. Members discuss activities for doctoral candidates and supervisors, make spending decisions, select visiting scholars, and advise the speaker on the teaching programme and doctoral programme milestones.
As Director of Studies of the Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences, the speaker of ViDSS is appointed by the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences every two years. The speaker nominates three deputy speakers of ViDSS and deputy directors of studies. The speaker and deputy speakers of ViDSS represent their departments on the SC. The speaker appoints the other SC members based on suggestions from the faculty’s departments and the student representatives. Two members of the committee from the group of supervisors are nominated as ombudspersons.
Thomas Meyer
ViDSS Speaker
Director of Studies (especially responsible for political science)
Member of the ViDSS Steering Committee (representing the Department of Political Science)
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Valeria Bordone
Deputy ViDSS Speaker
Deputy Director of Studies (especially responsible for sociology, demography and nursing science)
Member of the ViDSS Steering Committee (representing the Department of Sociology)
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Tatjana Thelen
Deputy ViDSS Speaker
Deputy Director of Studies (especially responsible for social and cultural anthropology, development studies and science and technology studies)
Member of the ViDSS Steering Committee (representing the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology)
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Claudia Wilhelm
Deputy ViDSS Speaker
Deputy Director of Studies (especially responsible for communication)
Member of the ViDSS Steering Committee (representing the Department of Communication)
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Eva Beaujouan
Member of the ViDSS Steering Committee (representing the Department of Demography)
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Sarah Davies
Member of the ViDSS Steering Committee (representing the Department of Science and Technology Studies)
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Franziska Müller
Member of the ViDSS Steering Committee (representing the Department of Development Studies)
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Elisabeth Reitinger
Member of the ViDSS Steering Committee (representing the Department of Nursing Science)
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Fabio Wolkenstein
Member of the ViDSS Steering Committee (representing the Department of Political Science)
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Andreas Petrea
Member of the ViDSS Steering Committee (Student Representative)
Student RepresentativesSubstitute members of the ViDSS Steering Committee
- Manuela Ciotti (Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology)
- Maximilian Fochler (Department of Science and Technology Studies)
- Kerstin Hämel (Department of Nursing Science)
- Katharina Theresa Paul (Department of Political Science)
- Elisabeth Scheibelhofer (Department of Sociology)
- Erich Striessnig (Department of Demography)
- Jolien Trekels (Department of Communication)
- Markus Wagner (Department of Government)
- Nana Iashvili (Student Representative)
Coordination and administration team
Eva Kössner
Coordinator
- Support of the Speaker, the Steering Committee and the International Scientific Advisory Board
- Organisation of activities and events for doctoral candidates and supervisors
- Coordination of funding programmes, international workshops and guest professorships
- Internal communication and public relations
- Monitoring and controlling
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+43-1-4277-49082
Roman Pfefferle
Coordinator at the Faculty
- Support for the Doctoral Advisory Boards and the Studies Conference
- Organisation of workshops and training sessions for doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers
- Coordination of the sowi:docs Awards and initiatives for postdoctoral researchers
- Coordination of international affairs and Liaison Officer at the Faculty of Social Sciences
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+43-1-4277-49081
Birgit Muskovich
StudiesServiceCenter Social Sciences
- Organisation of the review of theses, public defences and the completion of studies
- Support in the administration of the ViDSS Research Funds
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+43-1-4277-49121
Ralph Pöchtrager
StudiesServiceCenter Social Sciences
- Organisation of public presentations at the faculty
- Administration of recognitions and acknowledgements
- Administration of doctoral thesis agreements and annual progress reports
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+43-1-4277-49122
Klaudia Zeliska
StudiesServiceCenter Social Sciences
- Teaching administration
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+43-1-4277-49193
Sophia Heid
Student assistant
- Support in administration and communication
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Office hours
Tuesday, 10:00–12:00, or by appointment.
If you would like to visit us during the holidays, please make an appointment.
Locations
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ViDSS Offices and StudiesServiceCenter
Universitätsstraße 7 (NIG)
6th floor
1010 Vienna -
ViDSS Meeting Room
Kolingasse 14–16
1st floor (Seminar Room 11)
1090 Vienna
Ombudspersons
The ViDSS Ombudspersons advise candidates and supervisors in the doctoral programme in Social Sciences (SPL 40) if they have problems, complaints or conflicts related to the doctoral study programme. The Ombudspersons listen, provide advice, help sort through options, and inform about University resources. If needed, they may also act as intermediaries.
Examples of situations in which you may seek support from one of our ombudspersons are
- difficulties within the context of courses, examinations or workshops,
- conflicts or concerns regarding interactions with your supervisor/s, a supervisee or a colleague,
- concerns regarding good scientific practice or
- inappropriate behaviour, discrimination, (sexual) harassment or violence.
The Ombudspersons will also provide upward feedback to the ViDSS leadership on patterns of problems and complaints, with the aim of effecting positive change.
Contact with the Ombudspersons is confidential. We will inform you beforehand in which cases we have an obligation to report unwanted behaviour and where you can turn to if you want to get further confidential, non-binding counselling.
For organisational or administrative questions about the study programme or the Doctoral School, please contact the coordination and administration team.
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Sarah Davies
Professor of Technosciences, Materiality, & Digital Cultures at the Department of Science and Technology Studies, Member of the ViDSS Steering Committee
Contact: sarah.davies(at)univie.ac.at
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Fabio Wolkenstein
Associated Professor of Transformations of Democracy at the Department of Political Science, Member of the ViDSS Steering Committee
Contact: fabio.wolkenstein(at)univie.ac.at
Doctoral advisory boards
The doctoral advisory boards advise the Studienpräses and the relevant directorates of studies on matters relating to doctoral candidates and supervisors. Those at the Faculty of Social Sciences are particularly important for public presentations and support the ViDSS Speaker/Director of Studies in deciding on applications for admission to the programme. Each advisory board is responsible for one or more fields of doctoral research, or a larger sub-field within a field of research. The official appointment procedure for members of advisory boards is specified in the Statutes of the University of Vienna.
October 2026–September 2028
- Chair: Claudia Wilhelm
- Florian Arendt
- Hajo Boomgaarden
- Folker Hanusch
- Sophie Lecheler
- Katharine Sarikakis
- Thomas R. Schmidt
- Desiree Schmuck
- Jolien Trekels
- Chair: Sarah Davies
- Petra Dannecker
- Maximilian Fochler
- Nina Klimurg-Witjes
- Franziska Müller
- Eva-Maria Muschik
Board I (international relations, political theory and gender politics):
- Chair: Gregor Fabio Wolkenstein
- Ulrich Brand
- Dorit Geva
- Dirk Lange
- Karin Liebhart
- Oliver Marchart
- Patrick Müller
- Alice Vadrot
Board II (comparative politics, Austrian politics and EU):
- Chair: Thomas Meyer
- Dorothee Bohle
- Reto Bürgisser
- Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik
- Sylvia Kritzinger
- Katharina Theresa Paul
- Carolina Plescia
- Barbara Prainsack
- Markus Wagner
- Christopher Wratil
- Chair: Tatjana Thelen
- Judith Bovensiepen
- Marie-France Chevron
- Manuela Ciotti
- Janina Meillan-Kehr
- Peter Schweitzer
- Andreas Streinzer
- Sanderien Verstappen
Board I (incl. nursing science):
- Chair: Elisabeth Scheibelhofer
- Kerstin Hämel
- Karl Krajic
- Ana Mijic
- Martin Nagl-Cupal
- Michaela Pfadenhauer
- Ulrike Zartler
Board II (incl. demography):
- Chair: Valeria Bordone
- Eva Beaujouan
- Emma Dowling
- Anna Durnova
- Eva Flicker
- Yuri Albert Kyrill Kazepov
- Michael Parzer
- Nadia Steiber
- Erich Striessnig
- Anna Wanka
Studies conference
The Studies Conference acts as an advisory board to the respective directorate of doctoral studies especially in regard to the planning, implementation and quality assurance of courses. The Studies Conference of the Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences comprises six members from the group of teachers and six members from the group of students.
October 2026–September 2028
- Marie-France Chevron
- Magdalena Eitenberger
- Sabine Einwiller
- Eva Flicker
- Maximilian Fochler
- Elisabeth Reitinger
- Nana Iashvili
- Jule Kegel
- Tanja Kienast
- Tarik Ndifi
- Andreas Petrea
- Zeynep Yildizdan
- Vera Schwarz (substitute member)
International Scientific Advisory Board
The ViDSS International Scientific Advisory Board advises the Speaker and the Steering Committee on the profile and organisational development of the Doctoral School and the Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences at the University of Vienna.
- Manuela Bojadžijev, Humboldt-Universität of Berlin
- David Madden, London School of Economics and Political Science
- Sofie Marien, University of Leuven
- Linsey McGoey, University of Essex
- Jessica Taylor Piotrowski, University of Amsterdam
- The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of ViDSS has an advisory role and supports the Doctoral School in particular with development planning. The SAB will not undertake any formal evaluations.
- The SAB consists of three to five members who are proposed by the members of the steering committee on the basis of their academic, leadership and teaching experience in one or several of the research fields covered by ViDSS. The SAB members are appointed for a period of four years, which may be renewed once.
- The SAB meets in person at least every two years. Additional meetings may be held in person or online, if required, to support the speaker and the steering committee in preparing monitoring reports or other documents that are important for strategic planning. Meetings with the Rectorate are welcome.
- The SAB selects a chairperson among its members. The speaker of ViDSS sets the dates and draft agendas of SAB meetings in coordination with the chairperson. The chairperson presides over SAB meetings and is supported by the speaker and the coordinator of ViDSS in issuing any resulting reports or recommendations in a timely manner.
- The SAB reports its findings and recommendations to the speaker and the steering committee of ViDSS; parts of the report may be forwarded to the Dean and/or the Rector. If needed, the SAB may make confidential comments on specific issues to the speaker and the steering committee.
- W. Lance Bennett (2021–2025)
- Catherine Lyall (2021–2023)
- Alessandro Monsutti (2021–2025)
- Emily York (2023–2025)
Who will help me and when?
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StudiesServiceCenter
We administer the milestones of the doctoral programme. Ask us about supervision, courses, public presentations at the faculty, doctoral thesis agreements and the review and defence process.
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Doctoral School
We organise activities for doctoral candidates and supervisors. Ask us about training, career development, internationalisation, resources for doctoral candidates, funding and awards.
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Admission to studies
Interested in joining our doctoral programme? Find out about the entry requirements and apply via the central admission office.