From PhD research to (non-profit) project idea with impact

Tuesday, 22 October 2024, 13:30–15:00

Studying in the doctoral programme in Social Sciences means that you complete an academic education and acquire the competencies needed for an academic career in your field. On the way, however, you learn much more. You acquire skills that equip you for various kinds of employment beyond academia. You learn to use creativity and knowledge to understand the world; and you certainly have ideas on how to bring a positive impact to society.

However, where do you go from here? Join this Brownbag Session and get a first idea about what (and whom) you need to know and what to do in order to develop and start a thriving venture. Learn from experts on social entrepreneurship and get practical advice from successful former students who are making an impact on society.

Guests:

• Clara Conrad-Billroth is part of the entrepreneurship services at the University of Vienna where she supports researchers and students in turning their ideas into tangible benefits for society.
• Daniele Karasz is co-founder and director of Search and Shape, Institute for Applied Social Research. Search and Shape is based in Vienna and conducts social science research and makes concrete interventions on issues of housing, urban development and migration. Daniele is also Associated Researcher at the LAA (Laboratoire Architecture Anthropologie) der Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris La Villette and researcher at the Centre for Sociology of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning at TU Wien. Daniele has coordinated numerous research projects and was part of interdisciplinary teams planning as well as realising subsidised housing estates in Vienna. Heholds a PHD in social and cultural anthropology from the University of Vienna.
• Nadja Schmidt is a political scientist specialising in nuclear disarmament, sustainability, and strategic communication. She is the founder and CEO of visuelles:, a digital communication agency based in Vienna, and serves as the executive director of the Austrian branch of the  International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. Previously, Nadja worked at the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as a consultant in science communication. She also lectures at the University of Vienna and the Institute for European Studies. Nadja holds degrees in political science and communications from the University of Vienna, as well as a Master’s in Interdisciplinary European Studies from the College of Europe, Natolin.

Target group: The session is open to

• members of the Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences (ViDSS),
• doctoral candidates in social sciences (Directorate of Studies 40) who are not (yet) members of the ViDSS,
• graduates from the doctoral programme in Social Sciences,
• postdoctoral researchers at the Faculty of Social Sciences and
• members of our “sister schools” in the social sciences (CoBeNe and ViSESS).

Venue: online via Zoom

Registration: via e-mail to vds-sosci@univie.ac.at until 15 October 2024

International mobility during the doctoral studies

Tuesday, 17 October 2023, 11:00–12:30

The first ViDSS Brownbag Session in the winter semester of 2023/2024 aims at providing useful tips and tricks for planning a research stay or field work abroad and for submitting a successful funding application.

The following questions, among others, will be addressed: Which international mobility opportunities are available for PhD candidates? How do I find and approach a suitable hosting institution? What should I pay attention to when applying for financial support for a research stay abroad or a leave of absence from the University of Vienna?

Doctoral candidates who have already conducted research stays abroad will provide insights into their experiences. Barbara Good from the University of Vienna’s International Office will introduce different funding opportunities for doctoral candidates. Roman Pfefferle and Eva Kössner from the ViDSS administration team will provide additional advice.

Guests: Ivan Josipovich (ViDSS student in political sience), Hannah Myott (ViDSS student in social and cultural anthropology), Barbara Good (Head of International Office)

Target group: doctoral candidates in the social sciences

Venue: online via Zoom

Registration: via e-mail to roman.pfefferle@univie.ac.at until 15 October 2023 (please state your field of research)

Career paths beyond academia

Tuesday, 6 December 2022, 16:00–17:30

In Austria almost two thirds of doctoral candidates consider a doctoral degree a training for an academic career. However, the majority of graduates go on to work in other sectors. Join this semester’s ViDSS Brownbag Session and learn about how applicable the competences that you (will)
have developed in the course of your studies are in fields beyond the University context.

Graduates from the doctoral programme in Social Sciences will provide insights into their career trajectories and share their experiences in different occupational sectors: Anita Gottlob (Department of International Affairs, Policy, Evaluation and Digitalisation; Gesundheit Österreich GmbH),
Lisa Gottschall (Psychosoziales Zentrum ESRA; Neustart) Daniele Karasz (Search and Shape, Institute for Applied Social Research)

Target group: doctoral candidates in the social sciences

Venue: online via Zoom

Registration: via e-mail to roman.pfefferle@univie.ac.at until 1 December 2022 (please state your field of research)

Interdisciplinary research in social sciences

Tuesday, 21 June 2022, 13:00–14:30

The next ViDSS Brownbag Session aims at providing useful tips and tricks for planning and realising interdisciplinary research as an early stage researcher.

The following questions, among others, will be addressed: What is interdisciplinary research? How do you approach an interdisciplinary research topic and draft a research proposal? What are chances and challenges of interdisciplinary research? How does interdisciplinary research experience affect career opportunities? When do you need a team that consists of different disciplines, and if so, how do you build such a team?

Postdoctoral colleagues and professors who are conducting interdisciplinary research will provide insights into their experiences. The ViDSS administration team will give additional advice.

Guests: Ming Manuel Boyer (postdoctoral researcher, Department of Government), Melanie Sindelar (postdoctoral researcher, anthropologist of art), Cornelia Staritz (professor, Department of Development Studies)

Target group: doctoral candidates in the social sciences

Venue: online via Zoom

International mobility during the doctoral studies

Wednesday, 12 January 2022, 13:00–14:30

The third ViDSS Brownbag Session deals with international mobility during the doctoral studies. It aims at providing useful tips and tricks for planning a research stay or field work abroad and for submitting a successful funding application.

The following questions, among others, will be addressed: Which international mobility opportunities are available for PhD candidates? How do I find and approach a suitable hosting institution? What should I pay attention to when applying for financial support for a research stay abroad or a leave of absence from the University of Vienna?

Doctoral candidates who have already conducted research stays abroad will provide insights into their experiences. Barbara Good from the University of Vienna’s International Office will introduce different funding opportunities for doctoral candidates. Faime Alpagu and Eva Kössner from the ViDSS administration team will provide additional advice.

Guests: Tatjana Boczy (ViDSS student in sociology), Marlene Persch (ViDSS student in social and cultural anthropology) and Barbara Good (Head of International Office)

Target group: doctoral candidates in the social sciences

Venue: online via Zoom

Getting through the final phase of your doctoral studies

Monday, 28 June 2021, 13:00–14:30

The second ViDSS Brownbag Session deals with the final phase of the doctoral programme in Social Sciences and aims at providing useful tips and tricks for the successful completion of your doctorate.

The following questions will be addressed, among others: What are best practices for the last steps of the writing process and how do you stay motivated? What are the main challenges of a thesis by publication and a monograph when it comes to the final phase of the doctoral studies? How should you approach and coordinate the (external) reviewers? How do you deal with reviews and prepare for the public defense? Where can you apply for financial support for the final phase?

Recently graduated colleagues and advanced doctoral candidates from different disciplines will provide insights into the last months of their doctoral studies and share their experiences. Eva Kössner and Roman Pfefferle from the ViDSS administration team will be there to provide additional advice.

Guests: Faime Alpagu (sociology), Bernhard Braun (social and cultural anthropology) and Johann Gründl (political science)

Target group: doctoral candidates in the social sciences

Venue: online via Zoom

Doctoral research in the social sciences in times of COVID-19

Tuesday, 19 January 2021, 16:00–17:45

Among many other implications, COVID-19 has strongly affected the world of science in general and social sciences in particular. New research topics have emerged and the daily work of many early stage and advanced researchers has changed.

Which questions and topics have moved into the center of research? Which new funding schemes have been established nationally and internationally? How has the pandemic influenced publication cultures within the social sciences? How can field work be conducted in times of lockdowns and travel restrictions? How do home office periods reorganise professional exchange, networking and the participation in conferences? How do the new circumstances effect the well-being of early stage researchers?

In the first ViDSS Brownbag Session, early stage and advanced researchers will discuss these and further questions. In the first part of the event, a highly qualified panel of professors representing the fields of political science, social and cultural anthropology and sociology will share their experiences. In the second part, doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers are invited to join break-out rooms to discuss their questions and concerns with the invited guests.

Guests: Barbara Prainsack (Department of Political Science, Austrian Corona Panel Project), Peter Schweitzer (Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology), Ulrike Zartler (Department of Sociology)

Target group: doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers at the beginning of their research career at the Faculty of Social Sciences

Venue: online via moodle collaborator

 Resources recommended during the event

• “SPROUTs of Hope in Times of Crisis” (by Hendrik Wagenaar and Barbara Prainsack)
• “Doing fieldwork in a pandemic”
• “Fieldwork meets crisis” (boasblog)
• Twitter thread for PhD students whose work was interrupted by COVID-19 (by Trisha Greenhalgh)
• “Writing well in the social sciences: Recommended readings” (by Barbara Prainsack)