Who's Who in the Doctoral Program

Within the doctoral program at the Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies, various individuals and bodies are entrusted with different responsibilities and are available as points of contact. While the Heads of School/DSPL41 bear overall academic responsibility for the program, the DSHCS management team and the Doctoral Advisory Boards provide academic and strategic guidance and offer support with scholarly and structural matters. The StudyServiceCenter serves as the main contact point for administrative and study-law procedures related to the doctoral program. The DSHCS Coordination Office designs the funding programs and career development offerings and is responsible for recruitment, controlling and monitoring, as well as public relations. The PhD representatives represent the interests of the doctoral candidates and are available for exchange, consultation, and feedback from the doctoral candidates’ perspective. The Scientific Advisory Board advises the DSHCS on all strategic matters. In the event of problems, an independent ombudsperson is available to all members of the DSHCS.

The Head of School and the two Vice Heads of School also serve as the Directors of the Study Program 41 (DSPL 41). They are the responsible decision-makers within the DSHCS and represent it externally. They are responsible for the budget and, together with the Executive Board of the DSHCS and the coordination office, develop the DSHCS program and the course offerings of the doctoral study program. In their role as DSPL 41, they act as contact persons for key study-law matters. They decide, for example, on additional requirements imposed as part of admission to the program, the approval of the dissertation topic and supervisors, the authorization of the doctoral thesis agreement, and similar matters. They perform this function on behalf of the Studienpräses, who, as the competent study-law authority, has delegated part of her:his responsibilities to the DSPL 41. The Heads of School/DSPL 41 are appointed by the Rectorate for a term of two years.

Together with the Heads of School and the PhD representatives, the spokespersons of the research clusters form the DSHCS Executive Board. It meets twice per semester, decides on the allocation of the budget, the awarding of funding and doctoral positions, and advises on the further development of the DSHCS and the doctoral program.

Members

Clemens Jobst (Head of School) | Basema Hamarneh (Deputy Head of School) | Lukas Nickel (Deputy Head of School) | Philippe Buc (ABM) | Bernhard Palme (ABM) | Claudia Rapp (ABM) | Marta Luciani (AMK) | Philip Nigst (AMK) | Johanna Gehmachter (FGG) | Dietlind Hüchtker (FGG) | Margareth Lanzinger (GWR) | Wolfram Pichler (KVK) | Christoph Augustynowicz (OEF) | Wolfgang Mueller (OEF) | Valeska Huber (SPG) | Tim Neu (SPG) | Estera Golian (PhD representatives) | Tina Hobel (PhD representatives) | Felix Michler (PhD representatives)

The PhD representatives of the DSHCS are also members of the Study Commission of SPL 41 and therefore have extensive participatory rights. Together with the Heads of School and the spokespersons of the research clusters, they form the DSHCS Executive Board. They are an important point of contact for doctoral candidates and are elected by them every two years.

The coordination is based at the Dean’s Office. It supports the Heads of School/DSPL 41, the Executive Board, and the International Advisory Board, and contributes to the strategic development of the doctoral program at the University of Vienna. It manages the budget, designs activities and training programs for doctoral candidates and supervisors, and plans and coordinates funding schemes, international workshops and conferences, as well as the awarding of the Grete Mostny Dissertation Prize. In addition, it is responsible for recruitment, public relations, and the monitoring and controlling of the DSHCS.

The Doctoral Advisory Board advises the Directors of the Study Program 41. It plays a particularly important role in the public presentations of doctoral projects. A Doctoral Advisory Board may be responsible for one or more dissertation fields or for a larger subfield within a dissertation field in a curriculum. During the public presentations, they provide feedback on the dissertation projects presented and advise the Study Program Management with regard to the approval of dissertation topics. The appointment of the Doctoral Advisory Boards is regulated in the Statutes, §15 (7).

Members

History: Bernhard Palme, ancient history | Jonathan Lyon, history | Anna Echterhölter, history | Christoph Augustynowicz, east European history | Erich Landsteiner, economic and social history | Sigrid Wadauer, economic and social history | Zsófia Lóránd, contemporary history | Johanna Gehmacher, contemporary history | Thomas Wallnig, digital humanities (Alternate members: Thomas Corsten, ancient history | Juliane Schiel, economic and social history | Isabelle Schürch, economic and social history | Regina Fritz-Klinger, contemporary history | Lucile Dreidemy, contemporary history | Börries Kuzmany, east European history)

Cultural Studies: E. Christiana Köhler, Egyptology |  Andreas Müller, Byzantine studies | Alexa Färber, European ethnology | Klaus Davidowicz, Jewish studies | Naoíse Mac Sweeny, classical archaeology | Wolfram Pichler, art history | Markus Ritter, art history | Bernhard Woytek, numismatics | Philip Nigst, prehistory and historical archaeology (Alternate members: Peter Jánosi, Egyptology | Gerald Moers, Egyptology | Claudia Rapp, Byzantine studies | Brigitta Schmidt-Lauber, European ethnology | Fritz Blakolmer, classical archaeology Sandra Hindriks, art history | Raphael Rosenberg, art history | Peter Ramsl, prehistory and historical archaeology)

The StudyServiceCenter (SSC) of the Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies is the point of contact for all administrative procedures related to the doctoral program. It coordinates the public presentations, receives all relevant documents throughout doctoral studies (registration of supervisors, doctoral thesis agreement, annual progress reports, etc.), and administers the completion of the doctoral program (registration for the defense, coordination of the examination committee, etc.).

The Scientific Advisory Board supports and advises the strategic development of the DSHCS and the doctoral program. It is composed of six internationally recognized scholars who possess outstanding academic reputations as well as many years of experience in the supervision and support of doctoral candidates. In this role, the Board contributes external expertise, provides impulses for profile development, and helps ensure high academic quality standards.

Members

• Bonnie Effros, University of British Columbia
• Elizabeth Harvey, University of Nottingham
• Angelika Lohwasser, University of Münster
• Norman Naimark, Stanford University
• Glenda Sluga, European University Institute, Florence
• Ralph Ubl, University of Basel

The ombudsperson serves as a point of contact for organizational, academic, and interdisciplinary issues, complaints, or suggestions relating to the doctoral program and the DSHCS. They support fellows, supervisors, and the administration in the event of conflicts and work toward finding solutions. As an independent body, the ombudsperson reports to the Rectorate and the relevant committees and may actively involve the Rectorate in the clarification process. All matters brought to the ombudsperson are treated confidentially and from a neutral perspective.