Our PhD students
Research Groups:
- Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics
- Bio-Oceanography and Marine Biology
- Environmental Change and Biodiversity
- Evolutionary Anthropology
- Evolutionary Zoology and Palaeobiology
- Limnology
- Molecular Evolution and Development
- Molecular Systems Biology
- Plant Evolutionary Biology
- Theoretical Evolutionary Biology
- Tropical Ecology and Animal Biodiversity
Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics

Val Karavaeva (they/he)
Supervisor: Filipa Sousa
Topic: Rings of life and where to find them: Evolution of Tetrapyrroles

Marina Monserrat Díez

Angus Hilts

Walter Hofmann
Supervisor: Simon Rittmann
Topic: Physiological and biotechnological characteristics of archaea for methane or bioplastics production

Anastasiia Padalko
Supervisor: Filipa Sousa
Topic: Metabolic traits prediction and validation in Archaea

Barbara Reischl

Hayk Palabikyan
Supervisor: Simon Rittmann
Topic: Converting carbon dioxide into bioplastics

Nicole Catherina Krause
Bio-Oceanography and Marine Biology

Marilena Heitger
Supervisor: Gerhard Herndl
Topic: Shedding light on dark ocean’s detrital particles: origin, composition and age

Michaela Berensmeier
Supervisor: Martin Zuschin
Topic: Paloenvironmental changes of a shallow-water ecosystem in the Northern Adriadic Sea: Development of the community composition and its taphonomy

Guillem Coll García
Supervisors: Gerhard Herndl, Ramon Rossello-Mora & Raffael Bosch

Tina Palme

Alexandra Haselmair
Supervisor: Martin Zuschin
Topic: Historical ecology of the northern Adriatic sea: Spatial and temporal distribution of the high biomass epifauna

Angelina Ivkic
Supervisor: Martin Zuschin
Topic: Red Sea coral reefs: A Pleistocene - Recent comparison

Isabella Leonhard

Giulia Marchioro

Philipp Pröts
Supervisor: Jörg Ott
Topic: Morphological adaptations to the symbiotic life-style of Stilbonematinae (Desmodoroidea, Nematoda)

Daniel Martinovic Saavedra
Supervisor: Federico Baltar
Topic: The role of enzyme promiscuity on organic phosphorus cycling in the ocean

Sebastian Valerio Aymerich

Teresa Maria Rosa Winter

Dmytro Spriahailo
Environmental Change and Biodiversity

Michaela Berensmeier

Johannes Hausharter
Supervisor: Stefan Dullinger
Topic: The role of micro-climate and micro-environment for population dynamics of alpine plants

Tobias Schernhammer

Jennifer Hennenfeind

Florian Danzinger

Norbert Helm
Supervisors: Stefan Dullinger, Karl Hülber, Dietmar Moser, Johannes Wessely
Topic: Linking the micro- with the macroscale in alpine plant ecology

Alexandra Haselmair
Supervisor: Martin Zuschin
Topic: Historical ecology of the northern Adriatic sea: spatial and temoral distribution of the high biomass epifauna

Ekin Kaplan
Supervisor: Franz Essl
Topic: Temporal Changes and underlying Drivers of the Richness and Composition of Eu-rope’s Native and Non-Native Flora

Chytrý Kryštof
Supervisor: Stefan Dullinger
Topic: Effects of microclimate on distribution patterns of high alpine flora

Elias Nikolas Kapitany

Rym S. Nouioua
Supervisor: Stefan Dullinger, Bea Maas
Topic: Birds, bats and related ecosystem services in a European land-use context: linking conservation knowledge, agricultural practices and socio-ecological perspectives

Ana Isabel Martinez Richart

Parvin Safiyan Böldaji
Supervisor: Stefan Dullinger
Topic: Habitat suitability of the Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) and its primary prey species in north-eastern Iran

Clemens Pachschwöll
Supervisor: Franz Essl
Topic: Detecting ‘invaders in disguise’ DNA barcoding of invasive plant species in Austria

Sonia Rashid
Supervisor: Stefan Dullinger
Topic: Modelling climate-driven range changes of European butterflies and their host plants - do transient dynamics matter?

Pablo Aycart Lazo
Supervisors: Bea Maas, Stefan Dullinger
Topic: Functional diversity and interactions of birds, bats and arthropods in tropical cacao agroforestry systems: linking biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service management

Emma Shih Mendez
Supervisor: Franz Essl
Topic: Analysing vegetation changes in Europe with resurvey studies

Tom Vorstenbosch
Supervisors: Stefan Dullinger, Franz Essl
Topic: Modelling the future of biological invasions in the sub-Antarctic under climate change

Gilles Colling
Evolutionary Anthropology

Jeannette Becker

Leo Capari
Supervisor: Harald Wilfing
Topic: Anatomy of challenge driven R&I: The cases of energy transition and demographic change

Aigerim Rymbekova
Supervisor: Martin Kuhlwilm
Topic: Reconstructing the genetic history of Central Eurasia

Tobias Göllner
Supervisors: Martin Fieder, Helmut Schaschl
Topic: The Peopling of Asia: Genetic Ancestry, Population Structure, Demography and Natural Selection

Heather Chamberlain-Irwin

Savannah Schaufler
Supervisors: Harald Wilfing, Tatiana Konrad
Topic: Sustainability Reset: Questions of Behavioral and Cultural Changes Revealed by COVID-19

Katarina Matiasek
Supervisor: Harald Wilfing
Topic: Incorporations. Stereo Photography in Anthropology

Michelle Hämmerle

Inga Stolbovaya
Supervisors: Fred Bookstein, Gerhard Weber
Topic: 3D morphometric analysis of the human cranium for the investigation of posterior discrepancy

Konstantina Cheshmedzhieva

Emily Pigott
Supervisor: Thomas Higham
Topic: Re-assessing human and faunal remains from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic archaeological sites within the Crimean Peninsula, using more recent protocols of radiocarbon dating

Magdalena T. Srienc-Ściesiek
Supervisors: Sylvia Kirchengast, Sabine Ladstätter
Topic: Lifeways of the early medieval Slavs: A bioarchaeological examination of diet and health based on the human remains from three cemeteries north and south of the Karawanken Mountains

Thomas Beard

Elöd Úry
Supervisor: Gerhard Weber
Topic: A 4D study of the mandibular guiding system: An integrated geometric morphometric approach

Paul Klostermann
Supervisor: Sabine Eggers
Topic: Adolescence in the Early Medieval Age. A Bioarchaeological Analysis of Pubertal Timing in Central Europe.

Arne Bielke

Hannah Heidarian
Supervisor: Martin Fieder
Topic: Evolutionary demography based on the example of migration, partner selection and education, from the perspective of societal developments

Anastasia Papadogianni
Supervisor: Katerina Douka
Topic: Biomolecular investigations into the first farming communities in Southeastern Europe
Evolutionary Zoology and Palaeobiology

Arnaud Begat
Supervisor: Jürgen Kriwet
Topic: Mesozoic elasmobranch fish (sharks, skates, and rays) ecology and diversity patterns before extinction events

Katharina Mason
Supervisor: Elisabeth Haring
Topic: When genetics contradicts morphology: How does this affect our species concepts?

Alice Frisinghelli

Manuel A. Staggl

Julian Bibermair
Supervisor: Thomas Schwaha
Topic: Evolution of phylactolaemate bryozoans

Georgios Efthymiadis
Supervisor: Luise Kruckenhauser
Topic: Shedding light on the evolution of a blind cavefish

Cristian Camilo Barrera Grijalba

June Feliciano Fronda Ordonez
Supervisor: Tim Wollesen
Topic: Neuronal cell type development in the chaetognath Spadella cephaloptera

Anna-Maria Sabine Salgado-Gschwandner
Supervisor: Robert Ptacnik
Topic: Remoteness and size as determinants of Lake Ecosystem stability (RemoLake)

Iris Fischer
Supervisor: Elisabeth Haring
Topic: Ecological status of aquatic habitats in Vienna: critical comparison of classical monitoring and molecular genetic methods to assess species distribution and composition of the dragonfly fauna

Sophie Greistorfer
Supervisor: Gerhard Steiner
Topic: Glowing mucus; Characterisation of the unique defence secretion of Latia neritoides (Gastropoda)

Katharina Wechselberger
Supervisor: Harald Krenn
Topic: Analysis of the main factors influencing the behavior of wireworms (Coleoptera: Elateridae) as a basis for the optimization of available crop protection measures on arable land

Anna-Chiara Barta

Giulia Marchioro

Gudrun Schwarze
Supervisor: Andreas Wanninger
Topic: Evolution and Development of worm snails (Vermetidae)

Margret Eckhard
Supervisor: Andreas Wanninger
Topic: Glue characterization in centipedes

Antonia Grausgruber
Limnology

Sonja Hoxha

Pratiksha Acharya
Supervisors: Christian Griebler, Katrin Attermeyer, Simon Vitecek
Topic: Influence of resource and consumer diversity on the quality and microbial processing of fine particulate organic matter during leaf breakdown in streams

Filip-Paul Boanca

Anna-Maria Sabine Gschwandner
Supervisor: Robert Ptacnik
Topic: Remoteness and size as determinants of Lake Ecosystem stability (RemoLake)

Christoph Novotny

Stefano Mari
Supervisors: Martin Kainz, Libor Zavorka
Topic: The importance of dietary omega 3 fatty acids for development of cognitive skills in wild fishes through the lens of Tingbergen’s four

Susanna Findlay

Francine Mathieu
Supervisor: Martin Kainz
Topic: Temporal dynamics of plankton food webs and sediments of young gravel pit lakes.

Constanze Englisch

John Lester Viscara Pide
Supervisor: Christian Griebler
Topic: Intrinsic potential and activity of nitrate turnover examined for different hydrogeological aquifer settings

Helena Cvetkovic
Supervisor: Christian Griebler
Topic: Deciphering fluvial methane ebullition patterns and environmental drivers by viewing streams as heterogeneous landscapes
Molecular Evolution and Development

Isha Joshi
Supervisor: Peter Schlögelhofer
Topic: Uncovering the Interrelation of DNA damage and Pathogen Response Pathways

Lisa Rouressol

Andreas Denner
Supervisor: Ulrich Technau
Topic: Characterization of putative stem cell marker genes in Nematostella vectensis

Patricio Ferrer Murguia
Supervisor: Ulrich Technau
Topic: Red Sea coral reefs: A Pleistocene - Recent comparison

Mayline Goëb
Supervisor: Grigory Genikhovic
Topic: The role of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in patterning the inner cell layer of a sea anemone embryo

Paul Knabl
Supervisor: Grigory Genikhovich
Topic: BMP signaling in the cnidarian germ line

Koto Kon
Supervisor: Oleg Simakov
Topic: Elucidating the role of transposable element activity in hydra regeneration

Oliver Link
Supervisor: Ulrich Technau
Topic: On the origin and evolution of striated muscle cells: Insights into muscle cell transcriptomes from striated muscles of cnidarian jellyfish

Sanjay Narayanaswamy
Supervisor: Ulrich Technau
Topic: Assessing senescence in the regenerative and long lived Nematostella vectensis

Daria Filimonova
Supervisor: Grigory Genikhovich
Topic: Boundary formation in sea anemone oral-aboral patterning

Zhongyi Sun
Supervisor: Ulrich Technau
Topic: Deriving the Evolutionary Origin of Animal Neural System
Molecular Systems Biology

Fariha Naz Apon
Supervisors: Peter Schlögelhofer, Marie-Theres Hauser
Topic: Functions of cell wall integrity sensors in plant stress responses

Iro Pierides

Yovita Astuti Djohan
Supervisor: Stefanie Wienkoop
Topic: Stress-induced Pea-omics: Messire vs. Protecta

Shuang Zhang
Supervisor: Wolfram Weckwerth
Topic: Spatial Variability of Wheat Grain Protein Quality and Its Physiological Mechanism in Response to Different Ratios of Basal Nitrogen Fertilizer to Topdressing Nitrogen Fertilizer

Maryam Alsadat Zekri
Supervisors: Ingeborg Lang, Daniel Tholen
Topic: Water’s gateway to heaven 3D imaging and modeling of transient stomatal responses in plant leaves under dynamic environments

Hannes Kramml
Supervisor: Wolfram Weckwerth
Topic: Long-term implications of ancient polyploids: CAM as a key evolutionary innovation in Clusia spp.

Madeleine Schnurer
Supervisor: Verena Ibl
Topic: Characterization of TOL proteins in barley

Carlos A. Pérez Rízquez
Supervisor: Stefanie Wienkoop
Topic: Underlying mechanism(s) of the symbioprotein ferritin on legume root nodule formation and drought stress

Julian Preiner
Supervisor: Stefanie Wienkoop
Topic: Changes in C/N-metabolic processes and heavy metal stress response of leguminous plants (Glycine max) and their symbiotic partners during tungsten (W) and olybdenum (Mo) induced stress: An integrated proteomic, metabolomic and physiologic assessment.

Stefan Plott
Supervisor: Wolfram Weckwerth, Verena Ibl
Topic: "ESCRT-Proteins and TOR as Regulators of Protein Turnover in Barley Grains"

Elisa Montrucchio

Caroline Ivesic

Luigi Schillaci

Kaijie Liang
Supervisors: Wolfram Weckwerth, Steffen Waldherr
Topic: Genome Prediction and Functional Analysis in Large Germplasm Resources based on Omics Data and GWAS
Plant Evolutionary Biology

Teerna Saugata Khastgir
Supervisor: Ovidiu Paun
Topic: Comparative genomics and population genomics of the adaptive radiation of Diospyros on New Caledonia, a biodiversity hotspot

Sadia Sabrina Alam
Supervisor: Andreas Bachmair
Topic: The role of post-translational modifications (PTMs) in plant stress resilience

Johannes Maximilian Braunisch
Supervisor: Gerald Schneeweis
Topic: What determines distribution limits of range-restricted species in high-mountain habitats?

Lukas Dirr
Supervisor: Friðgeir Grímsson
Topic: The Application of Citizen-Science and Crowd-Sourced Data in the Field of Aerobiology

Amin Ghane

Christian Geier
Supervisor: Friðgeir Grímsson
Topic: Flower-insect interactions in the Eocene to Oligocene of Central Europe

Bushra Ijaz

Vildana Kapetanovic
Supervisor: Hanna Schneeweiss
Topic: Diversity and evolution of chili peppers, the genus Capsicum (Solanaceae)

Florian Lukas Brück
Supervisor: Ovidiu Paun
Topic: The epigenetic dimension of effects of climate change on high-alpine plants

Maria Lindhuber
Supervisor: Jürg Schönenberger
Topic: Plant-pollinator interactions along stepping stone corridors in urban ecosystems

Anna-Sophie Hawranek

Clemens Pachschwöll
Supervisors: Franz Essl, Gerald Schneeweiss
Topic: Detecting ‘invaders in disguise’ DNA barcoding of invasive plant species in Austria

Martin Rose
Supervisor: Michael Kiehn
Topic: Impact of trade restrictions on species survival

Benjamin Seth Lazarus

Francesca Beclin

Xieting Wu

César Augusto Arvelos
Supervisors: Agnes Dellinger, Vinicius Lourenco Garcia de Brito
Topic: Floral trait functioning and buzz-bee-niche partitioning in Melastomataceae
Theoretical Evolutionary Biology

Nina Kraus
Supervisor: Brian Metscher
Topic: Hemodynamic influences on heart morphogenesis of the developing chick outflow tract

Katharina Stefke
Supervisors: Philipp Mitteröcker, Frank Zachos
Topic: Morphometric and non-metric analyses in intraspecific variation in the red deer (Cervus elaphus) and their bearing upon evolutionary history and taxonomy

Inga Stolbovaya
Supervisors: Fred Bookstein, Gerhard Weber
Topic: 3D morphometric analysis of the human cranium for the investigation of posterior discrepancy

Stefan Pavloski
Supervisors: Mihaela Pavlicev, Günther Wagner
Topic: Cooption of fibroblast activation in the origin of endometrial decidualization, a process crucial for the evolution of mammalian pregnancy
Tropical Ecology and Animal Biodiversity

Barbara Waringer
Supervisor: Christian H. Schulze
Topic: Clutch predation risk in ground nesting birds: effects of predator identity, habitat features and landscape structure.
