VDSEE Newsletter

Welcome to the VDSEE-Newsletter, which we will send out  every 3-4 months to keep you updated about  our latest highlights, news and other DocSchool activities!

If you would like to share something in our next edition, please send an email to docschool.vdsee@univie.ac.at. We would love to feature your contributions.

 Latest Issue

VDSEE Newsletter May 2025
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May 2025

Newsletter Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution

Hello, VDSEE community!

Spring is in full bloom, and so is our vibrant research community! As we move through 2025, we’re excited to share the latest highlights, events, and opportunities across VDSEE.


Overview

  • Upcoming Events: Mental health session, workshops, and FÖP dates
  • Highlights from Early 2025: VDSEE Symposium, awards, and community milestones
  • Opportunities for 2025: Travel and completion grants
  • Celebrating Our Members: New PhD candidates, recent defenses, and new SAB members


Plus: We’ve said goodbye to former scientific advisory board members and taken off to Bluesky—follow us there!


We encourage you to contribute news, events, or achievements for future newsletters. Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have something to share.


The VDSEE Team

Upcoming Events:

Annual Retreat 2025

We can't wait to see you at this year's retreat in Annaberg near Mariazell. It'll be a great chance to network with others, find out about the exciting research projects happening in the DocSchool, and of course, enjoy the beautiful views.


You can still sign up for our retreat, which is open for registration until 31.07.25.

Register here!

Public presentation at Faculty (FÖP) dates 2025


Mark the dates in your calendar. Our new PhD-candidates are presenting their research
projects. Register via email.


  • 13 June 2025, SR 5.1 (UBB)
    Registration closed!
  • 07 November 2025, SR. 3.1 (UBB)
    Registration deadline: 29 September 2025

More information

Mental Health in Academia: Upcoming Online Session


Join us on Monday, 26 May 2025, at 16:00 CEST for an online session on Mental Health & Well-Being in Academia with Dr. Markus Boeckle. Drawing from research and practice, he will discuss key challenges faced during the PhD journey and offer strategies for resilience and self-awareness. Open to all PhD students, this session is held in English and takes place via Zoom.


More Information

PhD well-being group

The monthly well-being sessions for PhD-candidates are back after winter break and will also continue in the summer term. The sessions are held together with VDS-CoBeNe and VDS-PhaNuSpo. Their aim is to provide a safe setting to discuss PhD-struggles under guidance of a psychotherapist.
These sessions are free of charge, but registration is necessary.


Last Session for the summer semester:

  • 03.06.2025 - 16:00 - 17:40


Register here

Welcome session for new VDSEE PhD-candidates

PhD-candidates who started in recent months are highly recommended to join the next welcome session. You will learn everything that's relevant to navigate throught the first few months of your PhD and can ask any questions you might have.


04 June 2025, 16:00, UBB room 3.065

Register here

Highlights from Early 2025

Bernhard Rensch-Prize for Dr. Patrick Jambura

Congratulations to VDSEE-Alumni Dr. Patrick Jambura who has been awarded the Bernhard Rensch-Prize, for his outstanding PhD-Thesis!

VDSEE is Now on Bluesky


We’re saying goodbye to X (formerly Twitter) and shifting our social media presence to Bluesky.

Stay connected with VDSEE news, research highlights, and more—now in a new space.


Find us at: @vdsee-univie.bsky.social

VDSEE Symposium 2025

VDSEE Symposium 2025: A Great Success!


On February 21, the VDSEE Symposium brought together PhD students, PIs, and guests for a day of inspiring talks and posters on ecology and evolution. The event fostered lively exchange and showcased outstanding research.


A creative pre-symposium Arts & Science night at WUK added a unique touch, blending science with artistic expression.


Thanks to all who made this event memorable! Photos and abstracts are available here.

We’re already looking forward to the next VDSEE Symposium in 2026!

Save the date: 27.02.2026 —stay tuned for more groundbreaking research and inspiring exchanges!

Opportunities for 2025

Completion Grants
The end is near?

The next call opens from 16 May 2025 til 06 June 2025. Possible starting dates are from July - December 2025.

Max. duration for each grant is four months


More here

Travel grants
It is a journey!

The VDSEE supports you actively communicating your research! If there is a conference you want to visit and contribute with a poster or a talk, have a look at our travel grants.

More Information

VDSEE-people:

Welcome to our new Scientific Advisory Board Members



We are delighted to welcome three outstanding researchers to the VDSEE Scientific Advisory Board:

Alexandra Müllner-Riehl
Professor at the University of Leipzig and leader of the “Molecular Evolution and Plant Systematics” group, with expertise in evolutionary biology and plant systematics.

Luisa Pallares
Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, and head of the “Evolutionary Genomics of Complex Traits” group. Her work focuses on complex traits, gene-environment interactions, and phenotypic robustness.







Tobias Uller
Professor at Lund University’s Department of Biology, exploring biodiversity and evolution across molecular, developmental, and ecological levels.

You can meet our SAB-members in person at the Retreat and Symposium!

Farewell and Thank You!


A heartfelt thank you to Marianne Holmer, Bernd Blasius, and Nicolas Gompel as they conclude their terms on our Scientific Advisory Board.

Their expertise and encouragement have helped strengthen VDSEE’s academic foundation and inspire its next generation of researchers.

New PhD-candidates


We would like to welcome Stefan Pavloski, Florian Brück, Jana Voglmayr, Emma Shih Mendez, Xiaowen Xu, César Arvelos, Maria Lindhuber, Thea Schwingshackl and Thomas Buchloh who have recently started their PhDs in our School.
We wish them all the best with their research.

Recent defense

  • Silvia Basanta Martinez (Supervisor: Mihaela Pavlicev)

Congratulations! We are proud of your accomplishments and wish you the best in your future endeavors!
Legal notice
Publisher:
Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution
Editors:
Antonia Vogel
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