PhD Alumni/ae Club

We intend to connect Alumni/ae with each other and with current members of the VDSEE, the Faculty of Life Sciences and the University of Vienna and create mutually beneficial relationships.

We aim to establish an Alumni/ae programme in the future! If you want to be included in the VDSEE Alumni/ae Club, please send an email to docschool.vdsee@univie.ac.at

You can also join the general Alumni/ae network from the University of Vienna. Further information can be found here.

List of PhDs / Dr. graduates

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  • Defences of 2024

    Muhammad Bilal Sharif, PhD

    • Thesis: Investigating the mule's ancient history in Austria and Germany using paleogenomics 
    • Supervisor: Elmira Mohandesan, Katrin Schäfer
    • Defended on 05.01.2024

     

    Florian Caillon, PhD

    • Thesis:  Understanding the dynamics of bacterial communities and dissolved organic carbon in small headwater streams
    • Supervisor: Jakob Schelker and Peter Peduzzi
    • Defended on 29.01.2024

     

    Carlos De Gracia, M.Sc, PhD

    • Thesis: Evolutionary affinities among fossil and living billfishes (Teleostei: Istiophoridae)
    • Supervisor: Jürgen Kriwet
    • Defended on 14.03.2024

     

    Jiahang Li, PhD

    • Thesis: Development of Systematic Mathematic Matlab-based Software for the Analysis of Environmental, Clinical and Translational Large-scale OMICS Datasets
    • Supervisor: Wolfram Weckwerth
    • Defended on 21.03.2024

     

    Raphael Müller, PhD

    • Thesis: Mechanisms of Peat Formation in Different Wetland Ecosystems
    • Supervisor: Stephan Glatzel
    • Defended on 16.04.2024

     

    Zhengnan Cai, PhD

    • Thesis: Metabolic alternation interacts with immune signal transduction in tumor-associated macrophages
    • Supervisors: Elke Heiß & Wolfram Weckwerth
    • Defended on 26.04.2024

     

    Eva Breyer, PhD

    • Thesis: OCEANIDES – "Oceanic fungal ecology and biogeochemistry"
    • Supervisors: Monika Bright, Franz Berthiller & Christian Griebler
    • Defended on 16.05.2024

     

    Lisa Tedeschi, PhD

    • Thesis: Ecology, spread and impacts of invasive alien mammals in Europe
    • Supervisors: Franz Essl & Carlo Rondinini
    • Defended on 29.05.2024

     

    Susanne Reier, PhD

    • Thesis: Genetic variation of small cyprinids in the karst area
    • Supervisors: Luise Kruckenhauser & Anja Palandacic 
    • Defended on 03.06.2024

     

    Tobias Viehböck, PhD

    • Thesis: From Bacterial Symbiont Physiology to Symbiont Chromosome Organization
    • Supervisor: Silvia Bulgheresi
    • Defended on 20.06.2024

     

    Andreas Gattringer, PhD

    • Thesis: Plant migration in silico - Methods for simulating plant dynamics in a warming world
    • Supervisor: Stefan Dullinger
    • Defended on 27.06.2024

     

    Ahmed Mohamed Mahmoud Hussein, PhD

    • Thesis: Cognitive enhancement by targeting the dopaminergic system by DAT inhibitors on Spatial-dependent learning and memory in the Rats brain.
    • Supervisor: Christian Studenik
    • Defended on 27.06.2024

     

    Clara Groot Crego, PhD

    • Thesis: Molecular sources of variation and their role in the adaptive radiation of Tillandsia
    • Supervisor: Ovidiu Paun
    • Defended on 08.07.2024

     

    Salvador Espada-Hinojosa, PhD

    • Thesis: Functional and evolutionary ecology of the giant ciliate Zoothamnium niveum thiotrophic mutualism
    • Supervisor: Silvia Bulgheresi
    • Defended on 18.07.2024

     

    Erika Wimmer, PhD

    • Thesis: Alternative functions of type III-B CRISPR-Cas systems beyond antiviral defense
    • Supervisor: Christa Schleper
    • Defended on 29.07.2024

     

    Sebastian Decker, PhD

    • Thesis: Boring bryozoans: Systematics and life history of the endolithic families Penetrantiidae and Terebriporidae
    • Supervisor: Thomas Schwaha
    • Defended on 29.08.2024

     

    Florian Etl, PhD

    • Thesis: Floral Biology and Chemical Communication with Pollinators and Florivores in Tropical Araceae
    • Supervisors: Jürg Schönenberger, Stefan Dötterl (Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg)
    • Defended on 27.09.2024

     

    Dr.rer.nat. Julia Jambura-Türtscher

    • Thesis: Shaping Sharks and Rays: Taxonomic Inferences of Morphology and Morphometry on Elasmobranch Fishes
    • Supervisor: Jürgen Kriwet
    • Defended on 14.10.2024

     

    Dr.rer.nat. Patrick Leopold Jambura-Türtscher

    • Thesis: Evolutionary History and Macroevolutionary Dynamics in Sharks and Rays (Elasmobranchii)
    • Supervisor: Jürgen Kriwet 
    • Defended on 14.10.2024

     

    Petra Šimková, PhD

    • Thesis: Morphological variation and covariation in the human postcanine dentition
    • Supervisor: Gerhard Weber
    • Defended on 21.10.2024

     

    Dr.rer.nat. Petra Lukeneder

    • Thesis: Morphometry, taphonomy and geochemistry of Late Triassic Coleoids from the Polzberg Konservat-Lagerstätte near Lunz am See (Carnian, Reingraben Shales, Lower Austria).
    • Supervisor: Martin Zuschin
    • Defended on 27.11.2024

     

    Marcel Seifert, PhD

    • Thesis: Applying behavioral science to promote pro-environmental behavior: Experimental insights on determinants and interventions
    • Supervisor: Harald Wilfing
    • Defended on 03.12.2024
  • Defences of 2023

    Michael Glaser, BSc MSc PhD

    • Thesis: Past, Present and Future Weeds
    • Supervisors: Franz Essl, Stefan Dullinger (both Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research)
    • Defended on 19.12.2023

     

    Marina Ivankovic, PhD

    • Thesis: The impact of mixotrophic bacterivory on microbial food webs in changing lake ecosystems
    • Supervisors: Robert Ptacnik (Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology), Mia Bengtson
    • Defended on 18.12.2023

     

    Isabell Niedermoser, BSc MSc PhD

    • Thesis: cWnt/β-catenin signaling in the early development of Nematostella vectensis
    • Supervisor: Grigory Genikhovich (Department of Neuroscience and Developmental Biology)
    • Defended on 20.10.2023

     

    Tatiana Lebedeva, MSc PhD

    • Thesis: Mechanism of molecular boundary formation in the oral-aboral patterning of the sea anemone Nematostella
    • Supervisor: Grigory Genikhovich (Department of Neuroscience and Developmental Biology)
    • Defended on 15.08.2023

     

    Janine Oettel, MSc PhD

    • Thesis: Evaluation of deadwood characteristics, its dynamics, and feeding traces of saproxylic insects in the context of forest management and conservation.
    • Supervisors: Franz Essl (Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation), Martin Gossner (Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich)
    • Defended on 26.06.2023

     

    Benjamin Wölfl, MSc PhD

    • Thesis: Footprints of polygenic adaptation.
    • Supervisor: Joachim Hermisson (Department of Structural and Computational Biology and Department of Mathematics, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 16.06.2023

     

    Kellie Sara Carlson, MSc PhD

    • Thesis: 3D investigation of microarchitecture and microtaphonomy in archaeological bone.
    • Supervisor: Ron Pinhasi (Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 02.06.2023

     

    Kirsten Mandl, MSc PhD

    • Thesis: Multi-modal imaging for and experiments into identifying and visualizing bioerosion in archeological bone.
    • Supervisor: Martin Grassberger (Sigmund Freud Privatuniversität), Maria Teschler-Nicola (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien)
    • Defended on 12.04.2023

     

    Johannes Herpell, MSc PhD

    • Thesis: How beneficial plant-microbe-interactions in the phyllosphere contribute to plant performance
    • Supervisor: Wolfram Weckwerth (Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna), Christa Schleper (Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 30.03.2023

     

    Muhammad Ahmad, MSc PhD

    • Thesis: Population genetics of selected Boraginaceae and their transcriptomic changes upon phytohormonal and microbial interaction
    • Supervisor: Ovidiu Paun (Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna), Angela Sessitsch (Center for Health & Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology)
    • Defended on 20.03.2023

     

    Elena Ritschard, PhD

    • Thesis: Evolutionary origins and functional impact of novel genes on cephalopod developmental and morphological innovations
    • Supervisor: Oleg Simakov (Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 07.03.2023

     

    Katherine Jennifer Salazar Alekseyeva, MSc PhD

    • Thesis: Extracellular enzymatic activities of marine pelagic fungi and the influence of temperature and salinity
    • Supervisors:  Federico Baltar and Gerhard Herndl (Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 30.01.2023

     

    Mujahid Ali, MSc PhD

    • Thesis: Development and Evolution of Drosophila Chromatin Landscape in a 3D genome context
    • Supervisor: Qi Zhou (Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 26.01.2023

     

    Otto Monge, PhD

    • Thesis: Land use and warming effects on tropical birds: diversity and physiological vulnerability
    • Supervisors: Leonida Fusani (Department of Cognitive Biology), Christian Schulze (Division of Tropical Ecology and Animal Biodiversity), Stefan Dullinger (Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research)
    • Defended on 17.01.2023

     

    Zhiqing Xue, PhD

    • Thesis: Biogeography of the Grass Deschampsia cespitosa s. lat. on a world-wide scale
    • Supervisor: Josef Greimler (Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 11.01.2023
  • Defences of 2022

    Michael Melcher, Bakk.techn. PhD

    • Thesis: Metabolism and Physiology of mesophilic and thermophilic Thaumarchaeota
    • Supervisor: Christa Schleper (Department of Molecular Evolution and Development, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 19.12.2022

     

    Rohit Anil Dnyansagar, PhD

    • Thesis: Insights into the evolution of Gene Regulatory networks from the bioinformatic analysis of transcriptomic and genomic data
    • Supervisor: Ulrich Technau (Department of Molecular Evolution and Development, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 16.12.2022

     

    Dr. rer. nat. Bianca Lintner

    • Thesis: Recent deep-sea foraminifera assemblages in the NE Atlantic
    • Supervisor: Petra Heinz and Martin Zuschin (Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 21.09.2022

     

    Jing Liu, MSc PhD

    • Thesis: Evolutionary dynamics of chromosome synteny and nuclear organization across amniote species
    • Supervisor: Qi Zhou (Department of Neurosciences and Developmental Biology, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 16.09.2022

     

    Gil Yardeni, MSc PhD

    • Thesis: Phylogenetic relationships and the evolutionary history of Tillandsia, a species-rich genus of Bromeliaceae
    • Supervisor: Ovidiu Paun (Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 09.08.2022

     

    Mag.pharm. Dr. Mirta Resetar

    • Thesis: Characterization of LRK071, a structural analog of the natural product honokiol, as a novel RXR agonist
    • Supervisor: Verena M. Dirsch (Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 22.07.2022

     

    Faviel Alejandro López Romero, PhD

    • Thesis: "Morphological evolution of elasmobranchs: Quantitative approaches from ontogeny to ecomorphological signals among clades"
    • Supervisor: Jürgen Kriwet (Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 07.07.2022

     

    Sinje Neukirchen, BSc MSc PhD

    • Thesis: "Evolution of dissimilatory sulfur metabolism: a comparative phylogenomic approach"
    • Supervisor: Filipa Sousa (Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 13.06.2022

     

    Philipp Moritz Weber, MSc PhD

    • Thesis: "Morphogenesis and chromosome organization in animal-attached bacteria"
    • Supervisor: Silvia Bulgheresi (Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 01.06.2022

     

    David Andrés Salamanca-Díaz, MSc PhD

    • Thesis: "How to build a bivalve: Lessons from gene expression and single-cell RNA sequencing analyses."
    • Supervisor: Andreas Wanninger (Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 18.05.2022

     

    Dr. Manuel Amadori, MSc

    • Thesis: "Palaeobiology and Taxonomy of the extinct elasmobranch shark, +Ptychodus (Vertebrata, Chondrichthyes)."
    • Supervisor: Jürgen Kriwet (Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 04.05.2022

     

    Mimmi Eriksson, BSc MSc PhD

    • Thesis: "Rinse and repeat: genome dynamics following repeated allopolyploidization in marsh orchids (Dactylorhiza)."
    • Supervisor: Ovidiu Paun (Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 27.04.2022

     

    Suzanne Freilich, BA MSc PhD

    • Thesis: "Shedding light on past human histories with ancient DNA and stable isotopes."
    • Supervisor: Martin Fieder and Helmut Schaschl (Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 25.04.2022

     

    Jaime Andrés Villafaña Navea, MSc PhD

    • Thesis: "Insights into Cenozoic fishes (Chondrichthyes, Teleostei) from South America and Europe."
    • Supervisor: Jürgen Kriwet (Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 25.04.2022

     

    Dott.ssa Aglaia Szukala, MSc PhD

    • Thesis: "Parallel and adaptive processes during ecotype formation in Heliosperma pusillum."
    • Supervisor: Ovidiu Paun (Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 04.04.2022

     

    Jan Steger, BSc MSc PhD

    • Thesis: "Patterns and ecological impacts of the Lessepsian invasion - novel insights from molluscan living and death assemblages."
    • Supervisor: Paolo Giulio Albano and Martin Zuschin (Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 01.04.2022

     

    Logan Henry Hodgskiss, BSc MSc PhD

    • Thesis: "Exploring the Physiology of the Ammonia Oxidizing Archaeon Nitrososphaera viennensis."
    • Supervisor: Christa Schleper (Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna)
    • Defended on 29.03.2022

     

    Alexander Schahbasi, PhD

     

    Gabriela Fabiola Paredes Rojas, MSc PhD

  • Defences of 2021

    Michael Lintner, BSc MSc MSc PhD

     

    Hannah Schmidbaur, BSc MSc PhD

     

    Zihao Zhao, PhD

     

    Nima Ranjbar Sistani, PhD

    • Thesis: "Assessment of the rhizobial and mycorrhizal symbionts to improve the yield and seed quality in Pisum sativum under biotic stress caused by Didymella pinodes"
    • Supervisor: Assoz. Prof. Dipl.-Biol. Dr. Stefanie Wienkoop, Privatdoz., Functional and Evolutionary Ecology
    • Defended on 22.10.2021

     

    Dr. John Joseph Cawley, BSc MSc

    • Thesis: "New perspectives on pycnodont fishes (Neopterygii, Pycnodontiformes) concerning evolutionary success, niche partitioning, extinction and taxonomy"
    • Supervisor: Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Geol. Dr. Jürgen Kriwet, Department of Palaeontology
    • Defended on 16.10.2021

     

    Waltenberger Lukas, BSc MSc PhD

     

    Wai Yee Wong, PhD

     

    Huiying Shang, PhD

     

    Uliana Nekliudova, BSc MSc PhD

    • Thesis: "Dynamics of sexual reproduction and embryonic incubation in marine bryozoans"
    • Supervisor: Andrey Ostrovsky PhD, DSc
    • Defended on 15.04.2021

     

    Britta Uhl, MSc PhD

     

    Dipl.-Biol. Mirko Wölfling, PhD

     

    Mag Dieter Stephan Reich, PhD

     

    Jakob Weiszmann, BSc MSc PhD

  • Defences of 2020

    Mag. Paul Alan Steiner, PhD

     

    Ekaterina Pukhlyakova, PhD

     

    Maria Gomes Ribeiro Teixeira Pinto, PhD

     

    Metapt. Dr. Alexandros Xafis, MSc

     

    Christoph Neumayr, BSc MSc PhD

     

    Lisa-Maria Mauerhofer, BSc MSc PhD    

     

    Mag. Sandra Kirchner, PhD

     

    Mag. Peter Lampert, PhD

    • Thesis: "Educational dimensions of plant reproduction - Analyses of students’ conceptions, knowledge base and science content to provide implications and options for teaching"
    • Supervisors: Ass.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Suzanne Kapelari, Privatdoz. MA & ao. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Michael Kiehn, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research
    • Defended on 22.06.2020