The Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences promotes innovative, excellent, problem-oriented research that aspires to contribute to societal debates and address key global challenges.

The cohorts trained and supported by the ViDSS are part of a vibrant research environment and international networks. The ViDSS encompasses and fosters connections between a broad range of disciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspectives. The ViDSS embraces the entire range of epistemological, methodological and theoretical approaches that are employed at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Doctoral candidates receive research training and write a doctoral thesis in the fields of communication, demography, development studies, nursing science, political science, science and technology studies, social and cultural anthropology, and sociology. The ViDSS aims for the highest standards in doctoral training and close supervision to ensure a mastery of social scientific debates and relevant theories and methods. As a result, ViDSS graduates are highly employable both within and outside academia.

Fellowship and award winners
 

The sowi:doc Awards for the academic year 2023/2024 are awarded to Hannah Greber (“Immersive journalism – The future of the news?”), Ina Tessnow-von Wysocki (“Science-policy interfaces for ocean protection”) and Teresa Weikmann (“Getting real with fakes: Characteristics and consequences of ‘deepfakes’ in democracies”). Congratulations!

Fellowship and award winners
 

Political scientist and ViDSS alumna Ina Tessnow-von Wysocki was awarded the Award of Excellence (Staatspreis für die besten Dissertationen) for her doctoral thesis about science-policy interfaces for ocean protection. Congratulations!

Media articles and press releases
 

Nowadays, everyone with an internet connection can fulfil some of journalism’s functions. A recent study conducted by ViDSS student Kim Löhmann together with Phoebe Maares, Daniel Nölleke and Folker Hanusch explores how traditional and peripheral journalists across Austria assess the diversity of traditional and peripheral media outlets. (In German)

Media articles and press releases
 

It is estimated that 300.000 persons in Austria care for aged family members next to working outside their homes. Together with Karl Krajic, ViDSS student Charlotte Dötig highlights that employers often do not know about such care responsibilities and explains why many of these employees need and want to continue to work. (In German)

Video
 

Political scientist Benedikt Seisl explains in an interview for the TV channel Arte why the Austrian Green Party and the conservative Austrian People’s Party were not able to agree on a strong climate protection law during the time of their coalition. (In German)

Fellowship and award winners
 

Communication scientist and ViDSS alumni Franz Reiter was awarded the Junior Research Award of the Austrian Political Science Association for his dissertation about the perceptions and effects of dirty campaigning in electoral communication. Congratulations!

Fellowship and award winners
 

Communication scientist Elena Engel was awarded the early career researchers’ award of the Austrian Public Health Association (3rd place) for her paper about social media influencers as a new source of health information (co-authored with Sascha Gell, Raffael Heiss and Kathrin Karsay). Congratulations!

Radio and podcast
 

While most PhDs have accepted that their research probably won’t change the world, they at least want to make some impact on society. But how? We talk to Nora Hansl and Stefan Sonntagbauer about strategies of making research more impactful and their experiences of being personally impacted by their research fields including parent-child relationships and ghost encounters.

Fellowship and award winners
 

The Marietta Blau-Grant offers financial support for six- to twelve-month study periods abroad. Lena Dege-Barron (development studies) will stay in Mexico, Antonia Modelhart (political science) will use the grant to continue her research in Australia, Finland and Italy. Congratulations!

New publications by ViDSS students

Showing entries 1 - 20 out of 77

Austria (Vol. 16, 2023). / Bauer, Dominique; Mattes-Zippenfenig, Astrid.

Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, Vol. 16. ed. / Ahmet Alibašić; Dominique Bauer; Stephanie Müssig; Egdūnas Račius. Vol. 16 Leiden : Brill, 2024. p. 54-72 (Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, Vol. 16).

Publications: Contribution to bookChapterPeer Reviewed


Conducting marine genetic research for whom? Mapping knowledge flows from science to patents. / Dunshirn, Paul (Corresponding author); Zhivkoplias, Erik.

In: npj Ocean Sustainability, Vol. 3, No. 1, 50, 08.10.2024.

Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed


Tactics and affordances in the mediatization of war: pro-Ukrainian cyber resistance on Telegram. / Canevez, Richard; Maikovska, Kateryna; Zwarun, Lara.

In: Digital War, 07.10.2024.

Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed


„Die Würde des Spargels ist unantastbar“ – Antiosteuropäischer Rassismus, Ausbeutung und Widerstand. Panagiotidis, Jannis (Contributor); Ďurišová , Simona (Contributor); Melo, Sónia (Contributor) et al.. 2024. Event: null, Brunnenpassage/Yppenplatz, Wien, Austria.

Publications: Electronic/multimedia outputRadio show


Revisiting Reflexivity: Liveable Worlds in Research and Beyond. / Davies, Sarah (Editor); Schikowitz, Andrea (Editor); Mora-Gámez, Fredy (Editor) et al.

Bristol University Press, 2025. 272 p. (Dis-positions: Troubling Methods and Theory in STS).

Publications: BookCollectionPeer Reviewed


The Structural and Temporal Curb of Populism: A Cross-Country Analysis of Authoritarian Populist Influences on Journalism. / Celik, Burce; Radl, Marlene; Ribac, Marko et al.

In: Journalism Studies, 26.09.2024.

Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed


Von Erreichtbarkeit und dem Erreichtwerden : Älter werdende Eltern mit Pflegeverantwortung im Forschungskontext. / Falkenstein, Thomas; Werner, Marlene; Nagl-Cupal, Martin.

Schwer erreichbar?: Soziale Teilhabe für besonders verletzliche Menschen. ed. / Elisabeth Reitinger; Heimerl Katharina; Gert Dressel; Ilona Wenger. Esslingen : der hospiz verlag, 2024. p. 377 - 390.

Publications: Contribution to bookChapter


Felt-bodily communication as a medium for parents and their children with care needs: a neo-phenomenology perspective. / Falkenstein, Thomas; Mayer, Hanna; Nagl-Cupal, Martin.

2024. 15 20th European Doctoral Conference in Nursing Science, Graz, Austria.

Publications: Contribution to conferenceOther contribution to conferencePeer Reviewed


Blurring Boundaries: A longitudinal analysis of skills required in journalism, PR, and marketing job ads. / Bernhard, Jana; Russmann, Uta.

In: Journalism & mass communication quarterly, Vol. 101, No. 3, 09.2024, p. 612-636.

Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed


Showing entries 1 - 20 out of 77