Vienna Doctoral Schools

Excellence in doctoral training has a long tradition at the University of Vienna. With the establishment of the Vienna Doctoral Schools (VDS) (as well as Vienna Doctoral Academies-VDA) the university has set a further initiative to foster doctoral training.

The objective of the VDS is to bring together the most committed doctoral candidates and supervisors, providing a platform for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary discussions, increasing the external visibility of doctoral programmes at the University of Vienna, facilitating cohort formation, and establishing a group identity for doctoral candidates and supervisors.

Three Vienna Doctoral Schools were established at the Faculty of Life Sciences:

Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution (VDSEE)

The Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution (VDSEE) is devoted to educating students in advancing our knowledge on the ecology and evolution of extant and ancestral organisms, populations and communities. In Ecology, the ambition is to better understand the mechanistic and evolutionary drivers of patterns and processes from gene regulation to the structure and function of ecosystems and the impact of communities on the biogeochemical cycles and their adaptive capacity in response to environmental change. In Evolution, we address the evolutionary processes leading to changes in organization and temporal dynamics of organisms, populations and species at the molecular, developmental, morphological and physiological level.

Doctoral School Cognition Behavior Neuroscience (CoBeNe)

The aim of the Doctoral School Cognition Behavior Neuroscience (CoBeNe) is to foster structured doctoral education at the University of Vienna and to create an environment supporting interdisciplinary research and research training. The school integrates excellent existing research centers in Cognition, Behavior, and Neuroscience in Vienna. These centers were previously mostly independent, and range from molecular/cellular/developmental biology to psychological sciences and the humanities.

Doctoral School of Pharmaceutical, Nutritional and Sport Sciences (PhaNuSpo)

The Doctoral School of Pharmaceutical, Nutritional and Sport Sciences (PhaNuSpo) intends to provide an internationally competitive scientific training of doctoral students in innovative pharma, food and sport research. The school wants to attract motivated students and to guide them towards scientific excellence and independence in a truly unique and dynamic multi-as well as interdisciplinary environment to finally become well-educated, open-minded and responsible graduates.