Board of directors

Christoph Bock

Research Area: Bioinformatics
CeMM - Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences

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With my research I want to understand how the cells of our body are epigenetically shaped by their past and pre-programmed for future challenges. This work is very interdisciplinary and combines approaches from experimental biology with biomedical technology and methods from computer science and machine learning - with the aim of rationally developing new therapies for cancer and immune diseases. What particularly appeals to me about working in the Junge Akademie is the intensive exchange between the disciplines.

Hannes Fellner

Research Area: Linguisitcs and Literature
University of Vienna

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In my research, I deal with the (digital) philological and linguistic investiagtion of ancient languages, especially the Indo-European languages spoken along the ancient Silk Road in today's China. For me, the Junge Akademie is a place where young academics from the most diverse disciplines come together to network and cooperate. The Junge Akademie is therefore not only a space to exchange ideas, but also to contribute to the commune bonum in academia and society on the basis of multidisciplinary expertise and perspectives by adhering to the ideas of the spiritus rector of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.

Anne Sophie Meincke

Research Area: Philosophy
University of Vienna

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I am a philosopher who works at the intersection of metaphysics, philosophy of mind and action, and the philosophy of science. What is life? What is the mind? What does it take for something to be an agent? Do we have free will? In my view these questions can only be answered by taking into account the empirical findings of the sciences, in particular of the life sciences. At the same time I am convinced that science benefits from reflecting on its philosophical premises and implications. The Young Academy offers a perfect platform to conduct and promote such fruitful interdisciplinary dialogue that is the key to innovative, ground-breaking research. I am also committed to gender equality in academia and to stable working conditions for excellent young researchers.

Nina Mirnig

Research Area: Indology
The Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia of the Austrian Academy of Sciences

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In my research, I aim to develop a comprehensive approach to the study of the cultural and religious history of South Asia and the Himalayan region by combining philological methods for accessing new text sources in Sanskrit with questions and approaches from history, archaeology and anthropology. I believe that intense engagement across disciplines is fundamental to forward our understanding of historical and cultural processes, which in many cases still shape the formation of local identities and perceptions of tangible and intangible heritage. With its agenda of fostering interdisciplinary discourse, I value the Young Academy for providing a stimulating space for such exchanges. I also fully endorse its commitment to diversity and optimized working conditions central to developing a dynamic, innovative, and resilient research and training environment. 

Birgitta Schultze Bernhardt

Research Area: Physics
Graz University of Technology

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Meine Forschung befasst sich mit experimenteller Laserspektroskopie, bei der ich die Licht-Materie-Wechselwirkung nutze, um optische Eigenschaften und physikalische Prozesse in unterschiedlichsten Proben genauer zu charakterisieren. Dazu benutzen wir in meiner Arbeitsgruppe ultrakurze Laserpulse für unterschiedliche Spektroskopiemethoden, die hohe spektrale und hohe zeitliche Auflösungen erlauben. Unseren Forschungsfokus konnten wir jüngst von der Grundlagenforschung auf interdisziplinäre Anwendungen erweitern. Daher reizt mich innerhalb der Jungen Akademie besonders der anregende Austausch zwischen unterschiedlichen Fachrichtungen – österreichweit. Durch meinen Forschungsstandort Graz ist es mir außerdem ein Anliegen, die Aktivitäten der ÖAW und der Jungen Akademie über die Grenzen Wiens hinaus sichtbarer zu machen.