Research School Transformations in Architecture & Planning CALL FOR APPLICATION

The successful completion of the dissertation is an important first step on the path to an academic (or praxis) career. This step requires solid support from the university and among peers. The Research School is a three-year program that offers doctoral candidates at the Faculty A+R a structured support program to help them navigate the scientific expectations of their qualifications. It brings a group of doctoral candidates with similar research interests and thematically comparable dissertation projects together to create a critical mass of knowledgeable scholars who inspire, empower and help each other in their quest for PhD. Senior coordinators and mentors provide participants with practical skills that help them on their way to their doctoral degree and create a platform for thematic exchange and mutual learning.

Thematic scope: Socio-ecological transformations, architecture and planning >                              

   What’s in it for you? 

• Courses on academic production skills (writing classes, writing retreats, paper workshops) and transformative competencies (transdisciplinary research methods, research ethics) with ECTS credits
• Research colloquia for presenting your research and international networking with leading scholars in the field
• Events for transdisciplinary exchange, reflection and learning with actors from architectural and planning praxis
• A platform for informal exchange and peer learning with thematically related doctoral students from the faculty
• Resources for the bottom-up development of own complementary formats

How to apply
The Research School offers 15 places. All doctoral students at the Faculty A+R are eligible, provided that they (1) are enrolled in one of the faculty’s doctoral study programs, (2) can demonstrate that their research fits with the Research School’s thematic scope, (3) have a topic and supervisor, and (4) the supervisor’s explicit support to participate in the Research School.
Applications must include:

• Letter of motivation, explaining why the applicant wants to join & that s/he meets the abovementioned application criteria (max. 1,5p.)
• CV incl. doctoral candidate’s affiliation with the faculty, the research field and topic of their dissertation, and the supervisor(s) (max. 3p.)
• Informal, written endorsement for participation by the applicant’s main supervisor (CC-ing the supervisor to the application-email also suffices, provided that the applicant has talked to and received the support by the supervisor).

All parts of the application must be compiled into a single PDF and emailed to johannes.suitner@tuwien.ac.at within the application period.
The application period runs from December 15, 2025 to January 31, 2026.
A decision will be made by the Research School’s coordinators, the Deans of Study, and representatives of the AKG and Fachschaft Doktorat. The decision will be communicated in mid-February individually via e-mail. The Research School will kick off early March 2026.

We are looking forward to your applications and supporting you in your quest for your PhDs!
Lorenzo, Margaret, Elisabeth, Johannes

Additional information on the three-year work programme of the Research School, including descriptions of planned formats and involved individuals from the Faculty A+R can be found here: