Eberhard Raithelhuber

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Eberhard Raithelhuber is a Professor for Social Intervention and Transformation at Bertha von Suttner Privatuniversität St. Pölten, Austria. He holds a venia docendi in Educational Science from the University of Salzburg and has held academic positions across Europe, including interim professorships and research roles in Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands. His work focuses on social mentoring programs, youth welfare, migration, and agency in transitional phases. He currently leads the ERASMUS+ project Ment4EU and serves as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Austrian Yearbook for Social Work.

Education:

• Habilitation (2019) in Educational Science, University of Salzburg
• PhD (2010) in Philosophy, TU Dresden
• Diploma in Educational Science (1995–2001), University of Tübingen

Research Interests: Raithelhuber's work explores the intersection of social intervention models, migration, and agency. He advocates for relational approaches to understanding social exclusion and has pioneered participatory action research methods in multilingual teams. Key areas include:

• Design and evaluation of mentoring programs for youth and migrants
• Critical analysis of social policies affecting marginalized groups
• Transnational social support systems

Grants & Projects: Current leadership includes the Ment4EU project (2023–2026) promoting social inclusion through mentoring. Past initiatives include the DFG-funded Transnational Social Support research group. He also coordinates the Action Research Summer Camp, a transnational training program.

Awards & Memberships: Member of the University Senate since 2022, Board of the Austrian Association of Research in Social Pedagogy since 2016, and advisor to Mentoring Austria. Recognized for editorial contributions to social work journals and textbook series.