Gerd Valchars

Dr. Gerd Valchars is a Visiting Professor at the University of Vienna's Department of Political Science, where he has taught since 2004. He is also affiliated with the Institute of European Studies, Vienna, FH Campus Wien, and BFI Vienna. His primary roles include serving as Austria's Country Coordinator for the European Web Site on Integration (EWSI) since 2017 and Country Expert for the Global Citizenship Observatory (GLOBALCIT) since 2012. Valchars holds a Doctorate in Political Science from the University of Vienna (2017) and a Master's in Political Science and Communications.

Research Interests: Valchars focuses on citizenship rights, Austrian political systems, European integration, migration policy, and electoral participation. His work critically examines exclusionary practices in democratic systems, particularly affecting immigrants and minorities. Key themes include voting rights for non-citizens, naturalization processes, and the intersection of education and political inclusion.

Recent Works: His 2021 co-authored monograph Migration and Citizenship explores supranational citizenship frameworks. Recent articles (2021–2024) address Austria’s restrictive citizenship policies and democratic deficits. He actively publishes commentaries in Der Standard and Wiener Zeitung, critiquing contemporary migration governance.

Awards & Grants: Recipient of the Austrian Academy of Sciences' DOC-team Fellowship (2006–2009), and graduated with distinction from both his doctoral and diploma studies. His research has been supported by the European University Institute and the Migration Policy Group.

Outreach: Co-founder of Radio Stimme, a platform for minority-focused political discourse, and member of the KriMi research group on critical migration studies. He advises municipal integration campaigns and contributes to EU policy analyses through GLOBALCIT.