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Matthias SchurzView profile

Associate Professor

• Social Cognition
• Neuroimaging
• Empathy
• +4 more

Dr. Matthias Schurz is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Psychology and Digital Science Center (DiSC) at the University of Innsbruck. He investigates social cognition, brain mechanisms of empathy, theory of mind, and emotion processing using neuroimaging techniques. His work spans clinical applications (e.g., borderline personality disorder), developmental conditions (e.g., dyslexia), and comparative neuroscience (e.g., primate temporal cortex studies). Affiliation: University of Innsbruck, Institute of Psychology (Grauer Bär building), Digital Science Center (DiSC) Prior Positions: Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Oxford, academic roots at University of Salzburg Research Focus: Schurz's research explores the neural basis of social cognition, including: Meta-analyses of brain activation patterns in empathy and theory of mind tasks Functional brain connectivity during social interactions Temporal cortex's role in human-specific cognitive processes Neural correlates of developmental dyslexia and psychiatric disorders Comparative studies of primate temporal lobe evolution Recent Publications: His 2025 work includes quantitative reviews of brain activation in social cognition, hyperscanning studies of relational neuroscience, and investigations into visuo-spatial perspective-taking. Earlier studies (2024-2021) cover bipolar disorder's neural fingerprints, hierarchical social cognition models, and gradient-based brain organization for empathy-based decisions. These works demonstrate expertise in fMRI, meta-analysis, and network neuroscience.

• Aerosol Physics
• Environmental Physics
• Air Pollution Monitoring
• +4 more

Dr. Wladyslaw Szymanski serves as an Associate Professor at the University of Vienna 's Faculty of Physics , specifically within the Aerosol Physics and Environmental Physics department. His work focuses on developing and evaluating optical measurement techniques for atmospheric particulate matter (PMx), emphasizing nanoparticles and their environmental/health impacts. University of Vienna | Faculty of Physics | Aerosol Physics and Environmental Physics Research Interests: Dr. Szymanski investigates: Adaptation of low-cost PM2.5 sensors for environmental monitoring Optical particle spectrometry fundamentals and limitations Comparative analysis of PM1 vs PM2.5 monitoring standards Applications of ion mobility spectrometry in nanoparticle characterization Publication Trends: His recent lectures and courses highlight a shift toward real-time monitoring of nanoparticles, emphasizing their role in air pollution-climate interactions and advocating for improved measurement strategies beyond regulatory compliance. Collaborations span institutions in Thailand, Japan, China, and Austria. Outreach: He has delivered keynotes at international conferences in Bangkok, Singapore, and Graz, addressing topics like urban-rural pollution disparities and environmental education for air quality improvement.

• Political Economy
• Social Science Methodology
• Natural Disasters
• +3 more

Thomas Plümper is a Professor at Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Wien) specializing in Political Economy, Social Science Methodology, and Natural Disasters. His research integrates spatial analysis with political science to examine crisis response dynamics, particularly in pandemic and disaster contexts. Plümper's research interests center on methodological rigor in political science, with emphasis on spatial contagion patterns, robustness testing, and causal inference. His work bridges quantitative methodology with substantive applications in disaster politics and pandemic policy, notably through extensive collaboration with Eric Neumayer on COVID-19 spatial dynamics. Recent publications demonstrate his pivot toward analyzing political protests against containment policies and data integrity issues in authoritarian regimes. His publication trends reveal a methodological trajectory: early work focused on dyadic data analysis and robustness tests (2010-2015), transitioning to spatial disaster economics (2016-2020), and culminating in pandemic-related spatial epidemiology since 2020. Key thematic clusters include political methodology (35% of output), disaster politics (30%), and pandemic policy analysis (25%), characterized by innovative spatial econometric applications. Scientific awards highlight his interdisciplinary impact: ESRC Transformative Grant (2012) for methodological innovation SAGE Best Paper Award in EU Politics (2005) University of Essex Teaching Award (2004) Suedwestmetall Price for economic research (2002) Plümper maintains active scholarly engagement through 47 journal peer reviews (including BMJ and Social Science Quarterly), 12 research proposal evaluations (e.g., Riksbank Jubilee Fund), and editorial board membership. His consulting activities with institutions like University of Colorado demonstrate policy-relevant expertise. Collaborative networks are anchored in his long-term partnership with Eric Neumayer, producing 12 co-authored publications since 2020. Current research focuses on spatial contagion mechanisms in crises, examining how disasters and pandemics propagate across political boundaries while interacting with institutional responses. His lab work centers on developing spatial-effect variables for dyadic data analysis, with recent Stata modules (SPAGG, SPUNDIR) becoming field standards.

Pavlos TopalidisView profile

Lecturer

• Sleep Science
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Consciousness Research
• +5 more

Dr. Pavlos Topalidis is a Greek cognitive neuroscientist and PhD candidate at the University of Salzburg's Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience (CCNS), working in the laboratory for Sleep and Consciousness Research under the supervision of Univ.-Prof. Dr. Manuel Schabus. Since October 2023, he has served as a Junior Lecturer at the University of Salzburg, teaching Human Cognition and Sleep at both Bachelor and Master's levels. His educational background includes: PhD student at University of Salzburg (since 2019), Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience MSc in Neuro-Cognitive Psychology from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (2017-2019) BSc (Hons, first class) in Psychology from University of Aberdeen, UK (2012-2016) Research visit at Yale University (2022) Dr. Topalidis's research focuses on information processing during sleep, particularly predictive coding and statistical learning mechanisms. His work explores how the brain processes information across wakefulness and sleep states, with applications in sleep monitoring using wearable technology. He investigates oscillatory brain activity patterns and their relationship to cognitive functions, with additional interests in cultural variations in sleep patterns and insomnia treatments. His technical expertise spans multiple neuroimaging methods including EEG, MEG, fMRI, and actigraphy, with advanced programming skills in Matlab and R for data analysis. His scientific contributions have been recognized with multiple awards including a poster award at the Sleep, Cognition and Consciousness Winter Symposium (2023) and a project presentation award at the ESRS Sleep School (2021). His research has led to numerous publications focusing on sleep classification algorithms, cross-cultural sleep studies, and the application of physiological measures to understand mental states. February 2023: Poster award at Sleep, Cognition and Consciousness Winter Symposium November 2022: Salzburg University research stay funding at Yale University (1700€) October 2022: Shortlisted for best poster award at the 26th European Sleep Research Society Conference September 2021: ESRS 3rd Sleep School project presentation award October 2013: ERASMUS scholarship As a Junior Lecturer, Dr. Topalidis mentors undergraduate and graduate students in cognitive neuroscience and sleep research. His current projects involve developing low-cost sleep monitoring solutions using wearable technology and investigating predictive coding mechanisms during sleep. He has also completed specialized training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (2023) and Good Clinical Practice (2022). Dr. Topalidis is an active member of the Sleep and Consciousness Research laboratory at the Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, collaborating with researchers across Europe. His work bridges basic cognitive neuroscience with clinical applications, particularly in developing accessible sleep monitoring tools and understanding sleep's role in cognitive processing and memory consolidation.

• Innovation and Industrial Dynamics
• R&D Collaboration
• Intellectual Property
• +4 more

Michael Barber is a Scientist specializing in Innovation and Industrial Dynamics, with research spanning R&D collaboration networks, intellectual property, and spatial interaction modeling. He actively contributes to European research initiatives such as the EUPRO project, focusing on project-based collaboration databases and policy analysis. Research Interests: His work emphasizes: Innovation ecosystems and industrial R&D patterns Quantitative analysis of spatial interactions and network communities FAIR metadata standards for research data interoperability European policy frameworks for intellectual property protection Recent publications highlight trends in European collaborative research, intellectual property law, and sustainable energy data management, using advanced statistical and network analysis techniques. No information is available regarding lab affiliations, supervised students, or scientific awards.

• Human-Computer Interaction
• User Experience
• Mobile Devices
• +4 more

Peter Fröhlich serves as a Research Associate at the Institute for Marketing within the Faculty of Business at the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt (FH Wiener Neustadt). Based at the Wieselburg Campus, he maintains an active research profile with continuous scholarly output since 2005. His academic credentials include Mag. Dr. (Master's and Doctoral degrees in the Austrian system) and an MBA. Dr. Fröhlich's research focuses on human-computer interaction, with particular expertise in user experience design, mobile interfaces, and automotive human-machine interaction. His scholarly fingerprint reveals strong specialization in User Interface (100%), Interaction Technique (76%), Mobile Device (76%), and User Experience (69%) research domains. Recent work has examined touchscreen interfaces in extreme environments, takeover requests in automated driving, and design frameworks for automated material handling vehicles. His publication record shows consistent scholarly productivity with 119 documented publications between 2005 and 2025. The output has accelerated in recent years, with 10 publications in 2020, 10 in 2021, 7 in 2022, and 12 in 2023, demonstrating growing research activity. His work appears in reputable venues including Frontiers in Robotics and AI, CEAS Space Journal, and proceedings of the Automotive User Interfaces conference. Dr. Fröhlich maintains active research collaborations across multiple institutions, with co-authorship patterns indicating interdisciplinary work bridging computer science, human factors engineering, and business perspectives. His methodological approach emphasizes empirical user studies and experimental design to evaluate interaction techniques in real-world contexts.

• Landslide Analysis
• Spatial Pattern Analysis
• Statistical Learning Models
• +7 more

Ugur Öztürk is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Regional Research within the Faculty of Earth Sciences, Geography and Astronomy at the University of Vienna, specializing in landslide risk assessment and environmental modeling. His work directly contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals through disaster risk reduction research. His academic credentials include: PhD in Earth Science from Universität Potsdam (awarded February 21, 2019) MSc in Civil Engineering for Risk Mitigation from Politecnico di Milano (awarded October 5, 2012) BSc in Civil Engineering (awarded June 30, 2010) Öztürk's research employs statistical learning models and physics-based simulations to analyze landslide triggers like earthquakes and heavy rainfall, with recent expansion into urban landslide impacts. His fingerprint reveals dominant expertise in Earthquake Trigger (100%), Spatial Analysis (100%), Urban Development (100%), and Heavy Rainfall (100%) within Earth and Planetary Sciences. He has received significant recognition: Postdoc Award in Natural and Engineering Sciences of the State Brandenburg (2023) Univerlecco Master's Scholarship (2010) Öztürk currently leads the €2.3M research project Getting Ahead of Landslides: Understanding Social and Environmental Interactions to Anticipate Future Urban Landslide Risk (UrbanSlide) (2025-2030), securing major grant funding. He maintains active public engagement through 7 press/media contributions, including interviews on landslide disasters and climate challenges covered by 16+ news outlets and 92+ social media accounts.

• Byzantine Studies
• Late Medieval History
• Canon Law
• +5 more

Dr. Ekaterini Mitsiou is a Lecturer at the Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, University of Vienna. Specializing in late Byzantine history (12th-15th centuries), her research spans intellectual networks, canon law, monastic space, and mobility patterns in the Eastern Mediterranean. Key Research Themes: Byzantine educational systems and manuscript circulation Gender roles in legal and monastic contexts Transcultural interactions with Latins and Muslims Climate history and demographic shifts Digital humanities applications to Byzantine texts Publication Trends: Recent work focuses on ENCHANT project data (2023-2025) analyzing charter networks, 13th-century criminal justice in Epirus, and comparative studies of patriarchal authority. Earlier scholarship (2016-2020) examined monastic economics, women's patronage, and the Latin Empire's administrative structures. Teaching: Currently instructing "Georgios Pachymeres and the Byzantine Historiography of the 13th and 14th Centuries" (2025S) and maintaining a long history of teaching courses on Byzantine history and textual analysis.

• Applied Economics
• Labor Economics
• Local Labor Markets
• +3 more

Ines Helm serves as Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics within the Faculty of Social Sciences, Economics & Business at Johannes Kepler University Linz. Her research program focuses on critical issues in applied economics and labor markets, with particular expertise in local labor market dynamics, wage inequality, job displacement effects, and labor market power structures. At JKU Linz, she teaches advanced courses including Advanced Microeconometrics, Regional Labor Markets, and Labor Economics. Dr. Helm earned her PhD from University College London's Department of Economics and Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration. Prior to her current position, she held academic appointments as Assistant Professor at Stockholm University and Associate Professor at LMU Munich, establishing an international research profile before joining JKU Linz. Her research examines how structural economic changes impact workers, particularly investigating wage dynamics following manufacturing sector displacement, the prevalence of labor market power in wage setting, and heterogeneity in workplace wage growth patterns. Helm's methodological approach typically leverages large-scale administrative datasets and sophisticated econometric techniques to address policy-relevant questions about labor market functioning. Helm's publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to top economics journals including the Review of Economic Studies, American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, and Journal of Urban Economics. Her work shows a clear progression from examining trade shock impacts on local labor markets to more recent investigations of fiscal policy responses and gig economy trends, reflecting both methodological sophistication and policy relevance. Young Labour Economist Prize (2017) from the European Association of Labour Economists Project leader at Rockwool Foundation Berlin Research associate at the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) Member of CEPR, CesIfo, and IZA research networks Currently leading the research project 'Active Learning in Firms and the Sources of Wage Inequality' (2025-2027), Professor Helm maintains an active research agenda examining how on-the-job training and skill development contribute to wage disparities. Her extensive professional network includes collaborations with researchers across Europe and affiliations with major economic research institutions including the Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration at UCL and the Regional Economics Committee of the German Economic Association.

Michael IrlacherView profile

Associate Professor

• International Economics
• Labor Economics
• Industrial Organization
• +3 more

Michael Irlacher is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at Johannes Kepler University Linz, where he has been tenured since October 2024. Previously, he served as a tenure-track Assistant Professor (2019-2024) and non-tenure-track Assistant Professor at the University of Munich (2014-2019). He maintains active research affiliations as a Research Affiliate at CESifo since November 2018 and as a Member of the Standing Field Committee in International Economics for the German Economics Association (VfS) since May 2022. His educational background includes a Habilitation (venia legendi) from Johannes Kepler University Linz with a thesis on Essays in International Trade and Spatial Economics , a PhD in Economics (summa cum laude) from the University of Munich with a dissertation on Essays on Multi-Product Firms and International Trade , and a Diplom (M.A.) in Economics from the University of Munich. Dr. Irlacher's research program focuses on international economics, particularly examining multiproduct firms, trade dynamics, and labor market implications. His work bridges theoretical modeling with empirical analysis of firm behavior in international markets. He has made significant contributions to understanding how mergers affect product scope of firms, how trade costs impact commodity substitution patterns, and how technology influences internationalization strategies. His research often employs spatial and structural econometric methods to analyze complex economic phenomena. His recent publications reveal a consistent focus on the intersection of firm heterogeneity and international trade, with particular attention to how multi-product firms navigate global markets. The research demonstrates sophisticated methodological approaches combining theoretical modeling with detailed empirical analysis of firm-level data, particularly from European contexts. His work has important policy implications for trade policy, competition policy, and understanding the distributional effects of globalization. At JKU Linz, Dr. Irlacher teaches International Economics courses and supervises bachelor theses. His teaching covers both theoretical foundations and empirical applications of international trade models, with particular emphasis on contemporary issues in global trade dynamics. He is actively involved in the academic community through seminar presentations, conference participation, and collaborations with researchers across Europe.

Johannes MuthersView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Competition Policy
• Industrial Organization
• Market Competition
• +4 more

Johannes Muthers is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Economics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria, where he has been employed since 2017 (initially as Assistant Professor until 2023, then promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2024). His office is located in the Kepler Building, 1st floor, room K126A. His research focuses on Competition Policy, Markets and Strategies within Industrial Organization. His work examines complex market dynamics including collusion mechanisms, pricing strategies, platform economics, and antitrust issues. Muthers employs both theoretical modeling and empirical analysis to investigate how firms behave in competitive environments and how regulatory policies affect market outcomes. Muthers' publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to top economics journals, with recent work appearing in The Journal of Industrial Economics and Review of Network Economics. His research shows a clear trajectory examining strategic firm behavior in various market structures, with particular attention to collusion phenomena and digital platform economics. At JKU, Muthers teaches multiple courses including Financial Markets, Consumer Choices and Market Outcomes, and Introductory Microeconomics. He also supervises numerous Bachelor theses in Economics, working with students on various research topics within his areas of expertise. His teaching spans both German and English language courses, reflecting the international nature of the economics program at JKU.

• Museology
• Consumer Aesthetics
• Digital Humanities
• +3 more

Carola Korhummel is a University Assistant and Pre-Doctoral Researcher at the Laboratory for Empirical Image Studies (CReA) within the Institute of Art History, Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies at the University of Vienna. Her work bridges museology, consumer culture studies, and digital humanities through empirical research methodologies. Her academic background includes: BA in Literature, Art and Media Studies from University of Konstanz and Boğaziçi University (2011-2015) MA in Art History and Museology (double degree) from University of Heidelberg and École du Louvre (2015-2018), awarded the semester prize for her thesis 'Lidl is worth it. Museological considerations on the aesthetics of the supermarket' Dr. Korhummel's research investigates the emotional and commercial dimensions of contemporary art museums using eye-tracking and spatial analysis. She examines how exhibition design transforms visitor experiences into marketable commodities, with particular focus on the tension between high art and consumer aesthetics. Her methodological innovation lies in applying empirical social science tools to traditional art historical questions, revealing measurable patterns in audience engagement. Recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory toward data-driven museology, with her 2024 eye-tracking blog and 2025 exhibition analysis chapter establishing empirical visitor studies as critical to understanding 21st-century museum practices. These works collectively emphasize the necessity of quantitative methods in analyzing aesthetic experiences previously considered subjective. Her notable recognition includes: Semester prize of the Institute for European Art History As a pre-doctoral researcher, Dr. Korhummel actively contributes to teaching and lab development while advancing her dissertation. She participates in grant-funded projects like the Getty Summer Institute collaborations but does not currently hold independent research grants. Her supervision focuses on undergraduate research within the Laboratory for Empirical Image Studies. The Laboratory for Empirical Image Studies (CReA) serves as her primary research base, conducting interdisciplinary projects that merge art historical scholarship with digital tools. Current initiatives include mobile eye-tracking experiments across Viennese museums and spatial mapping of visitor pathways, positioning CReA at the forefront of empirical approaches to visual culture studies.

Luise ReitstätterView profile

Research Fellow

• Exhibition Studies
• Museum Communication
• Visual Cultural Analysis
• +5 more

Dr. Luise Reitstätter is a cultural scientist affiliated with the University of Vienna’s Department of Art History. She currently serves as a Visiting Scholar at King’s College London and the University of the Balearic Islands while leading the FWF-DFG project 'The Museum Gaze'. Previously, she headed the Laboratory for Cognitive Research in Art History (2017-2025) and held research/teaching positions at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and University of Salzburg. Her research examines: Exhibition practices : Analyzing visitor interactions, label usage, and spatial design in museums Cultural participation : Projects like 'Right to the Museum?' exploring accessibility and community engagement Visual methodologies : Employing eye-tracking and video analysis to study art perception Commons movements : Investigating collaborative cultural production and design innovation Her 15 most recent publications (2023-2025) focus on museum studies, visitor behavior analysis, and curatorial methodologies. Key trends include multimodal analysis of gallery interactions, institutional self-reflection, and participatory research designs. She employs interdisciplinary approaches bridging art history, sociology, and cognitive science. Notable projects include: PI for 'Say it Easy. Say it Out Loud' (language accessibility in museums) Co-PI for 'City-Country-Image' (archival studies of rural representations) Development of mobile eye-tracking protocols for exhibition spaces She leads the Laboratory for Cognitive Research in Art History, advancing empirical studies of art reception and museum experiences.