Katharina Ivanyi

Katharina Ivanyi serves as Professor of Cultural and Intellectual History of the Islamic World at the Institute of Oriental Studies, University of Vienna since September 2025. Her academic trajectory includes tenure-track Assistant Professor positions at St. Michael's College (2012-2013) and Columbia University (2013-2017), followed by research roles at Austria's Federal Office for Foreign Affairs and Asylum (2017-2020), Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas in Greece (2020-2021), and University of Vienna.

Her educational foundation comprises:

• Bachelor in Oriental Studies (Arabic and Biblical Hebrew) from University of Oxford (1999-2003)
• M.Phil. in Oriental Studies (Modern Middle Eastern Studies) from University of Oxford (2003-2005)
• Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University (2006-2012)

Prof. Ivanyi's research centers on pre-modern Islamic law with specialized focus on Hanafitic jurisprudence during the late classical period, examining its evolution across West-Central and South Asia (12th-15th centuries). Her work bridges historical analysis with contemporary relevance through investigations into Islamic conceptual history, modern Islamic thought, and environmental jurisprudence—particularly her current project analyzing the legal status of uncultivated land ('dead' land) in Islamic law and its implications for sustainable resource management and climate responsibility.

Her scholarly recognition includes:

• MacCracken Fellowship at New York University (2005-2006)
• Marie-Jahoda Fellowship at University of Vienna (2021-2022)
• FWF Elise-Richter Fellowship as Principal Investigator for habilitation project V943-G (2022-2025)

As Principal Investigator for the FWF-funded project on Hanafitic jurisprudence across Asia, she directed significant interdisciplinary research connecting historical Islamic legal traditions to modern environmental challenges. Her ERC-funded work on Ottoman supernatural traditions further demonstrates her capacity to secure competitive research grants while making historical Islamic thought accessible to broader public discourse through contextualized teaching and publication.