Katja Sterflinger

Univ.-Prof. Katja Sterflinger is a Professor leading the Institute for Science and Technology in Art at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna since 2020. She holds a PhD in microbiology from Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg (1995) and a habilitation in geomicrobiology from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna (2000). Her academic career includes a professorship at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences before joining the Academy.

Her research focuses on microbiological processes affecting art materials, materials ecology, and conservation science. She teaches courses such as microbiology, color chemistry, and materials science investigations. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications through collaborations with museums, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, and the Federal Monuments Office. Since 2021, she chairs the Monuments Advisory Board at the Federal Monuments Office.

With over 350 publications, her research emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to art conservation science. She advises doctoral students and collaborates with experts like Ernst-Georg Hammerschmid and Dr. Guadalupe Dominica Piñar Larrubia through project-oriented studies and seminars.