Michael Pollak

Michael Pollak is a Senior Lecturer at Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) in the Human Computer Interaction department (E193-05). He completed his PhD at TU Graz in 2022 with a dissertation on 'Practitioner assisted teaching of vital computational thinking skills for a 21st century society' and currently teaches courses including 'Ways of thinking in informatics' and supervises bachelor theses and projects.

His research interests span Human-Computer Interaction, computational thinking education, smart farming, rural development, and digital communication infrastructure. He actively integrates practical experience into education through his work as an entrepreneur and software developer.

His recent publications focus on educational gaming, computational thinking skills development, and mobile programming education, showing a consistent theme of integrating practical technology applications into educational contexts with emphasis on interactive and practitioner-assisted learning approaches.

• Best Teaching Award at TU Wien (2024) - Best Gender-Sensitive Teaching

As deputy chair of the Fediverse Foundation (founded in 2023), Pollak works on decentralized digital communication infrastructure. He also runs IT Pollak, an enterprise specializing in Moodle plugin development and e-commerce solutions since 2015. He is establishing a stepping stone biotope on his farm in Rafings and is actively involved with Scientists For Future and Fridays For Future Waldviertel. He is currently studying sustainability at BOKU Wien to deepen his understanding of smart farming applications.