Thomas Simon

Univ.-Prof. Dr. iur. Thomas Simon is a Professor of European Legal and Constitutional History at the University of Vienna’s Department of Legal and Constitutional History since 2005. His career includes roles as interim professor at the Universities of Cologne (2002) and Erlangen (2003), and visiting professor at the University of Tartu (SS/1997). He holds a Dr. iur. from the University of Freiburg (1992) and a Habilitation from the University of Frankfurt (2001), earning Venia legendi in civil law, medieval/modern legal history, and constitutional history.

Research focuses on legislative theory, constitutionalism in multi-ethnic states (particularly Austrian constitutional history), Southeastern European legal modernization, and East Asian-European judicial comparisons. He leads third-party funded projects on judicial modernization in Southeastern Europe and historical legal culture comparisons between Europe and China.

He has served as President of the Viennese Society for Legal History (2008–2009), Head of the Society for Constitutional History (2010–2014), and currently sits on advisory boards at the Ministry of Justice and Ministry for Science and Research. He co-teaches the MC Ius Commune Moot Court series focusing on the Imperial Aulic Council.

His affiliations include membership in the Research Platform for the Study of Transformations and Eastern Europe, headquartered at Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, Vienna.