Veronika Job

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Veronika Job serves as Chair of the Motivation Psychology research group within the Department of Occupational, Economic and Social Psychology at the University of Vienna's Faculty of Psychology. She holds dual administrative leadership positions as Program Director for Psychology and Deputy Head of the Department of Occupational, Economic and Social Psychology. Her research group includes Postdocs Dr. Christina Bauer and Dr. Christopher Mlynski, PhD students Leopold Roth and Olena Vitkovska, and several research assistants.

Job's research program centers on the psychological mechanisms of self-regulation, with particular focus on how lay theories of willpower influence goal pursuit across diverse contexts. Her work examines the determinants and outcomes of goal-striving processes, management of effort and self-control influenced by prior tasks and learning history, and how implicit and explicit motives shape behavior. She investigates mindset effects on self-regulation in educational settings, environmental behavior, and interpersonal relationships, with notable contributions to understanding first-generation student challenges and pro-environmental action.

Analysis of her recent publication record reveals a consistent research trajectory examining how beliefs about willpower capacity fundamentally shape behavioral outcomes across multiple domains. Her work demonstrates how limited willpower beliefs constrain environmental action, academic performance, and relationship satisfaction, while growth-oriented mindset interventions can enhance self-regulation. The publications span high-impact journals across psychology subfields, showing methodological diversity from experimental laboratory studies to longitudinal field research.

As an academic leader, Job supervises multiple PhD students and postdoctoral researchers who contribute significantly to her research program. Her team structure includes specialized researchers focusing on environmental behavior (Jankowski, Vitkovska), educational psychology (Bauer), and physiological correlates of self-control (Mlynski, Roth). The collaborative nature of her work is evident in the extensive co-authorship network spanning European and international institutions.