Priv.-Doz. Dr. Ingeborg Jandl-Konrad is an Assistant Professor for South Slavic Literatures and Cultures at the Department of Slavonic Studies, University of Vienna, where she holds the Venia Docendi (Habilitation) in Slavic Literatures and Cultures. She completed her habilitation on photographic and narrative discourses on war trauma in post-Yugoslav literatures, focusing on theoretical categories like 'photo-text' and 'speaking.' Her doctoral thesis on Gajto Gazdanov's works earned the DOC fellowship and the Ingeborg Ohnheiser Dissertation Award. Education: Russian and French Philology, Psychology, and Philosophy from Graz, Odesa, Moscow, and Sarajevo. Research interests include intermediality, narratology, verse theory, and literature/ethics intersections. She has edited volumes on trauma, body concepts, and transculturality, and authored monographs on Tsvetaeva’s verse dramas and post-Yugoslav trauma narratives. Awards include the DOC fellowship and ÖGSl award. Her work spans Slavic literatures with a focus on interdisciplinary approaches. She co-organizes academic events, such as a guest lecture series on Yugoslav war memory and masculinity. Active in academic networks, her research bridges literature, psychology, and cultural studies, addressing themes like trauma, identity, and ethical representation.
Angela Stief is a Visiting Professor for Curatorial Practice at the University of Arts Linz since October 2020 and Chief Curator at Albertina MODERN since July 2020. She has held roles as a Curatorial Consultant for VIENNA ART WEEK (since 2019), Curator for Outsider Projects at Österreichische Gesellschaft vom Goldenen Kreuze (since 2018), and previously worked as an independent curator (2013–2020), Kunsthalle Wien Curator (2002–2013), and Head of Education at Wiener Secession (2000–2003). Education: MA in Art History and Philosophy (University of Vienna, 1995–2002) Her research focuses on Contemporary Art , Curatorial Practice , and Art & Diversity . Her work bridges theoretical analysis with exhibition curation , emphasizing gender studies and visual cultural criticism . Recent publications include edited volumes on artists like Crisfor and Hanakam & Schuller, alongside critical essays in journals like Kunstforum International and Eikon . Stief’s curatorial projects often intersect with identity politics , body representation , and interdisciplinary artistic methodologies . She has contributed to exhibitions such as Female Pop Art (2010) and Deep Gold (2016), while her writings address avant-garde movements, transnational art dialogues, and the socio-political dimensions of artistic practice.
Maria Fuchs is a musicologist affiliated with the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, where she currently directs the research project Sonic Imaginaries of Africa (2024–2028). Previously, she held lecturing positions at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (2015–2023), Berlin University of the Arts, and University of Salzburg. Her academic journey includes a doctorate from the University of Vienna (2015), focused on silent film music in the Weimar Republic, and a master's degree in musicology, comparative literature, and gender studies from the University of Vienna and Freie Universität Berlin. Education : University of Vienna (MA, 2009), Freie Universität Berlin (MA), University of Vienna (PhD, 2015) Research Grants : DAAD/University of Vienna doctoral scholarships, Erwin Schrödinger Fellow (FWF, 2020–2022), FWF Elise Richter grant (2024–2028) Fuchs' research spans three core areas: silent film music (analyzing intermedial relationships and early scoring practices), soundscapes of Heimat (exploring musical signifiers in German/Austrian regional cinema), and sonic imaginaries of Africa (critiquing colonial legacies in film soundtracks). Her work bridges media studies, postcolonial theory, and audiovisual cultural analysis. Current projects include Sonic Imaginaries of Africa (FWF RIC 4006324), examining sound archives and colonial power in African film scoring, and Soundscapes of 'Heimat' (completed, 2020–2023), which mapped musical signatures in Heimatfilm and Bergfilm. Her publications include monographs on silent film music theory and co-edited volumes on postcolonial global music approaches. Key Collaborations : Lautarchiv Berlin, Royal Anthropological Institute, ifk Graz Methodological Focus : Archival research, transcultural analysis, critical theory of colonialism
Peter Gillgren is a Swedish art historian and holder of the Anders Zorn professorship at Stockholm University's Department of Art History. He was awarded a PhD from Uppsala University in 1995 for his work on painted epitaphs in Early Modern Sweden. Fields of Scholarship: Italian Renaissance Art, Early Modern Swedish Art, Art Theory, Performativity and Art, Relationship between Art and Music, Contemporary Art and Multimedia. Gillgren's recent research focuses on Michelangelo and multimedia contexts, including a semester as a visiting scholar at EHESS in Paris. His publications span journal articles and edited volumes, with notable works on Federico Barocci and Baroque Rome. He is a Fellow of The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities (2013) and actively participates in international conferences and symposiums in Stockholm and Rome. Scientific Awards: Fellow of The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities (2013)
Felicitas Schmieder is a Full Professor of History and Presence of Pre-modern Europe at FernUniversität in Hagen. She holds a PhD (1991) and Habilitation (2000) from Goethe University Frankfurt. Her research focuses on medieval cultural contacts, Mongol-European interactions, urban history, and cartography. She has held prestigious positions, including Visiting Humboldt Professor at Stockholm University (2018/19) and Fellowships at institutions like the Collegium Budapest (2008/09). Awards include the Humboldt Professorship and election to Academia Europaea (2024). Her work explores medieval Europe’s engagement with cultural diversity, including Mongol perceptions, urban legal frameworks (e.g., Magdeburg Law), and apocalyptic thought. She has authored monographs and edited volumes on medieval history, prophecy, and maps. Active in academic governance, she chairs the board for the distance learning course 'Historische Stadt' and serves on editorial boards like Die Stadt . Education: Studied History and Latin at Goethe University Frankfurt (State Exam 1986, PhD 1991, Habilitation 2000). Research Interests: Medieval cross-cultural interactions, prophecy, German urban history, and medieval cartography. Awards: Humboldt Professor (2018/19), Member of Academia Europaea (2024). Her articles analyze medieval maps, urban legal systems, and Mongol-European relations. She contributes to global medieval studies, emphasizing interconnectedness and cultural exchange. Ongoing projects include 'Reading Medieval Maps' and 'Chorography in Westphalia.'
Hsiang-Yun Wu is a Research Fellow at the Computer Graphics department of Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien), actively contributing to information visualization and visual analytics. Her work spans biological network visualization, graph drawing, schematic network maps, and data physicalization, with a focus on interactive techniques and human-centric design. Projects: ArtVis (2022–2027) , SANE (2024–2027) , SMGV-Esprit (2024–2027) , and HumAlgo (2018–2023) . Affiliations: Member of the Visualization Group at TU Wien. Her recent publications emphasize uncertainty visualization, network physicalization, and dynamic graph representations. Notably, she received the EuroVis 2019 Honorable Mention Award for optimizing stepwise animations. Wu supervises diploma theses in areas like metabolic pathway visualization and semantic-aware character animation. Key research trends include integrating biological data with urban-style schematic maps ( Metabopolis ), physicalization workflows for anatomical education ( Slice and Dice ), and mixed labeling strategies in 3D environments.
Michele Bacci is a Full Professor of Medieval Art History at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, where he has been teaching since 2011. Previously, he served as Associate Professor of Iconography and Iconology at the University of Siena, Italy (2002-2011) and as a Research Fellow at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy (1999-2002). His academic journey began with a Ph.D. from the Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa in 1999. Professor Bacci has established himself as a leading scholar in medieval art history through his extensive research on religious materiality, sacred spaces, and cultural interactions across the Mediterranean world. His work bridges Byzantine studies, art history, and religious studies, focusing particularly on the visual and spatial dimensions of religious experience in the medieval period. His research trajectory reveals a deepening engagement with the material manifestations of religious experience, evolving from studies of images and their functions to broader investigations of non-figurative religious objects and spaces. His recent work explores the spatialization of the sacred, topographic networks of holy sites, and transcultural artistic interactions across the Mediterranean and beyond. A significant portion of his research examines how holy sites are visually constructed and integrated into transnational networks, particularly along pilgrimage routes between Venice and Palestine. The analysis of Bacci's recent publications shows a consistent focus on the material and spatial dimensions of religious experience in the medieval world. His work demonstrates sophisticated methodological approaches that combine art historical analysis with insights from anthropology and religious studies. Key recurring themes include the relationship between visual culture and religious experience, the dynamics of cultural exchange across the medieval Mediterranean, and the material manifestations of sacred presence in diverse cultural contexts. Honorary member of the Society of Christian Archaeology (Χριστιανική Ἀρχαιολογική Ἑταιρεία) of Athens (2014) Hanno and Ilse Hahn Price for excellent research in Italian arts, Rome, Bibliotheca Hertziana-Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (2017) Professor Bacci has secured significant research funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation for multiple projects, including 'Von Venedig zum Heiligen Land', 'Holy Networks', 'Royal Epiphanies', and 'Cultural Interactions in the Medieval Subcaucasian Region'. He has edited several important multi-authored volumes resulting from these projects. As co-editor of the journal 'Iconographica' since 2002, he has played a significant role in shaping scholarly discourse in his field. His involvement in the restoration of the Nativity Church in Bethlehem since 2010 demonstrates his commitment to applying academic research to practical conservation challenges. Bacci leads several research initiatives, most notably the SNSF-Advanced Grant Project 'Holy Networks: Locating, Shaping, and Experiencing Palestinian Loca Sancta (1187-1852)' and the project 'Cultural Interactions in the Medieval Subcaucasian Region'. His research group collaborates internationally, particularly with institutions in Georgia, the Czech Republic, and Italy. His scholarly network extends across Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia, reflecting the global scope of his research interests in Mediterranean and transcultural artistic interactions.
Bianca de Divitiis is a Full Professor of Art History at the University of Naples Federico II's Department of Humanities. She holds roles as Deputy Director of the Department of Humanistic Studies and Delegate of the University's Research Commission. Her research focuses on British art/architecture (18th-19thC), Renaissance patronage, and antiquarian culture in Southern Italy. Current projects include the PRIN-funded 'Renaissance in Southern Italy' (2020-2023) and leadership of the ERC HistAntArtSI project (2011-2016). She serves on international boards of institutions like the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence and the Palladio Museum. Key academic milestones include: 2023: Elected to Academy of Europe (Section: Musicology & Art History) 2016: Senior member of Columbia University's 'Spanish Italy and Iberian Americas' project 2013-2023: Associate/Full Professor progression at University of Naples Publications span over 15 years, including monographs on Carafa patronage (2007), co-edited volumes on antiquarianism (2018), and a 2023 Companion to Southern Italian Renaissance Studies. Ongoing projects include a book on 'Il Rinascimento e il Regno' (Viella editore). Awards include multiple fellowships from Harvard's Villa I Tatti, Warburg Institute, and Mellon Centre, alongside major European research grants.
Michael F. Zimmermann was a Professor of Art History at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt since 2004. Previously, he served as Ordinary Professor at the Université de Lausanne (2002–2004) and Deputy Director of the Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte, Munich (1991–2002). He passed away on April 9, 2025. Early roles included assistant professorships at the Free University of Berlin and the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence. Education: Studied art history, philosophy, and history in Cologne, Rome, and Paris. Earned a PhD (1985) with a thesis on Seurat. His Oeuvre and Art Criticism of His Time , later published internationally. Completed habilitation (2006) on The Industrialization of Phantasy: The Construction of Modern Italy and the System of Arts and Media, 1875–1900 . Research Interests: Art and media in Contemporary Italy European and North American art history (19th–20th centuries) Intersections of arts, physiological psychology, and neuroscience in the 19th century Disciplinary history and theory of art history Awards & Grants: Elected to the Bavarian Academy of Sciences (2008). Recipient of grants from the Getty Center for the Humanities and the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton). Visiting professorships at Paris X-Nanterre and the Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA. Leadership & Publications: Founded the Master’s program Aithesis. Visual Arts and Literature (2006, Elitenetzwerk Bayern). Edited volumes such as Berlins Museen. Geschichte und Zukunft (1994), Zeitgeschichte in Darstellungen des 19. Jahrhunderts (1997), and Monet (2003). Authored essays on 19th/20th-century art, Italian Mannerism, and art historiography.
Laura Gianvittorio-Ungar is a postdoctoral researcher at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, specializing in Ancient Legal History and Papyrology . Her work bridges Greek and Roman culture with interdisciplinary approaches to performance, dance, and narrative. Education : Doctorate in Philosophy of Language (University of Palermo/Humboldt University of Berlin); Habilitation in Classical Philology (University of Vienna). Academic Roles : Researcher at Universities of Salzburg, Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Nottingham, and Heidelberg; Project Manager at the Austrian Archaeological Institute since 2021. Her research focuses on theater forms , genre discourses , and dance in antiquity , exploring how bodily expression shaped tragic and narrative art. She has led FWF projects (Hertha Firnberg and Elise Richter programs) since 2012. Recent publications highlight her expertise in choreonarratives , Senecan tragedy , and fragmentary texts . Key themes include the interplay of movement and storytelling in Greco-Roman contexts. She has edited volumes such as Choreonarratives (Brill) and Choreutika (Fabrizio Serra), contributing to debates on ancient performance and interdisciplinary methodologies . Her work intersects with FWF grants and collaborations across Europe, emphasizing the revival of classical themes in modern scholarship and performance.
Anselm Wagner has been a full professor and head of the Institute for Architectural Theory, Art and Cultural Studies at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) since March 2010. He concurrently serves as coordinator of the KUWI Graz doctoral programme and dean of studies of the Doctoral School at the Faculty of Architecture, TU Graz. Affiliated with numerous advisory boards—including the Graz Old Town Expert Commission, the City of Graz Advisory Board for Art in Public Space, the Centre for Intermediality Studies at the University of Graz, and the Critical Studies in Architecture board at Goethe University Frankfurt—he is an influential figure in Austrian architectural academia and cultural policy. Education & Early Career 1965: Born in Salzburg, Austria. Studies: Art history, philosophy and classical archaeology at the Universities of Salzburg and Munich. 1991: Diploma thesis on Romanesque architecture in South Tyrol. 2002: Doctoral dissertation on the history of the Salzburg Art Association. 1988-1996: Freelance art critic, exhibition curator, and co-founder/director of Galerie 5020 Salzburg. 1996-2009: Teaching positions and visiting professorships at universities in Vienna, Salzburg, Linz, Graz, and Minneapolis. Research Interests Professor Wagner’s work is anchored in critical architectural theory and the history and theory of contemporary architecture and art . He examines the institutional and scientific histories that shape architectural discourse, with a particular focus on purity and dirt as aesthetic categories of modernity . His FWF-funded projects have investigated Buddhist architecture in the Western Himalayas and solar design knowledge via the Sun Houses of Konrad Frey . Additional strands include cross-epochal image studies and cultural analyses that bridge medieval iconography with present-day spatial practices. Publications & Editorial Work Since 2012 he edits the book series architektur und analyse (jovis, Berlin) and has acted as chief editor of GAM Graz Architecture Magazine . His 2019 co-edited volume Architekturführer Graz (456 pp.) offers an authoritative guide to the city’s architectural heritage. Recent theoretical essays explore neoliberal spatial logics, the politics of heritage, and the semiotics of modernist absence. Grants & Projects FWF Project “Buddhist Architecture in the Western Himalayas: Architectural Research in Dolpo/Nepal” (2018-2021) FWF Project “The Sun Houses of Konrad Frey: Environmental Research and Solar Design Knowledge” (2016-2019) Coordinator, KUWI Graz doctoral programme Dean of Studies, Doctoral School, Faculty of Architecture, TU Graz Advisory & Professional Service Wagner sits on the scientific advisory boards of the Linzer Beiträge zur Kunstwissenschaft und Philosophie, the Centre for Intermediality Studies (CIMIG) at the University of Graz, and the Critical Studies in Architecture network at Goethe University Frankfurt. He is a member of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) and has served on municipal commissions for art in public space and historic-town conservation.
Claudia Rapp is a full Professor at the University of Vienna , affiliated with the Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies . She teaches courses on Byzantine History , The Cult of Saints , and Big Books in Byzantine Studies , among others. Her research focuses on Byzantine social history and religious practices Mobility of texts, manuscripts, and ideas across Byzantium and the medieval Mediterranean Ritual brotherhood and its legal/liturgical frameworks Monasticism and its influence on Christian identity Liturgical manuscripts as social history sources Recent publications examine mobility patterns and microstructures in the Byzantine world, with a strong emphasis on intercultural exchanges and manuscript studies. She has contributed to key projects like the Sinai Palimpsests Project and the Wiener Euchologien-Projekt . Her work appears in leading journals and edited volumes.
Eduard Gröller is a Full Professor of Visualization at the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien), leading the Research Unit of Computer Graphics and the Visualization Group within the Institute of Visual Computing & Human-Centered Technology (VC&HCT). He holds adjunct professorships at the University of Bergen, Norway, and chairs several academic committees. His academic journey began with a PhD in 1993 from TU Wien, followed by extensive contributions to visualization research. His research focuses on visual computing, scientific visualization, and medical imaging, with applications in energy modeling, climate analysis, and molecular biology. Gröller has pioneered methods like BEMTrace for BIM-based energy models and HORA 3D for flood risk visualization. He co-authored over 300 publications, including foundational work in IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics and Computer Graphics Forum . Gröller's awards include the IEEE VGTC Technical Achievement Award (2019), Eurographics 2015 Outstanding Technical Contributions Award, and Fellow of the Eurographics Association (2009). He actively contributes to conferences like EuroVis and IEEE Visualization as program chair and reviewer. His educational efforts span courses in visual computing, graphics, and data analysis, with a focus on immersive tools like ImNDT for material data exploration. Current projects include Climate-Sensitive Adaptive Planning for Resilient Cities, Visual Analytics in Radiation Therapy, and scalable web-based visualization techniques. He leads teams in VRVis, a research center for applied visualization, and collaborates internationally on medical imaging and environmental data challenges.
Katharina Eisch-Angus is a Professor at the University of Graz's Institute for Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology. Her research focuses on ethnography of everyday life, memory, and security discourses, with a focus on borders, liminality, and neoliberal transformation. She explores cultural semiotics, visual anthropology, and the intersections of art, craftsmanship, and work culture. Her methodologies blend multi-perspective ethnography with ethnopsychoanalytic and semiotic approaches. Her work examines topics such as migration, nationalism, post-socialist change, and the security society, often through case studies like Northern Ireland and pandemic responses. She has published widely on cultural theory, edited volumes on university transformations and Eastern European contexts, and co-directed ethnographic films. Her research bridges academic and public spheres, including collaborations with museums and exhibitions, such as the Rösselmühle project in Graz. Eisch-Angus holds a habilitation and has led interdisciplinary projects on cultural anthropology and folklore. Her recent publications emphasize the interplay between institutional structures and everyday experiences, particularly under neoliberal pressures. She teaches courses on cultural anthropology, ethnographic methods, and contemporary cultural crises.
Claudia Leitner is a Senior Scientist at the Department of Romance Studies, University of Vienna, specializing in Hispanic literatures, cultural studies, and ecocriticism. Her work bridges colonialism, feminist theory, and animal studies with a focus on Mexico and Mesoamerica. Education Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literature, University of Vienna (2001) M.A. in Hispanic Studies & English and American Studies, University of Vienna (1995) Business and Economics, WU Vienna (1986-1992) Research Interests Leitner’s research explores intersections of colonial and postcolonial discourse , feminist theory , and animal studies , with particular emphasis on ecocritical frameworks in Spanish and Latin American literature. She investigates cultural memory and gender dynamics in the Americas, often analyzing texts through posthumanist and interdisciplinary lenses. Selected Scientific Awards KWA Grant for research at UNAM and Colegio de México (1994) Joint Study Scholarship BA (Hons) English, UC Dublin (1990-1991) Academic Contributions Her publications span Malinche studies , zoopoetics , and enlightenment-era cultural analysis , with a focus on Mexican and Central American literary traditions. She co-edited interdisciplinary volumes on human-animal-machine relationships and served as executive editor of the LAF Austria publication series Investigaciones: Research on Latin America (2015-2021).
