UniVie Doctoral School Computer Science (DoCS) - Doctoral Positions (AUTUMN CALL 2026) Universität Wien

Job description:

The University of Vienna is a community of almost 11,000 individuals, including approximately 7,700 academic staff members, who passionately pursue answers to the profound questions that shape our future. Fuelled by curiosity and a deep sense of responsibility, they provide invaluable contributions to research and teaching, thus enriching our society. Are you also inspired and driven by the desire to make a meaningful impact?

The University of Vienna invites outstanding candidates to apply for a doctoral position in the UniVie Doctoral School Computer Science DoCS as part of its STEM Call 2026, offering more than 40 funded doctoral positions in total.

Your personal sphere of influence:

Prof. Sijia Xiao is starting a new group within the research group Cooperative Systems at the University of Vienna working across Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Responsible AI, and Social Computing. Example topics for the group include how people understand and respond to technological harm, and how organizations can build responsible AI into the innovation process. We use a mixed-methods approach. This includes qualitative and design-based approaches, such as interviews and participatory design, as well as experiments and system building. Where relevant, we draw on theory from fields such as the social sciences and science and technology studies (STS). The doctoral project will be shaped around the candidate’s own interests and strengths within these areas.

Your future tasks:

Participation in research, teaching and administration:

• Design and carry out a doctoral research project under Prof. Xiao’s supervision
• Take part in collaborative research and group activities
• Participation in research projects/ research studies
• Participation in publications/ academic articles/ presentations
• Join the Vienna Doctoral School of Computer Science and conclude a doctoral thesis agreement within 12 months
• Participation in teaching and independent teaching of courses as defined by the collective agreement
• Supervision of students
• Involvement in the organization of meetings, conferences, symposiums
• Involvement in the department administration as well as in teaching and research administration

This is part of your personality:

Required qualifications

• A master’s degree or equivalent in computer science, HCI, design, social sciences, or a related field
• Interest in the group’s research areas or prior experience doing related research
• The ability to work both independently and as part of a team, with strong written and spoken English

Desirable qualifications

• Research experience in HCI, Responsible AI, Social Computing, or a related area
• Experience with one or more relevant methods mentioned above
• Interest in interdisciplinary work, for example combining perspectives from computer science, social sciences, design, or STS

What we offer:

Work-life balance: Our employees enjoy flexible working hours and can partially work remotely.
Inspiring working atmosphere: You are a part of an international academic team in a healthy and fair working environment.
Good public transport connections: Your workplace is easily accessible by public transport.
Internal further training & Coaching: Opportunity to deepen your skills on an ongoing basis. There are over 600 courses to choose from – free of charge.
Fair salary: The basic salary of EUR 3,776,10 (on a full-time basis, paid 14 times a year) increases if we can credit professional experience. Model 2: The employment duration is 4 years. Initially limited to 1.5 years, the employment relationship is automatically extended to 4 years if the employer does not terminate it within the first 12 months by submitting a non-extension declaration.
Equal opportunities for all: We welcome every additional/new personality to the team!

It is that easy to apply (in English):

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete application through the job portal of the University of Vienna (apply now-button).

Complete applications include the following:

• Curriculum vitae
• Letter of Motivation including ideas for a prospective doctoral project proposal
• Degree certificates
• List of publications, evidence of teaching experience (if available)

Application deadline: 15 October 2026, 14 am CETIf you have any questions, please refer to the FAQs on the call website.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call +43-1-4277-18248 or email phdcareers@univie.ac.at with their request.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Sijia Xiao

sijia.xiao@cs.univie.ac.at

We look forward to new personalities in our team!The University of Vienna has an anti-discriminatory employment policy and attaches great importance to equal opportunities, the advancement of women and diversity. We place particular emphasis on enhancing women’s representation among the academic and general university staff, particularly in leadership roles, and therefore expressly encourage qualified women to apply. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female candidates.

University of Vienna. Space for personalities. Since 1365.

Application deadline: 10/15/2026

Apply now