Leadership Needs Diversity
With the pilot programme “Leading Women”, TU Graz supports female academics and scientists looking to get ahead in their careers. The programme actively promotes equal opportunities and contributes to achieving Austria’s goal of a forty-percent quota for women in university collegial bodies.
“Leading Women” is specifically targeted at female academics and scientists at TU Graz who wish to assume leadership responsibilities or actively participate in university committees by offering practical professional development, personal coaching and networking opportunities.
Three successful cohorts already clearly demonstrate the programme’s effectiveness. The bespoke support and guidance participants receive is intended to empower and help them as effectively as possible on their path to assuming positions of responsibility.
In each cohort, 12 female members of the academic staff at TU Graz prepare for future leadership positions such as Vice Rector, Dean or Dean of Studies. Suitable candidates for this three-year programme are nominated by the Rector.
Leading Women of TU Graz, 2019-2022
This programme is a great mix of analyses, workshops, coaching and mentoring. It’s a unique opportunity to network with like-minded people who share similar experiences and goals. For me, it is still a valuable source of inspiration and motivation.
Lisa MITTISCHEK
Mag.phil. M.A. PhD
lisa.mittischek@tugraz.at
Gundrun HAAGE
Dipl.-Ing.
Tel.: +43 316 873 6078
gudrun.haage@tugraz.at
Leading Women of TU Graz
- Eva SCHWAB
Ass.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn.
Associate Professor at the Institute of Urbanism - Svenja HOLLSTEIN
Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.
Associate Professor at the Institute of Design in Existing Structures and Architectural Heritage Protection; Deputy Head of Institute - Daniela FUCHS-HANUSCH
Assoc.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.
Associate Professor at the Institute of Urban Water Management and Landscape Water Engineering; Dean of Studies Civil Engineering Sciences - Sonja WOGRIN
Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. M.Sc.
Professor at the Institute of Electricity Economics and Energy Innovation - Manuela WENGER
Dipl.-Ing. Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Dr.techn.
Senior Scientist at the Institute of Communication Networks and Satellite Communications - Alice REINBACHER-KÖSTINGER
Ass.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.
Associate Professor at the Institute of Fundamentals and Theory in Electrical Engineering; Leader of the Optimisation and Inverse Problems Group - Birgit WASSERMANN
Ass.Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Bakk.rer.nat. MSc
Associate Professor at the Institute of Environmental Biotechnology; Deputy Head of Institute - Merit BODNER
Ass.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. BSc
Associate Professor at the Institute of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology - Jana LASSER
Univ.-Prof. Dr.rer.nat. B.Sc. M.Sc.
Professor of Data Analysis at the University of Graz - Bettina KÖNIGSHOFER
Ass.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. BSc
Associate Professor at the Institute of Information Security - Theresa RIENMÜLLER
Ass.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.
Associate Professor at the Institute of Biomechanics - Kerstin LENK
Ass.Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dipl.-Inform. (FH) Dr.rer.nat.
Associate Professor at the Institute of Neural Engineering
This programme supports women* at TU Graz in their career planning and contributes to establishing more women* in leadership positions both in research and academia – thereby increasing diversity in the Austrian research landscape.
It counteracts structural discrimination by supporting, connecting and empowering participants*. Personally, I benefited greatly from the programme and gained the courage to confidently pursue my own path.
The Leading Women programme offers the opportunity to advance your education and at the same time build a strong network with other excellent female researchers at TU Graz.
- Ursula AUGSDÖRFER
Assoc.Prof. M.Sc. PhD
Associate Professor at the Institute of Computer Graphics and Knowledge Visualisation - Maria EICHLSEDER
Assoc.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. BSc BSc
Associate Professor at the Institute of Information Security - Katrin FRIEDL
Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.
Expert for electromagnetic fields, interference, grounding and personal safety of electrical energy systems - Corina KLUG
Assoc.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.
Associate Professor at the Institute of Vehicle Safety - Regina KRATZER
Assoc.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.
Associate Professor at the Institute of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering - Cornelia LEX
Assoc.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.
Associate Professor at the Institute of Automotive Engineering - Susanne LUX
Assoc.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.
Associate Professor at the Institute of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology - Johanna PIRKER
Assoc.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. BSc
Associate Professor at the Institute of Human-Centred Computing; Forbes 30 Under 30 - Carole PLANCHETTE
Assoc.Prof. Dr. Master
Associate Professor at the Institute of Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer - Christina ROPPOSCH
Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.
Senior Scientist at the Institute of General Management and Organisation - Birgitta SCHULTZE-BERNHARD
Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Phys. (Univ.) Dr.rer.nat.
Associate Professor at the Institute of Experimental Physics; Group Leader of Coherent Sensing - Eva SOLLGRUBER
Ass.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.
Associate Professor at the Institute of Design and Building Typology - Vanja SUBOTIC
Assoc.Prof. Priv.-Doz. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. BSc
Associate Professor at the Institute of Thermal Engineering; Head of Fuel Cell Research Group; Deputy Head of Institute
I met Vanja Subotic through the Leading Women programme – that was a huge boost for me. Together we set up a laboratory for hydrogen fermentation, one of very few both in Europe and worldwide. We have since published jointly.
- Gabriele BERG
Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Biol. Dr.rer.nat.
Head of the Institute of Environmental Biotechnology - Juliane BOGNER-STRAUSS
Assoc.Prof. Mag.rer.nat. Dr.rer.nat.
Associate Professor at the Institute of Biochemistry - Katrin ELLERMANN
Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil.
Head of the Institute of Mechanics - Mihyun KANG
Univ.-Prof. Ph.D.
Professor at the Institute of Discrete Mathematics, Group Leader: Combinatorics Group - Stefanie LINDSTAEDT
Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.
Professor at the Institute of Human-Centred Computing; Founding President of IT:U - Annette MÜTZE
Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing.
Professor at the Institute of Electric Drives and Power Electronic Systems; Winner of the Houska Prize 2025 - Maria Cecilia POLETTI
Assoc.Prof. Dr.techn.
Associate Professor at the Institute of Materials Science, Joining and Forming; Leader of the Modelling and Simulation Group - Tanja WRODNIGG
Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn.
Professor at the Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Biobased Systems
Participating in the Leading Women programme gave me the opportunity to exchange ideas with other passionate female researchers and provided fresh impetus for shaping my research group.
