About Postdoc Career Development

Building structures, visibility, and opportunities for postdoctoral researchers at the University of Vienna

Postdoc Career Development was established on 1 January 2024 as part of the Research Services and Career Development unit at the University of Vienna. The initiative develops formats, structures, and networks that strengthen career development, institutional orientation, visibility, and community for postdoctoral researchers across the university.

Working within a diverse and interdisciplinary research environment, Postdoc Career Development supports approximately 1,100 postdoctoral researchers through initiatives that combine individual development opportunities with community-oriented and institutionally embedded approaches.

The initiative was developed to address the evolving needs of postdoctoral researchers and to strengthen the visibility and strategic integration of the postdoctoral phase within the university landscape. Its work spans career reflection and strategy, mobility and institutional orientation, funding and fellowship guidance, as well as community-building and advocacy initiatives.

Postdoc Career Development is continuously evolving through collaboration with researchers, faculties, institutional partners, and postdoctoral communities across the University of Vienna and beyond.

We understand postdoctoral career development as more than individual career planning. Our approach combines professional development, institutional orientation, visibility, peer exchange, and advocacy in order to strengthen both individual agency and the broader postdoctoral ecosystem.

Rather than positioning postdocs as recipients of services, we aim to create structures, opportunities, and points of access that enable informed decision-making, professional visibility, and sustainable career development within and beyond academia.