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Short Description of the Thesis/Topic:
This thesis will investigate the relationship between climate hazards (e.g., storms, global warming, floods, droughts, changes in precipitation patterns) on zoonoses in Southern European countries (Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Gibraltar, Greece, Italy, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain). The student will conduct a systematic literature screening following the PRISMA guidelines, assess article quality using the CASP quality assessment framework, extract and synthesize data on zoonotic diseases. Epidemiological metrics used to evaluate impact on human health include incidence, prevalence, mortality, and number of cases. The output will include a database (Excel) of climate hazard-zoonoses associations and quantified impacts

Required Skills and Knowledge:
• Background in epidemiology, veterinary medicine, or public health
• Understanding of zoonotic disease transmission
• English language
• Proficiency in Excel
• Team collaboration
• Organisational skills (capacity for documenting performed work)
Not necessary, but would be an advantage:
• Knowledge of systematic review methodology
• Knowledge of Spanish

Additional Information:
• Part of the Austrian Climate Research Programme (ACRP) funded project (FO999925057)
• Results will contribute to the larger European-wide systematic review
• Opportunity to co-author scientific publications

Duration of the thesis:
6 month from Janurary 2026 to June 2026
(note that the data extraction must be completed within this time frame)

Language of the Thesis:
English

Name of the Institute/Clinic/Unit:
Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Contact Person for the Thesis/Topic:
Associate Professor Amélie Desvars-Larrive
Email: amelie.desvars-larrive@vetmeduni.ac.at ext 3538
Mrs Ana Maria Perez Arredondo
Email: ana.perez@vetmeduni.ac.at ext 3528

Feedback from students requested by:
As soon as possible.

Short Description of the Thesis/Topic:
This thesis will focus on one component of the larger European climate-zoonoses study by examining the relationship between climate hazards (e.g., storms, increased precipitation, global warming, heat waves, cold waves) and zoonoses in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, and Switzerland.
The student will conduct a systematic literature screening following the PRISMA guidelines, assess article quality using the CASP quality assessment framework, extract and synthesize data on zoonotic diseases. Epidemiological metrics used to evaluate impact on human health include incidence, prevalence, mortality, and number of cases. The output will include a database (Excel) of climate hazard-zoonoses associations and quantified impacts.

Required Skills and Knowledge:
• Background in epidemiology, veterinary medicine, or public health
• Understanding of zoonotic disease transmission
• German and English language
• Proficiency in Excel
• Team collaboration
• Organisational skills (capacity for documenting performed work)
Not necessary, but would be an advantage:
• Knowledge of systematic review methodology

Duration of the thesis:
6 month from January 2026 to June 2026
(note that the data extraction must be completed within this time frame)

Language of the Thesis:
English (with German abstract)

Name of the Institute/Clinic/Unit:
Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Feedback from students requested by:
As soon as possible.

Short Description of the Thesis/Topic:
This project will examine the level of trust veterinarians place in AI-generated diagnostic imaging reports and the factors that influence this trust. As AI systems gain a growing role in supporting clinical decision-making, it is essential to understand how practitioners perceive the reliability, transparency, and limitations of AI outputs.

Additional Information:
This diploma thesis will be jointly co-supervised by Prof. Sonja Hartnack, Prof. Svenja Springer and Yasamin Vala, PhD. A second thesis on an AI-related topic is being conducted in parallel. An exchange between the two students is desirable.
Please submit a brief motivation letter (why you are interested in this topic and which relevant skills/exerience you bring) when applying for this thesis project.

Required Skills and Knowledge:
Willingness to perform literature research, preparing an online questionnaire, analysing quantitative and qualitative data. Ability to integrate input from radiology, epidemiology and ethics.

Duration of the thesis:
02.02.2026 to 29.01.2027

Language of the Thesis:
Englisch

Name of the Institute/Clinic/Unit:
Klinisches Department für Nutztiere und Sicherheit von Lebensmittelsystemen
Zentrum für Systemtransformation und Nachhaltigkeit in der Veterinärmedizin

Contact Person:
Univ.Prof., Dr. med. vet. Sonja Hartnack
sonja.hartnack@vetmeduni.ac.at
+43 1 25077 3107

Feedback from students requested by:
20.01.2026

Short Description of the Thesis/Topic:
We already know that dogs copy human actions that are irrelevant or unnecessary - in what is called “overimitation". Following previous studies from the Clever Dog Lab Vienna,the student will investigate overimitation in dogs to determine whether dogs are more likely to copy their guardians or a stranger when performing irrelevant actions. The study is part of an international project (ManyDogs 2: manydogsproject.github.io) and uses an adapted procedure of studies by Huber et al. (2018, 2020). Dogs participate in a behavioural task where they observe either their guardian or a stranger perform a functionally irrelevant action (touching two colored dots on a wall) and a functionally relevant action (removing a lid to access a treat).

Additional Information:
- Basic German skills are beneficial for communicating with participants.
- Deadline for data collection is beginning of June
What we offer: work in an international and friendly team; an opportunity to learn about dog cognition, behavior and dog handling; a well-equipped environment for cognitive and behavioral research and a good, continuous supervision.

Required Skills and Knowledge:
High motivation, experience in working with dogs, interpersonal sklills (recruiting and interacting with dog caregivers), flexible and indepandant working style

Planned duration of the thesis project:
01.02.2026 to 30.08.2026

Language of the Thesis:
English

Name of the Institute/Clinic/Unit:
Clever Dog Lab, Cognition and Applied Ethology, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna

Contact Person for the Thesis:
Karoline Gerwisch: karoline.gerwisch@vetmeduni.ac.at
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ludwig Huber: ludwig.huber@vetmeduni.ac.at

Interested candidates may reply until:
As soon as possible, flexible starting date. Please send a short CV and motivation letter to Karoline Gerwisc

Short Description of the Thesis/Topic:
Regulated cell death plays a vital role in immune responses and tissue homeostasis. This project examines how porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) activates apoptosis, necroptosis, and pyroptosis at the maternal-fetal interface. While apoptosis is typically anti-inflammatory, necroptosis and pyroptosis are pro-inflammatory and contribute to tissue damage. PRRSV-induced activation of these pathways disrupts the epithelial barrier and compromises fetal viability. Using archived tissue samples, we aim to uncover the mechanisms behind PRRSV-induced cell death and inflammation to develop strategies that protect pregnant sows and improve reproductive outcomes in pigs.

Additional Information:

We offer:
- Access to state-of-the-art facilities, including fluorescence microscopy at the Vetcore facility of Vetmeduni Vienna.
- Hands-on experience with cutting-edge techniques in molecular biology and immunology.

Required Skills and Knowledge:

- A highly motivated master student with a background in biology, biomedical sciences, or a related field.
- Strong interest in virology, immunology, and molecular mechanisms of cell death.
- Willingness to learn and work independently while contributing to a collaborative research environment.

As a Master’s student, you will:
- Perform cell culture work and prepare frozen tissue sections using a cryotome.
- Conduct tissue staining, immunofluorescence microscopy, and TUNEL assays to detect and quantify cell death markers.
- Image Analyis using FIJI data-analysis
- Investigate the link between viral load, cell death activation, and fetal preservation

Planned duration of the thesis project:
02.02.2026 bis 01.02.2027

Language of the Thesis:
English preferred

Name of the Institute/Clinic/Unit:
Swine Medicine

Contact Person for the Thesis:
Melissa Stas, PhD
Melissa.stas@vetmeduni.ac.at

Interested candidates may reply until:
as soon as possible, please send your CV and a brief motivation letter. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so apply early to secure your spot!

Short Description of the Thesis/Topic:
With this behavioral study, we are investigating dogs’ sensitivity to human iconic gestures—actions that resemble the movement or manipulation of an object (e.g., moving hands up and down to mimic the flapping of bird wings). Successful applicants will have the opportunity to test dogs in a two-choice task, where the dog should choose between two moving apparatuses based on the experimenter's gesture. The main responsibilities and required knowledge during the internship will include: recruiting dogs’ caregivers, for example through our database and social media, testing dogs in behavioral experiments, coding behavioral videos, reading scientific literature and placing your findings into context and writing experimental protocols and documenting progress. If you are interested in dogs’ behavior and cognition, this internship could be a great opportunity for you.

Required Skills and Knowledge:
Interest in, and ideally experience with, dogs
Good interpersonal skills (to recruit and interact with dogs' caregivers)
Flexible time management and the ability to plan and work independently in the lab.

Additional Information:
What we offer: International, friendly, and supportive team
A well-equipped environment for behavioral research
Training and experience in animal cognition research, dog handling, and behavioral data collection.
Interested candidates may reply until: As soon as possible
Duration: At least 4 months

Language of the Thesis:
English

Name of the Institute/Clinic/Unit:
Messerli Research Institute, Clever Dog Lab

Contact Person for the Thesis/Topic:
Contact: Ana Tomasic, PhD candidate (ana.tomasic@vetmeduni.ac.at)
Supervisor: Dr. Christoph Völter (Christoph.Voelter@vetmeduni.ac.at)

Feedback from students requested by:
As soon as possible

Short Description of the Thesis/Topic:
Colitis is a frequent and serious problem in horses as well as humans. The pathophysiological mechanisms are supposed to involve a complex crosstalk between immune cells and epithelial cells that results in destruction of the epithelial barrier and further progression of disease. This project aims to establish a co-culture model of equine colon epithelium and immune cells to characterize the signalling pathways involved and to test new therapeutic approaches.

Required Skills and Knowledge:
High motivation, experience in cell culture work and/or molecular biology;
BSc degree in Biology, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Biomedicine or a related subject

Further Information:
We offer a highly supportive team, established methods and guidance by supervisor and colleagues.

Language of the Thesis:
German or English

Duration of the thesis:
6 months

Name of the Institute/Clinic/Unit:
Institute of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Biophysics, Department of Biomedical Sciences & Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna

Contact Person for the Thesis:
Franziska Dengler - Franziska.dengler@vetmdeuni.ac.at
Jessika Cavalleri - Jessika.cavalleri@vetmeduni.ac.at

Feedback from students requested by:
as soon as possible, flexible starting date

Please send a short CV and motivation letter.

Short Description of the Thesis/Topic:

Topics include:
    •    The role of deleterious mutations for adaptation and maintenance of variation.
    •    Long-term adaptation of local Drosophila populations.
    •    The evolution of ageing.
    •    Inference of selection signatures from time-series data.
    •    Studying the genotype-phenotype map.
    •    Stabilising selection during polygenic adaptation.
    •    Evolution of regulatory networks.

Required Skills and Knowledge:
Over the past years, Vienna has developed into one of the leading centres of population genetics. The Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics has been founded to provide a training opportunity for PhD students to build on this excellent on-site expertise.

We invite applications from highly motivated and outstanding students with a love for evolutionary research and a background in one of the following disciplines: evolutionary genetics, functional genetics, theoretical or experimental population genetics, bioinformatics, mathematics, statistics.

Additional Information:
Only complete applications (application form, CV, motivation letter, university certificates, indication of the two preferred topics in a single pdf) received by 14 May 2025 will be considered. Two letters of recommendation need to be sent directly by the referees.

PhD students will receive a monthly salary based on currently € 2.464,80 before tax according to the regulations of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).

All information about the about available topics, the training program and the application procedure can be found at www.popgen-vienna.at

Planned duration of the thesis project:
01.07.2025 to 01.09.2028

Language of the Thesis:
English

Name of the Institute/Clinic/Unit:
Inst. für Populationsgenetik

Contact Person for the Thesis:

Mag. Elisabeth Wagner-Weigerstorfer PhD
elisabeth.wagner-weigerstorfer@vetmeduni.ac.at
Coordinator, Vienna Graduate School of Population Genetics
Institut für Populationsgenetik, Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien

T +43 1 25077 4302

Interested candidates may reply until:
14.05.2025

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