Honors and award winners

 

Professor Emerita Dr Elke Gruber is to be awarded the Grand Silver Medal of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria.

 

Nadine Schnellnegger and Lars Döringer, from the Institute of Environmental Systems Science, have won first prize in the CCCA Poster Award at the Austrian Climate Day; Romana Schweiger and Katharina Trimmel, from the Institute of Environmental Systems Science, were awarded third place.

 

Annina Thaller, Institute of Environmental Systems Science, has received an honourable mention in the ‘Peer-Reviewed Research’ category for the article ‘Pushing low-carbon mobility: a survey experiment on the public acceptance of disruptive policy packages’ from the Arqus Open Science Network.

 

Sabrina Sanfilippo, Institute of Kinesiology, Sport and Health, has received the Best Abstract Award at the EASD Early Career Academy Meeting 2026 in Düsseldorf. Title: Nighttime Adjustments For Commercially Available And Open-Source Automated Insulin Delivery Systems Following Physical Activity In Youth With Type 1 Diabetes. A Randomised Crossover Real-World Study, EASD – European Association for the Study of Diabetes

 

Georg Jäger (Environmental Systems Sciences) and Lisa Paleczek (Educational Sciences) receive the Josef Krainer Science Prize for outstanding scientific achievements.

 

 

 

Theresa Boiger, Institute for Environmental Systems Science, was awarded the AK Research Prize for her doctoral thesis entitled “A Systems Perspective on Sustainability Assessment – Exploring Consequences of Dynamical Changes for Wood Value Chains”.

 

Nina Hampl, Institute of Environmental Systems Science, was honoured by WU: Award for “Excellent Research” by the Rector’s Council of WU Vienna University of Economics and Business for the publication:
Hampl, N., Hoffmann, W. H., Knoll, T., & Reuer, J. J. (2025). Alliance Re-evaluation in the Context of Outside Partnering Opportunities: Decision Heuristics and the Impact of Environmental Uncertainty. Journal of Management Studies (JMS), 62(1), 134–172. Article doi.org/10.1111/joms.13090. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.13090 

 

The Korean edition of the book *The Art of the Excuse* by Thomas Brudermann, Institute for Environmental Systems Science, was named ‘Environmental Book of the Year 2025’ by the Ministry in Korea.

 

The Master’s theses by Katharina Brunner, Marco Höfler, Marco Lesacher and Theresa Pechmann were awarded the Sports Science Prize by the Province of Styria.

 

Elke Gruber has been awarded the Styrian Medal of Honour for Science, Research and the Arts.

 

Rupert Baumgartner, Institute for Environmental Systems Science, and Holger Hoff, Wegener Centre for Climate and Global Change, have been included in Clarivate’s prestigious list of ‘Highly Cited Researchers 2025’ and, as a result of their publications, are among the world’s most frequently cited and thus most influential figures in science – ranked within the top 1 per cent in their respective fields.

 

Ella Breitfuss and Fabian Veider have won the University of Graz’s 2025 Teaching Award for their course ‘Computational Basics’. Eva Pölzl-Stefanec has received the ‘Excellent Teaching’ recognition award for the course ‘Practical Reflection and Pedagogical Professionalisation’

 

Matthias Salomon, MSc, from the Wegener Centre for Climate and Global Change, was awarded the 2025 Roland Langthaler Prize.

 

Public Health Prize
: Our researchers rank among the top 2 per cent worldwide. Prof. Mireille van Poppel (Public Health category) and Prof. Andreas Konrad (Sports Science category) have been included in the list of the world’s top 2 per cent of most-cited researchers for 2024. This is the second time Prof. van Poppel has achieved this, following her inclusion in 2023.

 

All URBI research disciplines are to be honoured with a recognition award as part of this year’s Green Academia Awards!

 

Katharina Berger, PhD, Assoc. Prof. Josef-Peter Schöggl, PhD, and Prof. Rupert Baumgartner were awarded the Best Paper Award at the 25th European Roundtable for Sustainable Production and Consumption in Prague for their paper “Digital tools for sustainability management: The case of Digital Vehicle Passports”, published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.

 

Dr Julia Danzer (Wegener Centre) has received the STEIRERIN Award in the Science & Technology category

 

First place for the Educational Sciences discipline in the “Incentive Scheme for the Advancement of Women”.

 

Master’s awards in Environmental Systems Sciences for the following graduates: Aina Cabrero Siñol, Jan Josef Felix Fromm, Annika Reiter, Jan Stalzer, Christina Stahl, Matthias Salomon

 

CCCA Young Researchers’ Prize
for Prof. Dr Tobias Stern, Teresa Boiger, BSc, MSc, Claudia Mair-Bauernfeind, BSc, MSc, PhD, and Mag. Raphael Asada, PhD (Institute for Environmental Systems Sciences) for the paper: Boiger, T., Mair-Bauernfeind, C., Asada, R., Stern, T. (2025): Optimising the utilisation of harvested wood products for maximum greenhouse gas emission reduction in a bioeconomy: A multi-objective optimisation approach. Journal of Environmental Management https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123424

ISCH Prize 2024
Tarik Orliczek (Institute of Movement Sciences, Sport and Health) has been awarded the ISCH Prize 2024 by the International Society for Cultural History for his paper “Archaeokinetics: Research-Historical, Theoretical, and Methodological Considerations on Reconstructing Ancient Athletics”

 

Styria
State Prize for Sports Science Honours awarded to the following students:
Christian Burger, BSc, MSc
; Marlene Jobst, BEd, MEd
; Saghi Zafaranieh, BSc, MSc, PhD
; Maximilian Zechner, BSc, MSc
 

Austrian Health Literacy Prize
: Dominik Pendl, BA, MSc, PhD, (Institute for Educational Research and Teacher Training) receives the Austrian Health Literacy Prize from the Austrian Platform for Health Literacy (ÖPGK), in the Jürgen Pelikan Research Prize category, for his doctoral thesis ‘Health literacy among lower secondary school pupils: analysis of measurement instruments and identification of influencing factors’

 

Teaching Award in the ‘Lectures’
category: Univ.-Prof. Dr. phil. Lars Eichen (Institute for Educational Research and Teacher Training)

 

2nd place in the CCCA Poster Prize at Climate Day 2024 in Vienna
: Simone Schreiegg, MSc. (Institute for Environmental Systems Science)
Climate Day 2024 – Climate Change Centre Austria (ccca.ac.at)

 

Two Top Downloaded Article Awards from the journal *Business Strategy & the Environment*
: Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.mont. Rupert Baumgartner and Josef-Peter Schöggl, Bakk.rer.soc.oec., MSc, PhD (Institute of Environmental Systems Sciences, CD-Laboratory for Sustainable Product Management):

1. Rusch, M., Schöggl, J.-P., & Baumgartner, R. J. (2023). Application of digital technologies for sustainable product management in a circular economy: A review. Business Strategy and the Environment, 32(3), 1159–1174. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3099

2. Neligan, A., Baumgartner, R. J., Geissdoerfer, M., & Schöggl, J. (2023). Circular disruption: Digitalisation as a driver of circular economy business models. Business Strategy and the Environment, 32(3), 1175–1188. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3100

 

Austrian BMBWF
quality seal for educational apps awarded to the ‘Digital?Sicher!’ learning app, developed within the ‘Teaching/Learning and Digital Transformation’ research group led by Univ.-Prof. Dr Kathrin Otrel-Cass (Institute for Educational Research and Teacher Training)

 

FFG Spin-off Fellowship Programme on behalf of the BMBWF
: ‘GEOTEQ – Sensor Systems and Technologies for scalable monitoring of snow avalanches and other geophysical processes’
led by Univ.-Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schöner and Mag. Thomas Gölles PhD (Institute of Geography and Spatial Research)

 

Pope Leo Prize
for the project “Social Economy Platform”
by Dr Mag. Andreas Exner (RCE)

 

Science Prize “Inclusion through Natural Sciences and Technology” (WINTEC)
for the “RegioDiff”
project: Assoc. Prof. Dr Lisa Paleczek (Institute for Educational Research and Teacher Training)

Decoration of Honour of the Province of Styria 2023
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gottfried Kirchengast

Outstanding Reviewer Award 2022 from IOP Publishing
Assoc.-Prof. Dr. Douglas Maraun

Most Cited Paper Award 2022, for a review paper in the Journal: Resources, Conservation & Recycling
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Rupert Baumgartner, Josef-Peter Schöggl, PhD, Lukas Stumpf, MSc

Elise Richter-PEEK Research grant from the FWF for
Dr. Annike Kruse

WKO scholarship (video)
Laura Wallenko, MSc

Anton Schelnast Awards for Performance and Innovation
AR Bettina Hötzl (Engagement Team)
AR Silvia Sackl (Engagement Team)
FOI Anneliese Pirs (Innovation Einzel)

Arqus Teaching Excellence Award, Cat. Empowerment of students
Prof. (FH) Dr. Birgit Phillips

Arqus Teaching Award, Cat. Research based talk
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Kathrin Otrel-Cass

DOC Scholarship of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Simone Müller, BA MA

Graz Women's Prize in the Cat. Outstanding Commitment
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Heike Wendt

Anton Schelnast Prize for Achievement and Innovation
Heidi Kinast, Mag. phil. MA (Cooperation Team)

Austrian Health Literacy Award 2022 in the cat. Practice
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Barbara Gasteiger-Klicpera

Austrian of the Year 2022 in the category Research ("Press")
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Andrea Steiner

Young Investigator Award of the Austrian Sports Science. Society
Carina Scharf, BSc MSc

Humus Ambassador for outstanding scientific commitment to climate protection and humus formation (Ökoregion Kaindorf)
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gottfried Kirchengast

Austrian Science Award for Social Work
Ao. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Michael Wrentschur

Sports Best Paper Award for the publication "cancer"
Ao. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Peter Hofmann

EAERE Award for outstanding publication, Journal: Environmental and Resource Economics
Ass.-Prof. Dr. Stefan Borsky and Keith Williges, MSc

Best Student Paper Award
Katharina Berger, MSc

Anton Schelnast Awards for Achievement and Innovation
Martin Regele (Engagement Einzel)
Tanja Untergrabner (Engagement Einzel)

Award of Excellence from the BMI for Education, Science and Research
Caroline Breyer, MSc PhD

Wissenschaftspreis der AK Oberösterreich für die Dissertation
Markus Meschik, MA PhD

Best Paper Award, Internat. Symposium on Digital Earth in Salzburg
Ass.-Prof. Dr. Manuela Hirschmugl

Marietta-Blau Fellowship-Stipendium des BMBWF
Rivka Saltiel, MA

Young Investigator Award der Österr. Sportwiss. Gesellschaft
Carina Scharf, BSc MSc

"Ars Docendi" State Prize for Excellent Teaching
Elena Stuhlpfarrer, BA MA

Spokesperson for Earth Observation and Climate Strategies at the University of Graz
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gottfried Kirchengast

WegenerNet team becomes a member of the ESA EarthCare Mission Ground Validation Team in July 2020
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gottfried Kirchengast, DI Jürgen Fuchsberger and Assoz.Prof. Dr. Ulrich Foelsche

Award "PR Panther - Communicator of the Year"
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gottfried Kirchengast, Dr. Stefanie Lindstaedt (Head of the Know-Center at TU Graz)

Teaching Award (Teaching: "Excellent") for outstanding and innovative courses
Ass.-Prof. Dr. Georg Jäger

Award of Excellence of the BMBWF and BMK
Dr. Marie-Lisa Kapeller

Appreciation Award of the BMBWF for the best graduate in the diploma/master's program
Sabine Fritz, BSc MSc

Sustainability Award of the BMBWF and BMK, 1st prize in the category Communication & Decision Making
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gottfried Kirchengast (+ eight co-authors), including Prof. Dr. Karl Steininger