About IST
The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) is a PhD-granting research institution dedicated to cutting-edge research in the computer, mathematical, physical and life sciences. Located in Klosterneuburg on the outskirts of Vienna and established jointly by the federal government of Austria and the provincial government of Lower Austria, the Institute was inaugurated in 2009 and will grow to about 90 research groups by 2026.
Application Process
The IST Austria Graduate School offers a fully-funded, structured PhD program in computer, mathematical, physical and life sciences. English is the language of communication and instruction at the institute. Students from all nationalities are welcome to apply. An initial stage of rotations and cross-disciplinary coursework encourages broad exposure to important scientific approaches and problems, allowing students to lay a solid foundation for intensive research in the second phase of the PhD program.
In detail - research groups at IST
Chris Wojtan // Computer Animation
We develop geometric and numerical algorithms for problems in computer animation, geometry processing, and computational physics. Our latest research develops efficient and robust numerical algorithms for simulating fluid dynamics and controlling large-scale physics simulations.
Uli Wagner // Computational Geometry
The research of the group focuses on questions in combinatorial and computational geometry and topology.
Krzysztof Pietrzak // Cryptography
The cryptography group at IST Austria works on theoretical and practical aspects of cryptography and information security. We develop and analyze cryptographic primitives and protocols.
Christoph Lampert // Machine Learning
Our research groups works on algorithmic and theoretical questions of machine learning, in particular transfer learning, and computer vision, in particular natural scene understanding.
Vladimir Kolmogorov // Discrete Optimization
The Kolmogorov group works on various aspects of discrete optimization, including development of new algorithms, understanding complexities of different classes of optimization problems, and some applications.
Thomas Henzinger // Embedded and Concurrent Systems
The Henzinger group invents mathematical methods and develops computational tools for improving the reliability of software in concurrent and embedded systems.
Herbert Edelsbrunner // Computational Topology and Geometry
Herbert Edelsbrunner’s research evolved from algorithms and data structures to computational geometry and later to computational topology.
Krishnendu Chatterjee // Game Theore, Formal Verification
The Chatterjee group is interested in the theoretical foundations of game theory and formal verification.
Bernd Bickel // Computer Graphics
Our group is interested in computer graphics and its overlap into animation, biomechanics, material science, and digital fabrication. Our main research objective is to push the boundaries of how digital content can be efficiently created, simulated, and reproduced with advanced manufacturing devices.
Dan Alistarh // Distributed Algorithms
My research focuses on distributed algorithms and concurrent data structures, and spans from theoretical topics such as algorithms and lower bounds, to practical implementations. Currently, our main research objective is develop new theory, algorithms, and systems for scalable machine learning.
PhD Program - Basics
The program is designed for students to complete their studies in 4-5 years. All students making reasonable progress are fully funded until the time of their thesis defense.
For more information on the PhD program, please visit our PhD-Pages for prospective students.
For more details on research areas covered by the IST Austria PhD program, see our research groups.
IST Austria processes applications to its PhD program once a year. The application portal is available from Fall to January for a start in September. For more details on how to apply and application deadlines, please see our admissions page.
Live in Klosterneuburg
IST Austria is located in Klosterneuburg, a historic city northwest of Vienna. The campus is located in the middle of the beautiful landscape of the Vienna Woods, only 18 kilometers from Vienna’s city center.
