On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, the university celebrates its academicus; It was founded 660 years ago. On this occasion, Rector Sebastian Schütze honored the Nobel Prize winner for Chemistry 2020, Emmanuelle Charpentier, with an honorary doctorate and awarded honorary senator to five people. Furthermore, sub-piciis promotions of two outstanding graduates were on the program. After the academic celebration, the adapted and Anton Zeilinger expanded installation “Nobel Prize and University of Vienna”.
“With the honorary doctorate of the University of Vienna, Emmanuelle Charpentier receives a highly deserved award from the University of Vienna,” said Rector Sebastian Schütze. The Nobel Prize winners Emmanuelle Charpentier and Anton Zeilinger also get their place in the main building of the University of Vienna today – as part of the installation “Nobel Prize and University of Vienna”. You can find photos in Media portal.
About Emmanuelle Charpentier
Emmanuelle Charpentier worked and researched from 2002 to 2009 at the University of Vienna. She was a research group leader, visiting professor and assistant professor at the Institute for Microbiology & Genetics at the University of Vienna. In 2006 she habilitated at the Center for Molecular Biology at the University of Vienna and then worked as a laboratory manager and extraordinary professor at the Max Perutz Labs at the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna until 2009. During this time, she laid the foundation for the groundbreaking development of the CrisPR-CAS9 technology, for which she and her colleague Jennifer Doudna were awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2020.
About Anton Zeilinger
Anton Zeilinger attended the humanistic high school in Vienna and studied physics and mathematics at the University of Vienna, where he received his doctorate in 1971. After working as a research assistant for Helmut Rauch at the Atom Institute Vienna, several stays abroad and his habilitation at the Vienna University of Technology in 1979, he became an extraordinary university professor, then a decent university professor for experimental physics; First in 1990 at the University of Innsbruck and from 1999 at the University of Vienna. Anton Zeilinger was the founding director of the Institute for Quantum optics and quantum information (IQOQI) Vienna of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) and 2013-2022 President of the ÖAW.
His research applies to the basics of quantum physics. He received the Nobel Prize for Physics 2022 for his work with entangled photons.
Promovenden under auspices
Students with particularly outstanding services are traditionally awarded at the University of Vienna on their founding day. These honors received Nicolai Amann this year and Jakob Reiffenstein.
About Nicolai Amann, economist
Nicolai Maturated in 2010 at the Joseph Haydn Realgymnasium in Vienna. After his civilian service, he initially completed a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in statistics and business mathematics at the Technical University of Vienna – he graduated in 2018 with distinction. Amann then took up the doctoral degree of statistics at the University of Vienna, which he completed in 2023 with top marks. His master’s thesis and its dissertation were awarded by the Austrian Statistical Society (ÖSG). In 2024 he received the Bank Austria Research Award. Since 2023, Amann has been researching and teaching as a postdoc at the Institute for Statistics and Operations Research at the University of Vienna in the field of risk quantification of algorithms.
About Jakob Reiffenstein, mathematician
Jakob Reiffenstein graduated in 2013 at the Sir Karl Popper School in Vienna. He then completed the bachelor’s and master’s degree in technical mathematics at the Vienna University of Technology. He concluded both studies with distinction. His master’s thesis was awarded the City of Vienna’s diploma work price in 2020. This was followed by the doctoral studies at the University of Vienna, which he completed in 2023 with top marks. During this time, Reiffenstein was also a student spokesman for the Vienna School of Mathematics. Since 2023 he has been researching a Sverker Lerheden Fellowship as a postdoc at the University of Stockholm, his field includes operator theory and complex analysis.
Five new honorary senators
Gabriele Kucsko-Stadlmayer, from 2011 professor of constitutional and administrative law at the University of Vienna and from 2015 to 2024 judge at the European Court of Human Rights.
Eva Nowotny, many years of diplomatic career, UA as an Austrian ambassador in France, Great Britain and the USA; from 2013 to 2023 chair of the University Council of the University of Vienna.
Gerhard Mayr, long -time manager of the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly & Company; From 2019 to 2023 Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board at the University of Vienna.
Nicola Roehlich, first from 2001 to 2003 head of the legal department and from 2004 to 2024 head of the office of the Senate of the University of Vienna.
Ilse Stepesser, from 2014 Professor at the Center for Teacher Education and at the Faculty of Philosophy and Education Science for her services in the field of further development of teaching training.
Nobel price installation replacement with Charpentier and Zeilinger
After the academic celebration, the newly adapted installation “Nobel Prize and University of Vienna – Group picture” revealed in the auditorium of the University of Vienna – in the presence of Emmanuelle Charpentier, Nobel Prize for Chemistry 2020, Anton Zeilinger, Nobel Prize for Physics 2022, as well as the artist*Innenduos Bele Marx & Gilles Mussard.
New semester question about quantum research
At this Academicus, the University of Vienna also presented one of its contributions to the international year of quantum science: the semester question “How does quantum research change our reality?”
At the event “Gamechanger Quantum Research”, experts in short lectures vividly explained how quantum research has revolutionized our everyday life.
You can also find an overview of the program of the Dies Academicus here.