The University of Vienna is a cosmopolitan hub for  more than 10,000 employees, of whom around 7,500 work in research and teaching. They want to do research and teach at a place that suits their ideas and work together towards answering the big questions of the future. You also appreciate the exchange between disciplines, cultures and generations? We are looking for a/an

PhD Student in Environmental Psychology 

47 Faculty of Psychology 

Job vacancy starting: 04/01/2026  | Working hours: 30,00  | Classification CBA: §48 VwGr. B1 Grundstufe (praedoc) 

Limited contract until: 03/31/2030

Job ID: 5209

Explore and teach at the University of Vienna, where more than 7,500 academics thrive on curiosity in continuous exploration and help us better understand our world. Does this sound like you? Then join our accomplished team!

The position is one of four PhDs embedded in the University of Vienna’s research platform STRENGTH: Strengthening Resilience and Preparedness to Prevent and React to Emerging Socio-Natural Hazards and Risks. STRENGTH is a multidisciplinary platform, involving colleagues from physical geography, spatial data science, environmental economics and environmental psychology. This position will be part of the Environmental Psychology research group (see https://env-psy.univie.ac.at/about-us/) and will be supervised by Profs Sabine Pahl and Alexandra Brausmann (environmental economics), with the possibility of adding more specialised co-supervisors if required. 

Environmental psychology operates in an interdisciplinary context as an application area of psychology, exploring human perception, decision-making, and behaviour. Broadly speaking, environmental psychology focuses on how different environments affect how we think, feel and behave, as well as how our thoughts, feelings and behaviours affect the environment. We study the reciprocal relationship between humans and the environment, where human behaviour influences environmental quality and sustainability, and vice versa.

The present position focuses on socio-behavioural dynamics within disaster response and preparedness and will investigate psychological, social, economic, and demographic factors associated with risk perception, disaster attribution, preparedness behavior, and support for management policies. These tasks will use a) a secondary data set as well as b) design a large, representative, multi-country survey unpacking psychological predictors of preparedness and policy support, and c) conduct experimental studies testing the effectiveness of targeted communication interventions to improve individuals’ response and preparedness. The research will enhance understanding of societal preparedness and resilience and provide the empirical foundation necessary for designing more effective early warning communication strategies, public engagement campaigns, and disaster preparedness initiatives, ultimately contributing to greater societal resilience in the face of extreme events. 

Your personal sphere of influence:

As a PhD student, you will, become a core member of the STRENGTH platform and the Environmental Psychology Group at the University of Vienna. This currently includes one full professor, one tenure-track professor, three postdoctoral researchers, six PhD students, an organisational assistant and four student / research assistants. 

Your future tasks:

The post has two components, a research component and a teaching component. 
In terms of research, you will conduct original, high-quality empirical research commensurate with the level needed for a publication-based PhD qualification, including:
-    Review of previous literature and the relevant theoretical background 
-    Analysis of existing/secondary survey dataset(s) 
-    Development of new survey and collection of original survey data
-    Development and implementation of experimental studies
-    Writing and contributing to scientific papers for peer review
-    Presentation of findings at national and international conferences
-    Travel to field sites (as part of a disaster task force)
-    Involvement in international collaborations
-    Support in writing grant proposals for follow-on funding
In terms of teaching you will:
-    Support the group’s teaching of environmental psychology to both undergraduate and 
-    Master’s level students
-    This will include independent teaching from year 2 within the scope of the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement  
-    This may also involve direct supervision of students and student projects 
-    Specific topics and methods can be flexible to suit the candidate’s interests and strengths 

In addition to these tasks, as part of the team and your PhD training you will also be expected to: 
-    Work closely with other team members in the Environmental Psychology Group and contribute actively to our weekly group meetings and some administrative duties 
-    Complete the training programme for PhDs at the University of Vienna
-    Disseminate and present your work and represent the group through both scientific and public channels and outreach activities

This is part of your existing profile:

•    Completion of an undergraduate degree in the field of psychology
•    Completion, or near completion, of a related and relevant master's level degree 
•    Demonstrable interest (e.g., thesis topic, other relevant activities) in environmental psychology 
•    Preferably demonstrable evidence of teaching experience (e.g. student assistant post) 
•    Preferably demonstrable experience in academic writing for publication (e.g. first or co-authored peer reviewed papers)
•    Well-developed statistical software skills (preferably in R, Python, GIS)
•    Competences in quantitative research methods – ideally knowledge of several of the following aspects of quantitative data analysis: analysis of large/longitudinal datasets, latent variable modelling techniques, structural equation modelling – and strong motivation and curiosity to enlarge these skills further 
•    Excellent command of written and spoken English (C1 Level or above)
•    Preferably good working knowledge of German 
•    Full endorsement of current open science practices (e.g., interest in designing and preparing one of the PhD papers for journal submission as a Registered Report, see https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-021-01193-7) 
•    Communication and teamwork skills, commitment, autonomous working style, attention to detail, willingness to be time-flexible, willingness to support others and be supported

What we offer:

•    Inspiring working atmosphere: You will be part of one of the leading environmental psychology groups in Europe who currently research topics such as pro-environmental norms and behaviours, public understanding of and concern about potential environmental threats such as microplastics, forever chemicals, risk perception, risk communication, and nature connectedness as well as benefits of nature.
•    Internal further training & coaching: Opportunity to deepen your skills, including statistical methods skills, on an ongoing basis. There are over 600 courses to choose from – free of charge.
•    Fair salary: PhD at the University of Vienna are appointed on the basis of a 75% full-time post (30hrs per week): a full-time employment (40hrs per week) corresponds to 3.776,10 Euro / month.  
•    Equal opportunities for all: We look forward to diverse life experiences and personalities in the team!
•    Work-Life-Balance: Our employees enjoy flexible working hours with opportunities for remote/hybrid work, but as part of a close research team, multiple weekly in person meetings are required. 
•    Good public transport connections: Your workplace will be right in the centre of beautiful Vienna (1st district, less than 5 minutes’ walk from Schottentor) and is easily accessible by public transport.
The employment duration is 4 years. Initially limited to 1.5 years,  the employment relationship is automatically extended to 4 years if the employer does not terminate it within the first 12 months by submitting a non-extension declaration.

It is that easy to apply:

•    Scientific Curriculum Vitae 
•    Copy of undergraduate degree and grades (e.g. ‘Transcript of Records’)
•    Copy of master’s degree and grades (if applicable)
•    Via our job portal / Apply now - button

The cover letter, the CV and the additional documents should be submitted via the job portal no later than the indicated application deadline (26.02.2026).
The candidates selected for interview will be notified by 02.03.206. We aim to schedule the interviews (in person or over zoom) in the same week. The successful candidate will start on 1st April 2026.

If you have any content questions, please contact:

Sabine Pahl  

sabine.pahl@univie.ac.at

We look forward to new personalities in our team! 
The University of Vienna has an anti-discriminatory employment policy and attaches great importance to equal opportunities, the advancement of women and diversity. We lay special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions among the academic and general university staff and therefore expressly encourage qualified women to apply. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female candidates.

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​Application deadline: 02/26/2026