Institute of Science and Technology Austria
Encyclopedia
The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) is an institute of basic research located in Klosterneuburg, close to Vienna (Austria). The draft concept was developed by the Austrian physicist Anton Zeilinger
in 2002. Preparation work started in 2007. The concept includes
Models for IST Austria are internationally renowned institutions such as the Weizmann Institute (Rehovot, Israel) and the Rockefeller University
(N.Y., USA). First class, curiosity-driven research is the core value of the concept. Scientists are encouraged to pursue their own goals and their own ideas (not restricted by government or economic interest). According to the development plan 40 to 50 research groups with approximately 500 scientists should be working on the campus by the year 2016. The language at the institute is English.
(President of the Weizmann Institute, 1988–2001), Olaf Kübler (President of ETH Zurich
, 1997–2005) and Hubert Markl (President of the Max Planck Society
, 1996–2002), developed a blueprint which served as the basis of legislation that was passed in parliament with the support of the then ruling parties ÖVP
and BZÖ
plus the then oppositional SPÖ
. The compliance of the recommendations of the committee led to rising support for the project from the scientific community and the public. Preparation work by the administration team started in 2007 on the site of a former psychiatric hospital in the Vienna Woods in the province of Lower Austria
.
Positions for the first president, professors and tenure track professors were advertised in Autumn 2007. In July 2008 the German neurobiologist Tobias Bonhoeffer
declined an offer to become the first president of the IST Austria. On December 4, 2008 the computer scientist Thomas Henzinger was appointed to this function effective September 1, 2009.
In March 2011 the evaluation committee came to the result that the IST Austria is on its way to become a leading research institution with an international reputation. IST Austria is about to set new benchmarks for both research and training that will not only be important on the national level but also within Europe generally and even more widely. They pointed out that the trajectory of development of all of the elements of this institution is toward making an organization of clear excellence that will be recognized throughout the world, but continued governmental support is a necessary condition.
vice-chairman.
Scientists:
Public representatives:
was the first professor to be appointed. In December 2010, one year after the official launch, the faculty had grown to 16 professors and assistant professors:
Anton Zeilinger
Anton Zeilinger is an Austrian quantum physicist. He is currently professor of physics at the University of Vienna, previously University of Innsbruck. He is also the director of the Vienna branch of the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information IQOQI at the Austrian Academy of Sciences...
in 2002. Preparation work started in 2007. The concept includes
- a focus on science and technology
- an interdisciplinary approach
- an independent and long-term strategy
- the entitlement to award PhDs
Models for IST Austria are internationally renowned institutions such as the Weizmann Institute (Rehovot, Israel) and the Rockefeller University
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a private university offering postgraduate and postdoctoral education. It has a strong concentration in the biological sciences. It is also known for producing numerous Nobel laureates...
(N.Y., USA). First class, curiosity-driven research is the core value of the concept. Scientists are encouraged to pursue their own goals and their own ideas (not restricted by government or economic interest). According to the development plan 40 to 50 research groups with approximately 500 scientists should be working on the campus by the year 2016. The language at the institute is English.
History
The decision of the Austrian government in Spring 2006 to establish IST Austria caused some controversy within the scientific community inside and outside of Austria due to the lack of proper planning and independence from political influence. An international committee was then invited to develop recommendations for the establishment of the research institute. The members of the committee, Haim HarariHaim Harari
Haim Harari is an Israeli theoretical physicist who has made contributions in particle physics, science education, and other fields.- Birth and education :...
(President of the Weizmann Institute, 1988–2001), Olaf Kübler (President of ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
, 1997–2005) and Hubert Markl (President of the Max Planck Society
Max Planck Society
The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science is a formally independent non-governmental and non-profit association of German research institutes publicly funded by the federal and the 16 state governments of Germany....
, 1996–2002), developed a blueprint which served as the basis of legislation that was passed in parliament with the support of the then ruling parties ÖVP
OVP
OVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...
and BZÖ
BZO
BZO can mean:* Bolzano Airport, with IATA code BZO* Alliance for the Future of Austria, abbreviated BZÖ...
plus the then oppositional SPÖ
SPO
- Technology :SPO: Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Cloud Computing, Office 365. See Microsoft Online Services-Economics:* Secondary Public Offering, an equity capital market instrument...
. The compliance of the recommendations of the committee led to rising support for the project from the scientific community and the public. Preparation work by the administration team started in 2007 on the site of a former psychiatric hospital in the Vienna Woods in the province of Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
.
Positions for the first president, professors and tenure track professors were advertised in Autumn 2007. In July 2008 the German neurobiologist Tobias Bonhoeffer
Tobias Bonhoeffer
Tobias Bonhoeffer is a German neurobiologist. He is director at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology and head of the department Cellular and Systems Neurobiology....
declined an offer to become the first president of the IST Austria. On December 4, 2008 the computer scientist Thomas Henzinger was appointed to this function effective September 1, 2009.
First Evaluation
In January 2011 the Scientific Board organized the first independent evaluation of the new institute. The review panel consisted of six internationally renowned scientists who also have considerable experience in science management. The reviewers include two Nobel laureates and former or current presidents of some of the most successful research institutions in the world: the California Institute of Technology, the Rockefeller University, the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. The panel represents broadly the natural and engineering sciences, beyond the research areas that are currently present at IST Austria.In March 2011 the evaluation committee came to the result that the IST Austria is on its way to become a leading research institution with an international reputation. IST Austria is about to set new benchmarks for both research and training that will not only be important on the national level but also within Europe generally and even more widely. They pointed out that the trajectory of development of all of the elements of this institution is toward making an organization of clear excellence that will be recognized throughout the world, but continued governmental support is a necessary condition.
Organisation
The Board of Trustees is the supreme body of IST Austria. It consists of seven scientists, nominated by science funding and advisory institutions, and seven representatives of the public, nominated by federal and provincial institutions, Thomas A. Henzinger being the president http://www.ist.ac.at, Claus Raidl being the chairman and Anton ZeilingerAnton Zeilinger
Anton Zeilinger is an Austrian quantum physicist. He is currently professor of physics at the University of Vienna, previously University of Innsbruck. He is also the director of the Vienna branch of the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information IQOQI at the Austrian Academy of Sciences...
vice-chairman.
Scientists:
- Catherine CesarskyCatherine CesarskyCatherine Jeanne Cesarsky is a French astronomer currently residing in Germany, known for her successful research activities in several central areas of modern astrophysics. She was formerly president of the International Astronomical Union...
(Directeur de recherche à la Direction des Sciences de la Matière (DSM), CEA-Saclay) - Alice Dautry (President Institut Pasteur, Paris)
- Haim HarariHaim HarariHaim Harari is an Israeli theoretical physicist who has made contributions in particle physics, science education, and other fields.- Birth and education :...
(former President Weizmann Institute, Rechovot) - Eric R. KandelEric R. KandelEric Richard Kandel is an American neuropsychiatrist who was a recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research on the physiological basis of memory storage in neurons...
(Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
New York, Nobel laureate Medicine 2000) - Olaf Kübler (former President ETH ZurichETH ZurichThe Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
) - Kurt MehlhornKurt MehlhornKurt Mehlhorn is a German computer scientist. He has been a vice president of the Max Planck Society and is director of the Max Planck Institute for Computer Science.-Education:...
(Director, Max-Planck Institute, Saarbrücken) - Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, (Secretary General, European Research CouncilEuropean Research CouncilThe European Research Council is the independent body that funds investigator-driven frontier research in the European Union . It is part of the Seventh Research Framework Programme ....
) - Anton ZeilingerAnton ZeilingerAnton Zeilinger is an Austrian quantum physicist. He is currently professor of physics at the University of Vienna, previously University of Innsbruck. He is also the director of the Vienna branch of the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information IQOQI at the Austrian Academy of Sciences...
(Vienna University) - Martin NowakMartin NowakMartin A. Nowak is Professor of Biology and Mathematics and Director of the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics at Harvard University.-Career:Martin Nowak studied biochemistry and mathematics at the University of Vienna, and earned his Ph. D. in 1989, working with Peter Schuster on quasi-species...
(Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Director of the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics)
Public representatives:
- Alexander Hartig (Board member Constantia Industries AG)
- Gisela Hopfmüller (former department head „Knowledge and Contemporary History“ at Austria’s public broadcasting corporation ORFORFORF may refer to:* ORF , the Austrian public service broadcaster.* Open reading frame, a portion of the genome.* The IATA airport code for Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk, Virginia.* ORF format , Olympus raw image file format....
- Claus Raidl (President OeNB)
- Wolfgang Ruttensdorfer (Member of the Supervisory Board, Vienna Insurance Group, Vienna)
- Elisabeth Stadler (CEO, ERGO Austria International AG, Vienna)
Other notable scientists
The Scientific Board, chaired by Kurt Mehlhorn, oversees the search for the scientists and will eventually develop a full Professorial Committee. In early 2009 the evolutionary biologist Nick BartonNick Barton
Professor Nicholas Hamilton Barton FRS FRSE is a British evolutionary biologist.He was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge where he graduated with a first-class degree in Natural Sciences in 1976 and gained his PhD under Godfrey Hewitt at the University of East Anglia in 1979...
was the first professor to be appointed. In December 2010, one year after the official launch, the faculty had grown to 16 professors and assistant professors:
- Nick BartonNick BartonProfessor Nicholas Hamilton Barton FRS FRSE is a British evolutionary biologist.He was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge where he graduated with a first-class degree in Natural Sciences in 1976 and gained his PhD under Godfrey Hewitt at the University of East Anglia in 1979...
, evolutionary biologist - Jonathan Bollback, evolutionary biologist
- Tobias Bollenbach, specialist in biological physicsBiological PhysicsBiological Physics: Energy, Information, Life is the title of a book by Philip Nelson, published by W. H. Freeman in the 2000s. It is a work on biology with an emphasis on the application of physical principles....
- Krishnendu Chatterjee, specialist in game theoryGame theoryGame theory is a mathematical method for analyzing calculated circumstances, such as in games, where a person’s success is based upon the choices of others...
- Sylvia Cremer, evolutionary biologist
- Jozsef Csicsvari, specialist in systems neuroscienceSystems neuroscienceSystems neuroscience is a subdiscipline of neuroscience and systems biology that studies the function of neural circuits and systems. It is an umbrella term, encompassing a number of areas of study concerned with how nerve cells behave when connected together to form neural networks...
- Herbert EdelsbrunnerHerbert EdelsbrunnerHerbert Edelsbrunner is a computer scientist working in the field of computational geometry, the Arts & Science Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics at Duke University, Professor at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria , and the co-founder of Geomagic, Inc...
, specialist in computational geometryComputational geometryComputational geometry is a branch of computer science devoted to the study of algorithms which can be stated in terms of geometry. Some purely geometrical problems arise out of the study of computational geometric algorithms, and such problems are also considered to be part of computational... - Călin Guet, specialist in systems biologySystems biologySystems biology is a term used to describe a number of trends in bioscience research, and a movement which draws on those trends. Proponents describe systems biology as a biology-based inter-disciplinary study field that focuses on complex interactions in biological systems, claiming that it uses...
- Carl-Philipp Heisenberg, developmental biologist
- Thomas Henzinger, specialist in software verificationSoftware verificationSoftware verification is a broader and more complex discipline of software engineering whose goal is to assure that software fully satisfies all the expected requirements.There are two fundamental approaches to verification:...
- Harald Janovjak, specialist in biological physicsBiological PhysicsBiological Physics: Energy, Information, Life is the title of a book by Philip Nelson, published by W. H. Freeman in the 2000s. It is a work on biology with an emphasis on the application of physical principles....
- Peter Jonas, neurophysiologist
- Christoph Lampert, specialist in computer visionComputer visionComputer vision is a field that includes methods for acquiring, processing, analysing, and understanding images and, in general, high-dimensional data from the real world in order to produce numerical or symbolic information, e.g., in the forms of decisions...
- Michael Sixt, specialist in cell motilityMotilityMotility is a biological term which refers to the ability to move spontaneously and actively, consuming energy in the process. Most animals are motile but the term applies to single-celled and simple multicellular organisms, as well as to some mechanisms of fluid flow in multicellular organs, in...
- Gašper Tkačik, Theoretical physicist
- Chris Wojtan, specialist in computer graphicsComputer graphicsComputer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....