Fulbright-University of Applied Sciences Burgenland Visiting Professor
Austria
Number of recipients
In addition to being a prestigious academic exchange program, the Fulbright Program is designed to expand and strengthen relationships between the people of the United States and citizens of other nations and to promote international understanding and cooperation. To support this mission, Fulbright Scholars may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host community, in addition to their primary activities.
A flexible combination of teaching and research activities that entails teaching a minimum of two class sessions (90 minutes each) per week in one of the programs offered at the University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Burgenland in the field of sustainable energy systems, energy and environmental management, or building technology and management. Grant-related activities may also include advising or supervising advanced students as well as developing joint research projects with faculty. The format and content of individual courses and research objectives are negotiated on a consensual basis with the host institution, contingent upon its needs and the grantee's interests and expertise.
The Department of Energy and Environment is seeking individuals that are also open to making an active contribution to the research conducted at the department as well as to publishing jointly written research papers.
University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Burgenland
Campus Pinkafeld
Pinkafeld is located in the southwest of the province of Burgenland (Austria), only about 100 kilometers/62 miles south of Vienna. Pinkafeld is nestled in the heart of Burgenland's spa region, a region characterized by gently rolling hills and the foothills of the Wechsel mountains.
Pinkafeld is a typical rural school and university location: it has approximately 5,700 inhabitants, with the University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Burgenland’s campus hosting 900 students. As such, Pinkafeld has gained supra-regional importance and a reputation as a high-quality training location and science hub in the field of energy, environmental, and building technology.
Visiting professors will find excellent accommodations in the immediate vicinity of the University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Burgenland at reasonable rent levels. Due to the proximity to Vienna, daily commuting between Vienna and Pinkafeld would be possible. An express bus line and a highway connect the two cities directly. Since there are also inexpensive overnight accommodation possibilities in Pinkafeld (bookable for single nights in a student residence or hotel), a combination of both variants would be possible.
To learn more about Burgenland, visit Austria's official travel portal.
Grants must begin in late September 2026 or late February 2027 in line with the Austrian academic year and the mandatory orientation. Grant activities at the host institution will begin on October 1, 2026 or March 1, 2027 and end on January 31, 2027 or June 30, 2027 respectively.
Sustainability is the overriding focus of the research activities at the Department of Energy and Environmental Management. The department stresses the importance of applicable results in cooperation with industry.
Grant activities may be related to 1) high-tech or low-tech sustainable buildings or, 2) sustainable energy supply for rural regions, ideally in solar energy and wind energy, including the associated issues of energy storage, and the topic of hydrogen as an energy carrier.
These topics are understood holistically, integrating technical aspects with social and economic issues in a truly interdisciplinary approach.
All applicants must meet the Program eligibility requirements (click to review the requirements).
Instruction will be in English. Some knowledge of German is advantageous but not required.
If German is required to complete the proposed research project, proficiency must be documented in the project proposal.
This award is open to academics and professionals with required terminal degrees, career profile, and teaching experience in relevant fields.
University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Burgenland
Campus Pinkafeld
For more details about the host institution and contact Dr. Michael Roither in case of questions.
To view alumni who have received this award, please visit Fulbright Austria's website.
This award is generously funded by the University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Burgenland.
€5,000 per month (approx. $5,500; exchange rates may fluctuate) for four months
All grantees receive a travel and relocation allowance of €1,000 (approx. $1,100; exchange rates may fluctuate).
For an estimated overview of the cost of living in Austria, please click here.
Final grant amounts will be determined prior to the start of the academic year and are subject to the availability of funds. The United States Department of State and the Fulbright Commission in the host country reserve the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, number of awards and allowances.
Austria
Fulbright Austria offers up to 23 awards. The majority of awards are anchored at specific Austrian institutions and correspondingly dedicated to host institutions' specific fields of interest, ranging from natural and life sciences, engineering, and business and economics to the social sciences, arts, and humanities. Fulbright Austria hosts two US scholar cohorts per year, with the majority of scholars arriving in spring.
In recent years, Austria has established itself as one of the top-ten destinations for Fulbright US Scholars, a success which is largely due to the excellent partnerships the Austrian Fulbright commission has built with institutions across the country. As enthusiastic supporters of the Fulbright program, Austrian institutions are excited to welcome US scholars to their campuses and to expand their professional networks.
Please note that Austrian institutions will be on summer break from July 1 until September 30. If you contact faculty and staff, please consider that turnaround times will potentially be longer as of early July.
Fulbright Austria (the Austrian-American Educational Commission) evaluates proposals in terms of their potential to fulfill the program's mandate of promoting mutual understanding between the peoples of Austria and the United States. Proposals for flexible combinations of teaching and research will be evaluated for their scholarly excellence, comparative approaches, bilateral relevance and potential for establishing or enhancing institutional relationships. As a rule, the quality of an applicant's proposal is more important to the Austrian-American Educational Commission than the academic rank of the applicant.
Fulbright Austria expects applicants to take all possible measures to avoid plagiarism. For resources on plagiarism, please visit these external resources:
• The Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research’s Best Practice Guide for Research Integrity and Ethics
• The Austrian Agency for Research Integrity’s website
Grantees to Austria are responsible for costs related to obtaining a visa in the US (processing fees, hotel, travel, etc.).
In country, the first grant payment will be disbursed at the start of the grantee's assignment, pending submission of the Austrian bank information form. Bank processing times for the first grant payment may take up to two weeks from the date of submission. Grantees should be prepared to cover their own expenses for this period. No dependent support is available.
For an estimated overview of the cost of living in Austria, please visit: https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/austria.
For further information on life in Austria, please visit the U.S. Embassy Vienna's website and the Austrian Embassy Washington's website.
Dr. Franziska Brunner, Scholar Program Officer
Fulbright Austria (Austrian-American Educational Commission):
Email: fbrunner@fulbright.at
Address: Fulbright Austria, MQ, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna, Austria
Website: www.fulbright.at
To view the alumni who have awards to Austria, please visit the grant pages on Fulbright Austria's website at https://www.fulbright.at/programs/in-austria/scholars.
Visit our Scholar Directory to view and search all Fulbright alumni. You can also learn more about Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors.
The University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Burgenland attaches great importance to enabling a good work-life balance between work and family or study and family. The University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Burgenland is a state-certified prizewinner in this area.
Grant activities are supported by excellent laboratory equipment, both for experimental examinations as well as for computer simulations. In addition and most importantly, visiting professors are part of the university family from day one. Everyone at UAS Burgenland is perceived as an individual, no one is a number - whether professor or student - and everyone works together as a team in a relaxed but focused manner. The teaching situation at UAS Burgenland also fits in with this: teaching is held in small groups in almost all cases, and the ratio of professors to students is excellent. The university also shows entrepreneurial spirit in teaching and research.
In addition to the University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Burgenland, two research companies are located directly on the Pinkafeld campus, which enables further thematic exchange and networking. The same applies to industrial and commercial enterprises in the area of research, which are located at the site or in the immediate vicinity.
Sustainability is a trademark of Burgenland. For example, the region strives for energy self-sufficiency based on renewable energy and has already achieved this target for electrical energy (mainly wind energy). Burgenland is therefore considered a role model for energy policy processes. The department is actively involved in related activities and therefore offers an authentic and innovative research environment.