This is only one perspective of my duties as a lab manager! But the maintenance of the Haidlhof Research Station is an important part of it, beside the coordination of researchers and facility, husbandry and animal welfare, and last but not least our employees.
The pictures were taken on a journey to Venezuela. As part of my work, I'm supporting clients by assessing the feasibility of Joint Ventures in the field of solid biomass fuels. This task comprises on site visits, sampling, analysis of raw materials and performing of necessary technical development. "At home" I'm mainly occupied with Project management of all kind of research projects.
http://www.ofi.at/
The physicist Prof. Ille C. Gebeshuber from TU Vienna and UKM Malaysia, the biologist Dr. R. Fazly (from UKM Malaysia) and two park rangers in the rainforest of Lata Jarum in Malaysia. The two rangers assisted the scientists in their investigation of the eyes of night-active spiders. Their reflective properties provide interesting input for the development of new, sustainable reflectors in clothing, in paint for the median strip of streets, etc.
The inflorescence of Rafflesia belongs to the largest flowers in the world. Currently, Prof. Ille C. Gebeshuber from the Vienna University of Technology and from UKM Malaysia is heading a major research project that investigates microelectromechanical systems to assist, enhance and expand human sensory capabilities. They are working on steering wheels that vibrate when gasoline is coming to an end, and glasses that allow to see fruits in UV light - which would make it easy to pick ripe fruits only for harvesting. And they also work on the possibility to transfer the magnetic sense of fish and birds to humans. Rafflesia with her large smelly inflorescences that look like fat meat and that therefore attract flies is inspiring the group to think around corners and to be even more innovative in their approaches.
Prof. Ille C. Gebeshuber from the Vienna University of Technology, Department of Applied Physics, and the National University of Malaysia (UKM) with pupils from an Indian and a Chinese School in Malacca, Malaysia. The group is about to leave civilisation, and to enter the rainforest. For the kids it is the first rainforest walk in their lives. In the following two hours, they look at nature with the eyes of a physicist. Energy storage systems, novel adhesives and attachment devices, mechanical optimization of machine parts and antireflection coatings - all this already exists in plants, animals and microorganisms in the rainforest. And we can learn a lot from it for science and engineering. The young lady with the red hat liked this tour a lot, and indeed now considers to study engineering and to collaborate with Prof. Gebeshuber in the future!
Photo 03 > © 2011, Ilyas Sapiyan, reproduced with permission of the photographer
I am a researcher at the AIT (Austrian Institute of Technology) in Vienna. My field of work is "computer vision", whose general goal is to make computer "see" or, in other words, interpreting content of images or videos in a way similar as human do.
In my research group, we develop algorithms for camera network, that will help automatically detect hazardous events for a more secure environment. The two images show myself presenting one of our algorithms to detect humans in video sequences and mounting one of the network cameras.
LIQUIFER Systems Group (LSG) is a trans-disciplinary platform engaged in designing our future on Earth and in Outer Space.
We specialize in architecture, industrial design, human factors, systems engineering, robotics and satellite technologies for terrestrial and space applications.
http://www.liquifer.com
http://www.biornametics.com
The photos show how we collaborate within our trans-disciplinary team in the office. We meet on a regular basis to discuss the projects, for example designs for deployable systems or habitats in extreme environments. We also discuss latest developments in space technology and exchange ideas in the respective fields.
On the top picture Barbara Imhof (left) and Waltraut Hoheneder, architects and managing directors of the interdisciplinary platform LIQUIFER Systems Group, brainstorm about new projects.
The middle image below depicts a discussion in front of a 3D model of a habitat with the architect René Waclavicek (middle) and the medical doctor Kaspar Vogel (right). In the background the physicist and space technology expert Norbert Frischauf (left) and Barbara Imhof immerse into a specific detail of the design.
On the bottom picture, the systems engineer Stephen Ransom (middle) and Waltraut Hoheneder discuss possible mission scenarios for a habitat on the moon and third managing director and satellite expert Valentin Eder (left) joins in.
Photos © Manfred Burger
Treating children is challenging and rewarding to the same extent. My research into resorbable implants for the treatment of fractures in children will make a second operation unnecessary to remove the implant. This, I hope, will reduce the number of operations carried out on children.
I am heading the research group Molecular Plant Biotechnology at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna. I am most interested in the development of plant-based expression systems that allow the rapid generation of highly efficient recombinant therapeutic proteins.
Even as a little girl I was fascinated by powerful natural phenomena, such as lightning with its incredible energy and heavy rockets that could fly into space. Through my studies in theoretical and experimental physics at the University of Innsbruck and various research stays I was able to figure so many secrets out. And yet there is still so much to explore – these days also on an “interdisciplinary” level – in close collaboration with chemists, biologists and medical people.
Both as a manager of my small company rho-BeSt coating and as a scientific director of the Laura Bassi Centre of Expertise DiaLife, I enjoy the diverse spectra of my work. I am particularly happy about having attracted the interest of my children in my work – the balanced mix of work and leisure – and to never have lost my curiosity.
There is a lot of space at my workplace – space for lateral thinking and running around and digging. And a lot of air. It’s hard to pin down what I am by definition. I studied architecture and painting, I exhibited my works as a freelance artist and worked as a curator, I converted and redefined flats and now I own a planning office for gardens and a shop for garden furniture. I have two wonderful little kids and now a dog, too, and a great husband and business partner. Both inside and outside, I attempt to create space and movement for function and beauty in our perception.
During my few years of professional training and work, I have had the chance to visit several amazing places in and out of Austria to study. I had the best time in San Diego, California, working at the Department of Cardiology at the University of California School of Medicine. Researching for my PhD, I am currently living in the capital of the Alps, Innsbruck, where I have the chance to work on a tissue engineering and stem cell project. DiaLife involves many inter- national partners from several disciplines, so I am learning a lot as regards interaction, flexibility and different ways of doing research. I am curious where the future will take me. Anyhow, I will be there. With open arms and open eyes.
My workplace = my space = my world. My workplaces are full of energy, surrounded by lots of people going in and out all the time: office, classroom and outdoor activities. I have several places and activities where I work, at the office as a director of a non-profit organisation named Centro de Esperanza Infantil a.c., at the university teaching public policies and public administration while at the same time running my glass-recycling program. Currently I’m working on my thesis: citizen’s participation is my topic.
Negotiating objectives, designing processes, verifying results, securing effects – this is what makes consultancy a head- and handicraft. Reflecting on the work and discussing it with others is the basis for a systematic further development of thinking and acting. My core competencies in working with organisations, teams and people are: strategy development, organisation and team development, management and leadership – including with a focus on concepts and accompa- niment of structural and cultural processes of change with an emphasis on the cross-section between management (gender mainstreaming, diversity management, corporate social responsibility, etc.) and fairness. My conviction: wishes and visions are mostly prompted by what is actually feasible. Together with others I want to release creativity and the power of innovation in order to act beyond the actually feasible and to expand the boundaries of thought.
Trained as marine biologist I was used to work with bacterial symbionts and worms from the deep sea. As part of the OCUVAC research team I work now with bacterial pathogens which are not unlike the symbionts regarding the mechanism of interaction with the host but very different in the outcome. The development of a vaccine preventing trachoma is a challenging task and a very long road, but the goal of reducing avoidable blindness in millions of people – especially in children – is by all means worth the effort. To implement sustainable improvements to eye care systems we cooperate closely with ophthalmologists from developing countries. In doing so, we are currently establishing a research cooperation with Ethiopian scientists, which will soon take us to Ethiopia and the beautiful city of Jimma (from where coffee originates).
I work for an association of social integration enterprises. These enterprises are active in local contexts to re-integrate long-term unemployed people into the labour market. They are responsible for transforming the destructive cycles of the present market economy into positive cycles based on social profit. My job is to talk about work. And to lobby a re-evaluation of the definition of work, and focusing the attention on traditionally unpaid activities such as care work, political work and leisure, and finally including them into the debate. We all occupy ourselves with a variety of things in order to live good lives – whether we are employed or not. Securing a good life for everyone requires an adequate minimum income, to begin with.
As a microbiologist and electron microscopist, I have always been fascinated by intracellular bacteria such as Chla- mydia. Our highly ambitious project goal is to produce a vaccine that relieves the pain for patients suffering from trachoma, which is caused by an infection with these tricky bacteria. Luckily, our team brings multi-skilled talent and experience à la “Oceans Eleven” to the table to get the job done. It’s a worthwhile goal that deserves every effort and we will never give up until we have succeeded.
I work in the Institute of Software Technology and Interactive Systems (ISIS) at the Vienna University of Technology and head the Laura Bassi Centre of Expertise “CVAST – Center for Visual Analytics Science and Technology”. We inves- tigate computer-supported visual and analytic reasoning methods to support the interactive exploration process to gain new insights into complex information spaces.
Masters student at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart. I have participated in an international study programme at the University of Applied Sciences in Offenburg, during which I had the opportunity to go to a foreign country and study at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland. Now I have decided to do my Master thesis at the IGB in Stuttgart because the research field of cell systems is very interesting and provides many new possibilities to do more research. It is very fascinating to work in DiaLife because here I can learn a lot about how big projects work and how research groups from different countries are working together. I am looking forward to where the future will take me. Hopefully I can do some more work in the field of cell systems when I have completed my studies.
My main workplace has changed over the years from the laboratory bench to the desk. However, it is still exciting to examine novel data with my team members. Our research concentrates on two different topics. One is the fascinating diverse functions of regulatory peptides. The other is the alterations of the energy metabolism in cancer cells.
In my Studio I work on projects and I also prepare for my lectures at the Institute for Art and Architecture, Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna.
I work as a user interface developer in Opera’s Desktop team. In that role, I can dive directly into the browser’s code base and enhance the product for our users. In addition, I am heading the development of our testing procedures to improve our user-centered design methods and processes. Working in an international and diverse environment is very fruitful and rewarding, as is to create a product for millions of users that hopefully makes life easier for them!
