University assistant predoctoral

Universität Wien; Osterreich; On-site; EUR 40,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working hours

Partial remote work

Good public transport connections

Internal training & Coaching

Fair salary

Job summary

University of Vienna invites applications for a University assistant predoctoral position in the Computer Science Education Group. The role focuses on computational thinking, AI literacy, and empirical CS education research, culminating in a cumulative dissertation within the UniVie DoCS program.

You will participate in research, teaching, and administration, develop CS education workshops, conduct empirical studies, and publish results while engaging with national and international networks.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or diploma with a clear focus on computer science or CS teaching.
• Strong interest in CS education, AI literacy, empirical teaching & learning research.
• Willingness to pursue a doctoral dissertation in CS education.
• Basic knowledge of empirical research methods or willingness to develop them.
• Structured, independent, reliable work style with teamwork and communication.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research, teaching & administration while working on your dissertation.
• Develop and test CS education workshops and teaching-learning scenarios.
• Carry out empirical research, evaluate results and refine concepts.
• Publish academic papers and participate in research-based teaching and school collaborations.
• Take on courses and administrative tasks within the research group.

Skills

German fluency

English fluency

Programming

Empirical research

Dissertation planning

Education

Master's degree in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Organisation/Company Universität Wien Research Field Computer science » Informatics Educational sciences » Teaching methods Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Application Deadline 19 Oct 2026 - 00:00 (UTC) Country Austria Type of Contract Permanent Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 30 Offer Starting Date 1 Dec 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The University of Vienna is a community of almost 11,000 individuals, including approximately 7,700 academic staff members, who passionately pursue answers to the profound questions that shape our future. They represent individuals driven by curiosity and a relentless pursuit of excellence. With us, they find the space to try things out and unfold their potential. Are you inspired by their passion and determination? We are currently seeking a/an

University assistant predoctoral

39 Faculty of Computer Science
Startdate: 01.12.2026 | Working hours: 30 | Collective bargaining agreement: §48 VwGr. B1 Grundstufe (praedoc)
Limited until: 30.11.2029
Reference no.: 6260

The employment duration is 3 years. Initially limited to 1.5 years, the employment relationship is automatically extended to 3 years if the employer does not terminate it within the first 12 months by submitting a declaration of non-extension. With appropriate work progress, an extension to a total maximum of 4 years is possible.

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 predoctoral position is based in the newly established “Computer Science Education Group” (CSEG) within the “Didactics of Computer Science” professorship, led by Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr.techn. Bernhard Standl in the EDEN research group at the Faculty of Computer Science at the University of Vienna. The position is situated within the research fields of computational thinking and AI literacy. The dissertation will focus on computer science education, with an emphasis on the empirical investigation of teaching and learning processes related to fundamental computational ways of thinking and acting, such as problem-solving processes, abstraction, modeling and pattern recognition as well as the understanding, application and reflection on artificial intelligence. A central research environment is the Computer Science Teaching and Learning Lab, where teaching and learning scenarios are developed, tested, empirically investigated and further refined in both school and university contexts. The position offers the opportunity to contribute to a newly emerging research group, write a cumulative dissertation in computer science education and engage with national and international research networks. The selected predoctoral researcher will also be integrated into the UniVie Doctoral School of Computer Science (DoCS).

You actively participate in research, teaching & administration, which means:

• You are working on your dissertation and its completion in the field of computer science education, specifically on computational thinking, AI literacy, fundamental concepts in computer science or digital literacy.
• You develop and test computer science education workshops and teaching-learning scenarios for the Computer Science Teaching-Learning Lab and for use in schools.
• You conduct these workshops in the Computer Science Teaching and Learning Lab and in school-based collaborative settings.
• You conduct empirical research on the developed teaching and learning scenarios, evaluate the results and iteratively refine the concepts.
• You author academic publications, conference papers and presentations.
• You participate in research-based teaching as well as in school collaboration initiatives, knowledge transfer activities and organizational tasks within the research group.
• We expect you to finalize your dissertation agreement within 12 months.
• You hold courses independently within the scope of the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.
• You take on administrative tasks in research, teaching and administration.

This is part of your personality:

• Completed Master's degree or Diploma in the field of computer science, teaching digital literacy and computer science, computer science education or a related field with a clear focus on computer science or computer science teaching and learning processes.
• A strong interest in computer science education, AI literacy, computational thinking and empirical teaching and learning research.
• Willingness to work on a dissertation in the field of computer science education.
• Basic knowledge of empirical research methods or a willingness to develop these skills further.
• Strong computer science and technical skills, particularly in programming, digital tools or computer science teaching and learning settings.
• Excellent command of written and spoken German and English (C1 Level).
• A structured, independent and reliable work style, ability to work in a team, strong communication skills and a passion for interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Knowledge or experience in one or more of the following areas: computational thinking, programming, algorithmic thinking, physical computing, robotics, modeling, basic computer science education, AI literacy or general digital literacy.
• Experience in schools, teacher education, learning support or educational work.
• Initial experience with qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods research designs, design-based research, instructional development or the evaluation of teaching and learning settings.

Additional Information

What we offer:

Work-life balance: Our employees enjoy flexible working hours and can partially work remotely.

Inspiring working atmosphere: You are a part of an international academic team in a healthy and fair working environment.

Good public transport connections: Your workplace is easily accessible by public transport.

Internal further training & Coaching: Opportunity to deepen your skills on an ongoing basis. There are over 600 courses to choose from – free of charge.

Fair salary: The basic salary of EUR 3.776,10 (on a full-time basis) (paid 14 times a year) increases if we can credit professional experience.

Duration of contract: The employment duration is 3 years. Initially limited to 1.5 years, the employment relationship is automatically extended to 3 years if the employer does not terminate it within the first 12 months by submitting a declaration of non-extension. With appropriate work progress, an extension to a total maximum of 4 years is possible.

Equal opportunities for all: We welcome every additional/new personality to the team!