University assistant predoctoral Universität Wien

Job description:

At the University of Vienna, almost 11,000 people work together on the big questions of the future. Approximately 7,700 of them are academic staff members. These are individuals who, with their curiosity and their continuous pursuit of excellence, engage in international cutting-edge research and teaching. With us, you will also find space to unfold your potential. We are looking for a/an ...

University assistant predoctoral

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!

Your personal sphere of influence:

As a PhD student, you will be an integral part of the Neuromechanics Research Group, led by Dr. Hans Kainz. Based at the Centre for Sport Science and University Sports (Auf der Schmelz 6a, 1150 Vienna), our team focuses on multi-scale simulations to enhance the understanding of typical and pathological movement development. We collect and analyze three-dimensional motion capture data and medical images from various groups, including clinical populations, healthy people and elite athletes. Our goal is to improve clinical decision making in people with movement disorders, enhance evidence-based motor rehabilitation after injuries or orthopedic intervention, and increase our fundamental understanding of how musculoskeletal loads influence the adaptation of biological structures.

In your function as a PhD student, you will perform research activities on a specific project, including developing research ideas, conducting your own experiments, performing simulations, validating findings, and collaborating with clinical partners. You will work closely with researchers from different disciplines and contribute to scientific publications and conference presentations.

Your future tasks:

Research & Innovation:

• Develop and implement research ideas within the scope of the project.
• Design and conduct experiments and data collection protocols.
• Perform musculoskeletal simulations.
• Validate simulation outcomes.
• Contribute to scientific publications and conference presentations.

Supervision & Teaching

• (Co-) Supervise BSc and MSc students, guide them through experimental data collection, analysis, and in-silico simulations.
• Contribute to teaching activities within the department.

Collaboration & Project Work

• You work on your dissertation and its completion.
• Collaborate closely with clinical and research partners.
• Participate in regular project meetings and interdisciplinary discussions.
• Support the continuous development of the group's research infrastructure and workflows.
• Contribute to project reporting and dissemination activities.
• You take on administrative tasks in research, teaching and administration.

This is part of your personality:

Mindset & Soft Skills

• Highly motivated to pursue research in biomechanics, neuromechanics, and computational modeling.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within an interdisciplinary team.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills.
• Curiosity, creativity, and a proactive approach to scientific challenges.
• Strong communication skills and willingness to engage with clinical and research partners.
• Commitment to conducting high-quality, reproducible research.
• Enthusiasm for learning new methods and technologies and applying them to complex scientific questions.
• You should be a team player with high social skills.

Education & Expertise

• MSc in biomechanics, sport science, biomedical engineering, computer science, or a related field.
• Programming skills in MATLAB and/or Python are required.
• Strong interest in musculoskeletal modeling, simulation, and movement analysis.
• Experience with motion capture data, medical image processing, or computational modeling is advantageous.
• Previous experience with OpenSim-based simulations is considered a strong asset.
• Previous scientific publications and presentations at national or international conferences are a plus.
• Fluent in English (written and spoken, C1 Level); German is desirable but not required.

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) increases if we can credit professional experience.

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

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:

• A scientific curriculum vitae (max. 2 pages) and a brief letter of motivation (max. 2 pages)
• A summary of research interests and initial ideas for a prospective doctoral project (max. 1 page)
• Copies of the Master's degree or Dilpoma certificate
• Via our job portal/ Apply now -  button

If you have any questions, please contact:

Hans Kainz  

hans.kainz@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 place particular emphasis on enhancing women’s representation among the academic and general university staff, particularly in leadership roles, and therefore expressly encourage qualified women to apply. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female candidates.

University of Vienna. Space for personalities. Since 1365.

Data protection
​Application deadline: 07/02/2026 

Apply now