We are happy to invite you to the inaugural lecture

 

“How to know responsibly in a world in crisis?”

 

Maximilian Fochler

 

Professor for Science and Technology Studies with a Focus on Science and Knowledge Cultures

 

 

2008 PhD at the University of Vienna. 2008–2014 postdoctoral researcher and Apart-Fellow at the University of Vienna, the University of Oslo and the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin.

 

2012–2018 assistant professor & 2018–2025 associate professor for science and knowledge cultures at the Department of Science and Technology Studies of the University of Vienna.

 

Adjunct professor at the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo from 2024. 2025 promotion to full professor at the University of Vienna.

 

Research

 

Cultures of academic knowledge production

(e)Valuation and assessment of academic practices

Research and university governance and policy

Responsibility and relevance in research and innovation

 

 

“I am interested in exploring what producing and sharing responsible and relevant knowledge might mean in contemporary academia, and how the spaces of academic work and their institutional environments can be structured to foster Knowledge that productively speaks to the crisis of our time.”
— Maximilian Fochler

 

 

Programme

 

Friday, 16 January 2026, 16:00
Main Ceremonial Hall of the University of Vienna
Universitätsring 1, 1010 Vienna

 

16:00
Welcome
by Manuela Baccarini
(Vice-Rector of the University of Vienna)

 

Opening words
Michaela Pfadenhauer
(Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences)

 

Inaugural lecture
Maximilian Fochler
How to know responsibly in a world in crisis?

 

After the lecture, we would like to invite you to a small reception.

 

For organisational reasons, please register for the event by Wednesday, 7 January 2026 using this link: forms.office.com/e/Z5yAzywGPV