PhD life

Vienna

Joining our Program also means you will be able to enjoy Vienna City life! Vienna regularly ranks as the most livable place in the world, and for good reason. Vienna is rightly famous for music, from classical to modern, for exhibitions, opera, and café life. Vienna is a highly international city and its cultural life is also enjoyable for non-German speakers (e.g. English cinemas, theater, and international festivals). Vienna is also very student-friendly: The Opera, theaters, cinemas, and museums all offer special student discounts, as do banks, fitness clubs, swimming pools, spas, and even some supermarkets and gas/electricity providers.

Outdoor activities in Vienna and its surroundings include skiing, hiking, climbing, cycling, and water sports. Last but not least, Vienna is in the heart of Europe and many other European countries are close enough for weekend trips.

Getting around

Vienna has one of the most extensive and well-run public transport systems in the world. No matter if you go to work, meet with friends in the city or want to go enjoy some of the many sports activities offered, public transport will make it easy to get from A to B. Wiener Linien offers weekly, monthly and annual tickets, with special prices for students!

Vienna is a very bike-friendly city too, with many bike lanes, repair stations and “bike parking lots” spread all over the city.

German Courses

Experiencing a new country is more fun when you speak the language! Give it a try, we cover the costs for German courses.

Many courses for different proficiency levels are offered by the Language Centre of the University of Vienna. Check their current schedule of courses here. IMP/IMBA organizes in-house German courses, twice per week, starting in autumn every year. There are also courses offered by the Deutsch Akademie but also by many others.

Please contact your Program Manager for a refund of the course fees.

Eating & Drinking on campus

Food Trucks

Several food trucks visit the campus regularly and, of course, there are several restaurants and supermarkets nearby.

Pastaheld on Tour
usually Mondays 🡪

check out their current schedule here

Wrap Stars / Gabriel

usually Wednesdays 🡪

check out their current schedule here and here

The Burgery
usually Tuesdays 🡪

check out their current schedule here

Vietnam Deli
usually Thursdays 🡪

check out their current schedule here

IMP Cafeteria

The Cafeteria is located at the IMP (Research Institute of Molecular Pathology). The offers range from 3 different daily menus, sandwiches, and hot and cold snacks to self-service salad buffets. Payment is by rechargeable prepaid cards available at the reception desk of the IMP.

Social Activities

Over the past years, a wide range of social activities has developed. From the Amateur Drama Club (ADC) and the MolBio Orchestra to various sports clubs (hiking, cycling, …) and events such as the Dragon Boat Cub, the Vienna Business run, and the Vienna City Marathon. All clubs regularly recruit new members and inform about their events by email.

A monthly Happy Hour offers the opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues from across the Vienna BioCenter campus.

Climate Group

Climate@MaxPerutzLabs is a grassroots initiative by Max Perutz Labs employees aiming to make research at the institute more climate friendly by supporting global climate goals. They seek to share knowledge, create awareness, motivate and inspire action among researchers and students to become more energy efficient, reduce waste and cut transport emissions in their day-to-day work.

Find more info on their work here and check out the current schedule of the Climate Lecture Series here.