Every researcher brings something different – a scientific background, clinical experience, new ideas and questions worth exploring. At MedUni Vienna, these different perspectives come together with one shared purpose: to advance research and improve medicine.
Your path into research is just as individual. Whether you want to focus fully on research or combine it with your clinical or professional career, MedUni Vienna offers two doctoral routes to help you take your next step.
Which PhD Programme is Right for You?
Start by choosing the path that best fits your background, your goals and the role you want research to play in your future.
Focus on Research
A full-time research programme for graduates who want to deepen their scientific expertise and develop as independent researchers. Gain research experience and transferable skills that open opportunities in academia, industry and other research-driven fields.
- Full-time research focus
- Salaried PhD position
- No tution fees for 4 years
- Develop your scientific expertise
- Work within competitively funded research projects
- Build skills for diverse career paths
- 180 ECTS / 3 years
- Degree: PhD
Clinic & Research
A doctoral programme for medical doctors who want to develop their research expertise alongside their clinical or professional career. Connect research with practice, gain scientific and transferable skills, and bring new knowledge into your field.
- Combine research with clinical or professional work
- Salaried doctoral position
- No tuition fees for up to 4 years
- Develop your scientific expertise
- Connect research with your professional field
- Build skills for diverse career paths
- 180 ECTS / 3 years
- Degree: Dr. scient. med.
Explore Doctoral Programme UN790 ⟶
Studies & Research
The MD/PhD Programme is for medical students at MedUni Vienna who want to engage in research during their medical studies. It combines medical training with a PhD and allows students to work in depth on their own research project.
- For medical students at MedUni Vienna
- Combine medical studies with a PhD
- Conduct research during your medical studies
- Work on your own research project
- Develop scientific and methodological expertise
- German & English
- 540 ECTS
- Degrees: Dr. med. univ. & PhD
Explore MD/PhD Programme ⟶
Find your Research Field
Different scientific perspectives. Shared questions.
Research at MedUni Vienna is centred around five core research areas: Immunology, Cancer Research & Oncology, Neuroscience, Cardiovascular Medicine and Medical Imaging.
Each brings together researchers with different scientific backgrounds, expertise and ideas. By working across disciplines, individual perspectives become part of a shared effort to better understand health and disease and advance medicine.
Explore our thematic programmes and find where your interests, skills and ideas could contribute.
Find a PhD Position
Ready to find your PhD project?
PhD positions at MedUni Vienna are linked to specific research projects and research groups. Explore current openings to find a project that matches your scientific background, interests and expertise.
PhD positions are salaried employment positions and are advertised through open calls or directly by research groups.
Develop as a Researcher
Your project. Your expertise. Your next steps.
During your PhD, you gradually take ownership of your research project. You develop your own scientific perspective, learn to make informed decisions and build expertise in an area that becomes distinctly yours – supported by your supervisor, research group and thesis committee.
- Make your project your own
Your research project is at the centre of your PhD. As your experience grows, so does your independence – from developing ideas and choosing approaches to interpreting and communicating your findings. Throughout, you have experienced researchers around you to discuss your work and provide guidance. - Choose what you want to learn
The structured PhD programme gives you a clear framework while allowing you to select courses that fit your project and interests. If you come from AI, physics, engineering or another non-medical field, you can build the medical and biomedical knowledge relevant to your research while bringing expertise from your own discipline. - Learn from different perspectives
Your supervisor and research group are part of your day-to-day scientific environment, while your thesis committee brings additional expertise to your project. A separate PhD Mentoring Programme also gives you the option to connect with an experienced researcher outside your immediate research group. - Work where research and medicine meet
MedUni Vienna is closely connected to Vienna General Hospital, one of the largest university hospitals in Europe. Fundamental research, clinical research, technology, data and patient care come together in one environment, creating opportunities for exchange across disciplines. - Find your scientific community
Connect with other doctoral researchers through the Young Scientist Association (YSA), exchange ideas across research fields and present your work at the annual YSA PhD Symposium. - Take your research beyond your own group
Scientific conferences give you opportunities to present your findings, meet researchers working on related questions and build your network. Depending on your project and available funding, research visits, collaborations or placements may also form part of your PhD experience. - Explore where your expertise can take you
You do not need to have your career mapped out when you start. During your PhD, you develop scientific expertise, professional experience and transferable skills relevant to different paths – in academia, healthcare, biotech, pharma, AI, data, technology and other research-driven fields.
Our Researchers
Get to know different personalities, reserach projects and career paths at the MedUni Vienna.
Individual perspectives. Diverse disciplines. Shared impact ⟶ Together, we improve medicine.
Coming to Vienna for your PhD ?
Information for international and national PhD and doctoral candidates.
Visit Vienna Digitally
Can’t make it to Vienna just yet? Learn about the city from wherever you are and get a feel for the place you could soon call home.
City and campus information ⟶
Ready to Apply to the MedUni Vienna PhD Programme?
Your journey to becoming a researcher starts here.
1. Check the Requirements
Review the academic and general admission requirements for your programme.
2. Choose Your Application Route
Apply for an advertised position through the PhD Call, or contact supervisors directly about opportunities not included in the current PhD Call.
3. Prepare Your Application
Gather the required documents and prepare your application for your chosen route.
4. Submit Your Application
PhD Call: Apply through the online application system within the given deadline.
Direct application: Contact the supervisor by email.
5. Admission & Enrolment
Once accepted, complete the formal admission and enrolment process at MedUni Vienna.
Admission and Application Guide ⟶