DIS PhD Graduate Program | 2027

WE SEARCH FOR We are looking for students who want to use their exceptional knowledge and skills to make a meaningful difference in society – whether supporting the green transition, combating crime and misinformation, improving healthcare outcomes, or building more equitable economies. Applicants should be interested in having a substantial degree of independence in their work and be curious about a breadth of topics within the research areas of the Complexity Science Hub. They should be open communicators, and enjoy collaboration and sharing their expertise and ideas with others. Read about the Graduate Program in Complexity Science here YOUR PROFILE Masters/diploma degree in the natural, physical, or social sciences, mathematics, computer science, engineering, or related disciplines with a strong quantitative foundation; or another degree but with at least two years of full-time research experience in a quantitative area. Prior independent research experience so as to be familiar with the research process Comfort with a programming language such as Python, R, Mathematica, Matlab, or Julia, or a database management and query language such as SQL; and/or substantial experience with statistical packages such as SPSS, SAS, or Stata Proficiency in English WE OFFER The Graduate Program in Complexity Science has a limited number of fully funded opportunities for exceptional students to do their doctoral studies at the Complexity Science Hub and one of its partner universities. The program consists of: independent thesis research, determined by each student’s interests two ~3-month research exchanges: one in government, public administration, or EU institution; and one in industry or business coursework and workshops, including an annual series of CSH “master classes” led by prominent guest lecturers participation in the CSH research talk series, with regular presentations international scientific conferences and schools, career development support, and transferrable skills training APPLICATION STEP 1. Submit biographical information, your cv, and a portfolio of your work (max. 1 page) through the online application portal. The cv and portfolio should be combined into a single pdf. The portal closes on 15 October 2026* . STEP 2. Send your responses to the following questions as a single pdf (max. 2 pages) to by 20 October 2026* . Send via the email address with which you registered in Step 1. Do not include any other documents or any other recipients. Describe a research project you were involved in and your individual contribution. What specific methods or tools did you use? Describe one part of your work that didn’t go as expected — what happened and what did you learn about the approach, research design, dataset, etc.? Identify one specific discovery from a CSH research group that you’ve read about. Summarize that discovery in one sentence using your own words. What is one unanswered question that this research left you with? What do you find most interesting about that question? Describe a problem, question, or conceptual space you might want to explore during your PhD. Your idea doesn’t need to be a fully formed research plan, but you should give a specific statement of the issue and why you think it’s both tractable (i.e. you could make progress on this) and worth studying (i.e. why is it important and for whom?). You are welcome to develop your own ideas or take inspiration from our list of springboard projects (updated regularly). STEP 3. Ensure two referees have provided their recommendation by 01 November 2026* . Provide your referees with our instruction sheet, available here . STEP 4. If invited , complete a preliminary online interview by 10 November 2026* . You will receive an invitation with instructions only after completing STEP 2 and passing an eligibility check and preliminary review. * All times Vienna local time Downloads Application instructions Letter of recommendation instructions Please consult our FAQ page for answers to common questions