RESEARCH
The University of Klagenfurt is home to a range of priority research fields in which researchers are working on projects to address pressing social issues. Over and above the four faculties and the range of subjects they represent, the following (partly) overarching main areas of research have emerged:
KEY RESEARCH STRENGTH
Networked and autonomous systems
The increasing use of embedded computer processors and sensors and the ubiquity of networked systems is a global trend of great significance for society. Research into these ‘networked’ systems at the Faculty of Technical Sciences enjoys a high level of international visibility. This research is primarily driven by the Department of Networked and Embedded Systems (NES) and the Department of Information Technology (ITEC).
KEY RESEARCH STRENGTH
Multiple Perspectives in Optimization
Complex optimization problems are our constant companions in daily life. Modern mathematical methods of modelling, analysis, and simulation are therefore necessary to support decision-making. This involves discrete, continuous and stochastic aspects – often in combination. The key to analysing and ultimately solving these problems lies in transcending the boundaries of individual mathematical disciplines and harnessing the innovative potential that this creates. The area of research strength known as “Multiple Perspectives in Optimization” (MPOpt) is dedicated to this thematic remit. It is primarily driven by the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Statistics.
AREA OF PROACTIVE RESEARCH
Humans in the Digital Age (HDA)
Digitalization permeates vast areas of human life. It bears both opportunities and risks for human coexistence, the consequences of which cannot adequately be assessed in many areas today. Yet one thing is certain: Digitalization is accompanied by profound processes of change. With its research area “Humans in the Digital Age”, the University of Klagenfurt endeavours to make a decisive contribution to generating scientific knowledge about humankind in the digital age.
Energy Management & Energy Technology
Researchers in this flagship research cluster develop ecologically, technologically and economically beneficial solutions thus contributing to a sustainable society and economy. Research in this field aims to contribute to resolving these challenges in accordance with the European Union’s 20-20-20 targets: a 20 per cent reduction in greenhouse emissions, a 20 per cent increase in energy efficiency and for 20 per cent of all energy consumed to come from renewable energy sources.
Sustainability
Global climate change and energy and natural resource shortages are two of the “Grand Challenges” facing the European Union. Research into sustainability at AAU approaches these challenges from the same standpoint as the German government’s Scientific Advisory Board on Global Climate Change that a ‘great transformation’ in production, consumption and lifestyle is needed to meet them. Such a transformation can only be achieved by using technological and also social innovations to change society. There is a long tradition of research into sustainability at the University of Klagenfurt. The university’s many contributions to the field are connected to its flagship ‘Sustainability’ research cluster.
Self-organizing Systems
This flagship research cluster attempts to understand systems in which each individual component interacts and responds with the system’s other components and the environment. Nature is often used as an example for processes in economics, psychology and technology.
Visual Culture
For a long time, researchers in humanities and cultural studies focused almost exclusively on texts. Now, however, images are also being explored to find out how they communicate meaning in cultural and social contexts. The focus of this exploration is on the cultural construction of the visual. Here researchers deal with the visual character of works of art, such as paintings or successful films, as well as the images from TV, advertising and video games that are seeping into everyday life and helping to shape identities. Interactive visual media in particular, such as the internet, mobile phone apps and video games, present new challenges and are the subject of increasing research.
Other research clusters
Other areas of research focus, such as Educational Research, Judgment, Public Health and Entrepreneurship, also have the potential to enhance the university’s profile in future. The key research strength in Social Ecology, part of the University of Klagenfurt up until 1 March 2018, was transferred to the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), together with the similarly named Department of Social Ecology.
