Annual Report 2016 IST Austria Annual Report 2016 An International Community Content The Scientists of IST Austria Introduction Research 06 Foreword by the President 26 Research at IST Austria 55 Novarino Group 08 Guest Commentary by Alice Dautry 28 Barton Group 56 Pietrzak Group 29 Benková Group 57 Sazanov Group The Institute 30 Bickel Group 58 Seiringer Group 12 IST Austria at a Glance 31 Bollback Group 59 Shigemoto Group 32 Bollenbach Group 60 Siegert Group Highlights 33 Chatterjee Group 61 Siekhaus Group 16 Assessing Progress 34 Cremer Group 62 Sixt Group 18 The Essentials for Future Success 35 Csicsvari Group 63 Tkačik Group 20 Research Highlight Mathematics 36 Edelsbrunner Group 64 Uhler Group 37 Erdős Group 65 Vicoso Group 38 Fink group 66 Wagner Group 39 Friml Group 67 Wojtan Group 40 Guet Group 68 New Professors 41 Hausel Group 70 Grants, Awards & Prizes 42 Heisenberg Group 72 Publications 43 Henzinger Group 44 Hippenmeyer Group Outreach 45 Hof Group 80 Scientific Events 46 Janovjak Group 82 Public Events 47 Jonas Group 48 Katsaros Group Organization 49 Kicheva Group 86 Donors 50 Kolmogorov Group 88 Technology Transfer 51 Lampert Group 90 Scientific Service Units 52 Lemeshko Group 94 Administration 53 Loose Group 96 Boards of IST Austria 54 Maas Group 97 Location & Directions Scientists from all over the world come to IST Austria. This map gives an overview of the nationalities on campus. IST Austria Scientists IST Austria Scientists by Previous Institution by Nationality Austria 17.0% Austria 13.8% Germany 13.8% Germany 11.9% UK 7.2% Italy 5.7% Italy 4.7% Slovakia 5.7% USA 4.7% China 5.3% Czech Republic 4.4% Czech Republic 5.3% France 4.4% Russia 4.4% Switzerland 4.1% Hungary 4.1% Spain 3.8% India 4.1% Russia 3.5% Poland 3.5% China 3.1% France 3.1% Hungary 2.5% Spain 3.1% India 2.5% other 30.0% Japan 2.5% other 21.8% 4 | IST Austria Annual Report 2016 6 | IST Austria Annual Report 2016 Introduction | 7 Foreword Thomas A. Henzinger President, IST Austria Ten years ago, Haim Harari, Olaf Kübler, and At the founding of IST Austria in 2006, the Hubert Markl submitted their report for the federal government set aside EUR 95 million establishment of IST Austria to the Federation as a performance­dependent budget that of Austrian Industries. The goal was to build a could only be secured by acquiring the same graduate institution in Austria that would rank amount in third­party funds by 2016. Few among the top centers for basic research thought this target would be achieved, but as worldwide, and to this day, their vision of the end of this year, the faculty of IST Austria continues to shape the Institute’s de velop­ has raised over EUR 83 million in external ment. With 45 professors under contract and research funds, mostly from the European almost 600 employees from more than 50 Union. This includes 10 new ERC grants different countries on campus, we are now awarded to IST Austria in 2016, increasing the halfway to the target size of 90­100 research total number of ERC­funded projects to 32, groups by 2026. As stated by the recent spread among 28 professors. Together with evaluation panel chaired by Stanford new donations of more than EUR 1 million, University’s Roger Kornberg, the Institute has which bring the total amount of philanthropic come a long way towards its goal in the giving to IST Austria to almost EUR 19 million, remarkably short time of ten years, but hard the Institute has surpassed the EUR 100 work still lies ahead. million mark in third­party funds and will be able to claim all of its conditional budget for In the past year, IST Austria hired five new the first ten years. professors in the areas of mathematics, neu ro­ science, physics, chemistry, and computer The success of the first decade of IST Austria science. Also in 2016, plant biologist Eva would not have been possible without the Benková and computer scientists Krzysztof strong support of both public and private Pietrzak and Chris Wojtan received tenure, partners. We would like to express our sincere and 13 doctoral degrees were awarded. The gratitude to all donors, supporters, and Institute's postdocs obtained group leader friends of the Institute, especially the Federal positions in academia and industry, in the Minister for Science, Research, and Economy, United States, Spain, the Czech Republic, Vice­Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner, and the and Japan. Governor of Lower Austria, Erwin Pröll. But, as the Kornberg panel pointed out, while we are Growth in research activity naturally leads to moving in the right direction, our goals are growth in campus facilities. A nanofabrication lofty and our work is not yet finished. To facility for experimental physics will soon be continue on our way to the top, we count on completed, and planning is well under way for the further support of our current partners and a new laboratory building, which will be on engaging new partners who share our equipped for research groups and ex­ vision of seeing a premier­league institution for perimental facilities in chemistry. Work on a basic science in Austria. technology park for research­driven enterprises will begin in 2017, and with the recently launched TWIST fellowship program, the Institute continues to actively support innovation and technology transfer. 8 | IST Austria Annual Report 2016 Introduction | 9 Guest Commentary by Alice Dautry Dautry, a French cell biologist and other disciplines with whom they can “Since IST Austria was established in 2009, collaborate and discuss, and where novel and it has provided an international, state­of­the­art former managing director of the Pasteur environment for science and attracted doctoral unexpected ideas and discoveries can emerge Institute in Paris, France, has been a students and professors from all over the world to at the frontiers of different fields of research. It engage in world­class research in Klosterneuburg. member of the Board of Trustees of also requires high­quality support staff and More than 40 research groups are working on campus, and the remarkable number of rewards and IST Austria since 2006. equipment, as well as respect between donations acquired since the establishment of the everyone involved in the Institute. Remarkably, Institute proves their scientific quality. Their work IST Austria was founded only a few years ago, in a very short time, IST Austria has managed not only strengthens Austria’s position as a key but in this short time it has become a to develop this reputation internationally, and player in basic research, but also helps shape the international scientific dialogue.” remarkable and beautiful institute. It was more and more talented people apply to created with a vision: to bring together—in a and join the Institute. When I ask them why, Reinhold Mitterlehner creative, supportive, and encouraging the above are the qualities they recognize in Vice-Chancellor; Federal Minister of Science, Research, and Economy environment—some of the best scientists in IST Austria, and the above are why those who the world, no matter what their research work on campus are so enthusiastic. discipline is or where they come from, whether they are young students or postdoctoral It has been a privilege for me to be a board fellows or more established scientists. Only member, and to share all the steps in the quality and talent count. IST Austria has had young life of this Institute. Each year, I am the rare chance to start a completely new amazed at what has been accomplished in the institute, and the rules defined at its beginning years before. IST Austria today is a young but have really been fully respected. It has solid institution and it has a very promising benefited from the know­how of remarkable future. One important condition for its founders, who have put all their energy into continued success is to adhere to the founding bringing all the best practices of research principles of this institution: attract the best institutions in the world to IST Austria. The people, without any kind of compromise, and campus is a forest of growing laboratory support them as much as possible while buildings, well­equipped for the most cutting­ respecting totally their freedom of research. If “A former grey area on Austria’s scientific edge and multidisciplinary science. it continues on the basis of these principles, I landscape has blossomed into a flourishing am convinced that IST Austria has a bright science center! When Lower Austria won the competition to be the site of what was then called In the years since its inauguration in 2009, future and that we will see unexpected and the “elite university”, held among the provinces word of mouth has spread in the scientific beautiful discoveries in the next decade. of Austria over ten years ago, there was a great world about this unique research institution, deal of debate over the decision. It is no longer questioned today. On the contrary, we can take and it has managed to attract remarkable and pride in the fact that IST Austria has established very successful scientists. For instance, IST itself as an internationally recognized institution of Austria now has one of the highest success scientific research, and with institutions like these, rates of scientists obtaining a prestigious Lower Austria is ideally prepared for the future, both economically and socially. For me personally, European Research Council grant. Today, establishing Lower Austria as a science hub is one “IST Austria was created with a vision: to attract talented competition for attracting scientific talent is of the accomplishments of my tenure as provincial global and fierce.