ISTA — Brave Science. Boundless Curiosity. Skip to main content

Institute of Science and Technology Austria

Brave science. Boundless curiosity.

A young, international institute near Vienna where the freedom to follow a question wherever it leads is the whole point — across biology, physics, mathematics, computer science, and the spaces in between.

From the labs · today

12 Jun · Quantum

Hysteresis in topological matter — Maric Group

11 Jun · Computer Science

Memory networks without backprop — Lemeshko Group

10 Jun · Cell Biology

Cell shape as a substrate for memory — Loose Group

Highlight

A discovery that moves the field.

Quantum Physics

A quantum material that defies expectation.

ISTA researchers observe an unexpected phase transition at the nanoscale — a new route to control quantum states that could change how we store information.

A team led by ISTA Professor Mira Maric has found that quantum materials can carry a faint imprint of what just happened to them, in ways no theory predicts.

Read the story Maric Group

Research at ISTA

Topics, not org charts.

Nine open fields, no departments. Pick a question — find the people, the groups, and the facilities that work on it.

Quantum & Condensed Matter

From topological materials to many-body physics.

14 groups · 312 publications

Neuroscience & Cognition

How brains and bodies compute, remember, and decide.

11 groups · 218 publications

Cell & Developmental Biology

How a single cell becomes a tissue, an organ, a body.

12 groups · 287 publications

Mathematics & Theoretical Science

Geometry, dynamics, probability — language of nature.

9 groups · 164 publications

Computer Science & Data

Algorithms, learning, and the limits of computation.

8 groups · 156 publications

Evolution & Ecology

From genome to ecosystem — patterns of life.

7 groups · 142 publications

ISTA in numbers · live from the institute database

A small institute with outsized ambition.

Updated 12 Jun 2026

73

Research groups
Target 2026: 90

80

Nationalities
From 6 continents

2009

Founded
Near Vienna

15

Minutes from Vienna
Direct shuttle · 15 min

From the institute

Latest stories

All news

Neuroscience · 12 Jun

How the brain keeps time during movement

A new study shows that rhythm and motion share a single neural substrate.

Biology · 11 Jun

The physics of living, self-organizing matter

Researchers track how active particles assemble themselves in real time.

Campus · 09 Jun

Open Campus 2026 welcomes 3,000 visitors

A weekend of science, music and lab tours for the whole region.

Upcoming

Events

Calendar

Open Campus 2026

Sat · 10–18 · All campus

PhD Information Day

Thu · 14:00 · I21 Lecture Hall

Public Lecture: AI and Society

Tue · 19:30 · Free, with registration

Symposium: Quantum Matter

3 days · Sutner Auditorium

Brand Architecture

One ecosystem.
Three roles.

ISTA

The Institute · Research

Curiosity-driven basic research across the natural and formal sciences.

Discover research

Science Education · Experience

Bringing the wonder of science to the public through immersive, hands-on experience.

Technology Transfer · Park

Turning discovery into impact — spin-offs, startups and a thriving science park.

Working at ISTA · live from oneHCM

73 open positions, right now.

From over 80 nations, fifteen minutes from Vienna — with one salary table you can actually read.

Browse all jobs

Assistant Professor — Computer Vision

Tenure-track · Computer Science & Data · apply by 30 Sep

Postdoc — Theoretical Neuroscience

2+2 years · Neuroscience & Cognition · rolling

PhD Position — Quantum Materials

Fully funded, 5 years · Maric Group · apply by 8 Jan 2027

Your question belongs here

Join a community of brave scientists.

Fully-funded PhD positions, postdoc fellowships, and faculty openings — from over 80 nations, fifteen minutes from Vienna.

Apply to the PhD program See open positions →