Officers & Trustees
Sabine Seidler
Photo: Raimund Appel
Sabine Seidler
Sabine Seidler is Vice President of the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation. She served as Rector of TU Wien from 2011 to 2023. Since 2024 she is STE(A)M Representative of the City of Vienna.
Before her tenure as Rector, she was Vice-Rector for Research at TU Wien and led the Institute of Materials Science and Technology. She has held key leadership positions, including President of Universities Austria (uniko) and President of TU Austria. Mrs Seidler is also a member of several supervisory and advisory boards, including the Helmholtz Center Hereon in Geesthacht and the Austrian Standards Presidential Council.
Her research focuses on the structure-property relationships of polymers, fracture mechanics, and polymer testing. She is an active member of numerous scientific associations, including the Association of German Engineers (VDI), the European Structural Integrity Society (ESIS), and the Austrian Physical Society (OEPG).
Mrs Seidler has received numerous honors, including honorary doctorates from TU Dresden and Brno University of Technology, the H.F. Mark Medal and the Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria. She studied Polymer Materials Engineering at the Technical University of Merseburg, where she obtained her Dipl.-Ing. degree, followed by a doctorate in materials science.
“We are not only living in a time of great geopolitical challenges, but also one in which scepticism towards science and a lack of interest in democracy dominate public discourse more than we would like. Science has answers to these challenges, and this is where the Marshall Plan Foundation comes in. The exchange of knowledge between Austrian and American universities and research institutions not only strengthens science in both countries, but also fosters interpersonal relationships.”