iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

📢 Deadline Alert: 6th VERAcore Seed Grant – Apply by Nov. 1st! 🗓️ Are you a researcher looking to perform Accelerator Mass Spectrometry #AMS projects? We offer @ @univie.ac.at: ✅ Free pilot studies for C-14 & non-C-14 ✅ Open to researchers worldwide (incl.🇦🇹) ✅ Great chance for PhD students & Postdocs

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Todays #SNIB programm starts with a Plenary Talk by Martin Martschini of the @univie.ac.at . CU there and later in Session 18: Earth, Environmental & Climate Sciences.

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Kristen Cook @kristencook.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

A very nice peek into what we've been up to over the few days!

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Universität Münster @uni-muenster.de · 12/08/2026

Die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass ein #Meteorit im eigenen Garten landet, ist äußerst gering. Die Himmelskörper lösen dennoch große Faszination aus. Dr. Markus Patzek vom Inst. für #Planetologie schildert seine Bürgerberatung per E-Mail und erklärt die Verteidigung der Erde gegen die kosmischen Steine.

uni-muenster.de

„Meteoroiden und Asteroiden können eine reale Gefahr für die Erde darstellen“

Die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass ein Meteorit im eigenen Garten landet, ist äußerst gering. Die Himmelskörper lösen dennoch in der Bevölkerung eine große Faszination aus. Dr. Markus Patzek vom Institut fü...

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

🥳 My 2nd terrestrial cosmogenic radionuclide paper since I started to work @univie.ac.at in 2021 is officially out! Within a project led by colleagues from Strasbourg a set of Be-10-derived catchment-wide denudation rates in a low mountain catchment are analysed to discuss landscape stability.

Screenshot of Earth Surface Processes and Landforms paper "Spatial variability of denudation rates and transient landscape adjustment in low-deforming mountains (the Strengbach catchment, Vosges Mountains, France) by Bastien Mathieux, Daniel S. Moreno Martin, Jérôme van der Woerd, Raphael Di Chiara Roupert, Gilles Rixhon, Anne-Sophie Mériaux, Silke Merchel, Stephanie Neuhuber, Alexander Wieser, Oscar Marchhart, and François Chabaux …
First published: 09 August 2026 https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.70361

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Finally, deep-sea archives’ data published: samples from Indian & Atlantic Ocean and Central Pacific analysed for Be-10 & Al-26 by AMS doi.org/10.1016/j.ep... 🥨🏔️🦘-coop @mfnberlin.bsky.social, @hzdr.bsky.social,@hia-accelerates.bsky.social, @univie-physik.bsky.social, @sgn.one,@tudresden.bsky.social

Screen shot of paper published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Volume 692 (2026) 120233 "Applicability of Al-26 and Be-10 for depositional age dating in deep-sea records"

Jenny Feige a
,
Alessandro Airo a
,
Dominik Koll b c
,
Stella R. Winkler b
,
Robin Golser d
,
Klaus Knie e
,
Ulf Linnemann f
,
Silke Merchel b d
,
Georg Rugel b
,
Peter Steier d
,
Anton Wallner b c g

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Today full house for the #kinderuniwien! Two times 25 children will visit us to see our particle accelerator VERA @univie.ac.at and learn about rubber ducks 🦆and ocean currents 🌊. As always, it is a tight race to see who has more fun: them or us. 😂

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Tom_Harb @tomharb.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Im Jahr 2025 investierte die Universität Wien rund 19,1 Millionen Euro in technisch-wissenschaftliche Großgeräte, wobei die größte Einzelinvestition ein hochauflösendes Ultrahochvakuum-Elektronenmikroskop mit Anschaffungskosten von rund 6,9 Millionen Euro betraf. #WienFakt

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Reminds me a little bit... but our radionuclide cards, we designed in June 2025 are for the purpose of communication to the open public such as Climate Day, Children's University or Long Night of Research. Hence, they are for free. 😇 And we have only 16 nuclide cards (yet). 😁

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

CU in Hamburg for #SNIB2026! 🤩 I highly recommend Session 18 "Earth, Environmental & Climate Sciences" on Thursday morning. You'll get a great mix of talks covering synchrotron radiation, neutrons, & ions. Come drop by & discuss the latest findings! Don't forget to register before the fee💰increases!

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Thanks to everybody for the great #COSMO2026 field-trip led by Jean-Claude Hippolyte from @cerege.bsky.social. Ducky 🦆 and me had a lot of fun. And one of us learned a bit about geology ⛰️, too. #Duck_en_Provence #AMS #CosmogenicNuclides

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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

"Astrophysics research is in trouble". Yup, we've brought in the big guns to #SaveUKAstronomy, particle and nuclear physics! Thank you @drbecky.bsky.social 🙏 📽️: www.youtube.com/shorts/omICc...

youtube.com

Astrophysics research is in trouble... #shorts

YouTube video by Dr. Becky

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

#COSMO2026 is officially underway! 🚀Yesterday marked the opening of the conference, bringing together the cosmogenic nuclide community to share and discuss the latest advances, ideas, and collaborations. We all enjoyed the tour of the 5 MV #AMS ASTER by great Régis Braucher from @cerege.bsky.social.

Régis Braucher from CEREGE explaining how ASTER does Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) to COSMO2026 participants.

COSMO2026 - 7th conference on Cosmogenic Nuclides - Conference Booklet in the last row of the lecture theatre

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

☄️ More than 100 years too late—again! This time, I missed the observed fall of the Lanzenkirchen meteorite. The L4 chondrite fell on August 28, 1925, in Lower Austria. 2 pieces (~7 kg) were recovered & rest today in the beautiful collection of the @nhmwien.bsky.social. #Meteorite #Lanzenkirchen #NHM

Me at the village of Lanzenkirchen where more than 100 years ago the meteorite Lanzenkirchen fell.

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Great news! 🚀Our invited Report is now online, and we even made the front cover!📖✨ So proud to be part of the VERA-Team @ @univie.ac.at‼️ This is my very 1st review paper with them! A huge🙏 to Robin, my amazing co-authors & the entire team for making this milestone so special. doi.org/10.1080/1061...

Journal Cover of scientists working at the Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator (VERA) - AI generated version from real picture

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Do I see a correlation here or is it pure coincidence❓🤔 After our paper "Cosmic pears from the Havelland (Germany): Ribbeck, the 12th recorded aubrite fall in history" has been recognized as one of the top-10 most-cited papers a month ago, it is today a top-10 viewed paper in MAPS. #Meteorites #AMS

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Great #job opportunity for people interested in #AMS #Accelerators #Ions and their applications. 👇 jobs.univie.ac.at/job/Senior-S... Vienna is also a great place for, e.g., 🎡🍰☕🥐🎉and of course ⚗️.

jobs.univie.ac.at

Senior Scientist

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

‼️Only 2 days left for your application for the next VERAcore Seed Grant for free #AMS measurements at VERA @univie.ac.at 👇

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Gute Nachrichten! Wir haben tatsächlich noch wenige Plätze für heute frei. Lust dabei zu sein? 🥳. Dann meldet Euch ab 17 Uhr an unserem "Welcome Desk" in der Währinger Str. 17 für Führungen am späteren Abend. #LNF26 👇

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

📢 Deadline Alert: 5th VERAcore Seed Grant – Apply by May 1st! 🗓️ Are you a researcher looking to conduct Accelerator Mass Spectrometry #AMS projects? We offer: ✅ Free pilot studies for C-14 & non-C-14. ✅ Open to researchers worldwide (including Austria). ✅ Great chance for PhD students and Postdocs.

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Big news!🚨 Our work "Cosmic pears🍐from the Havelland (Germany): Ribbeck, the twelth recorded aubrite fall in history" was named one of the top 10 most-cited papers published in Meteoritics & Planetary Science in 2024! ☄️🚀 Congrats to 1st author Addi Bischoff @uni-muenster.de! doi.org/10.1111/maps...

Certificate for Top cited article from Wiley

Cover Meteoritics & Planetary Science with rare aubrite Ribbeck

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Mit einem Banner ist es offiziell! 🥳 Wir sind bei der #LNF26 am Start. Damit ihr nicht lost seid & direkt zu uns findet, haben Leonie & Chiara einen Guide für euch gedreht. Checkt das 📽️! Meldet euch schnell für die Führung an, bevor alle Plätze weg sind:🔗 physik.univie.ac.at/wissenstrans...

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Am I more than 100 years too late? 🤔 The iron meteorite 💫 Dermbach was found in 1924 in Germany. ~30 years ago, I dissolved a small piece of it in acid & analysed it for cosmogenic radionuclides by #AMS. The Fe-60 data was used for 1st model calculations of production rates. doi.org/10.1111/j.19...

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

🤩 Zum allerersten Mal sind wir mit unseren Teilchenbeschleuniger bei der #LNF26 @univie.ac.at dabei! Was euch erwartet? Eine Führung zu "Was haben Gummienten und explodierende Sterne✨ gemeinsam? Alles Isotopenphysik!" Kommt (nach Anmeldung) vorbei! 📅 24.4.26 | 17-23 h www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpMp...

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

🚀 Großartige News! 20 Jahre nach der 1. SNI-Tagung kehrt das Top-Event für Großgeräteforschung mit Synchrotronstrahlung, Neutronen, Ionen & Beschleunigern zurück nach Hamburg: 8.-10.09.2026 #SNIB2026 🔥 DEADLINES: 📢 Abstracts: 30.4. 🎫 Anmeldung: 3.8. www.snib2026.de #Accelerators #IonBeams #AMS #KFSI

SNIB2026 brings together researchers who use synchrotron radiation, neutrons, ions and accelerators.

From 8 to 10 September 2026, the conference in Hamburg will provide a forum for the exchange of current research results, methodological developments and new scientific and technological approaches at large-scale research facilities.
Organised by the committees for research with synchrotron radiation (KFS), neutrons (KFN), nuclear probes and ions (KFSI) and accelerators (KfB) at the University of Hamburg in collaboration with DESY, European XFEL and Hereon, the conference brings together the broad spectrum of research with large-scale facilities in Germany.
The focus is on research, technology development and future strategies for existing large-scale research facilities (BESSY II, ESRF, European XFEL, FELBE, FLASH, FRM II, GSI, ILL, Ion Beam Centre at HZDR, PETRA III) and planned facilities such as PETRA IV, BESSY III, DALI, FAIR, the European Spallation Source (ESS) and HBS-I. Together, they form the basis for the sustainable provision of powerful research sources for materials, energy, environmental and life sciences.

The programme includes plenary lectures, thematic sessions, poster presentations and discussions covering the broad spectrum of research with large-scale facilities – from materials and energy research to soft matter, life sciences, catalysis, earth, climate and cultural heritage to industry & transfer, where the focus is on cooperation between research institutions, start-ups and industry.

In addition, SNIB addresses research policy issues such as data management, digitisation, artificial intelligence, sustainability and international cooperation.

A key highlight is the dialogue between science, politics and industry on new approaches to technology and innovation policy.

Important dates:
• 8–10 September 2026
• Abstract deadline: 30 April 2026
• Registration deadline: 3 August 2026

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

A chemist ⚗️ participating in geo-field-work is really appreciating if somebody else is doing the digging 👷 to have a nice outcrop. 🤣 #AMS #BurialDating #CosmogenicNuclides

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

🚀We believe in improvement! This semester we gave the VERA poster in our seminar room@univie.ac.at an upgrade from the 2021 version. While "scraping off the old wallpaper," we found more outdated versions reminding us how far we’ve come. Or as the AI says: "Dive in & experience the new VERA today!"🤣

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SALZBURG24 @salzburg24.at · 02/03/2026

Rußbach am Pass Gschütt wird aktuell wieder zum Treffpunkt der internationalen Wissenschaftswelt: Zum 21. Mal findet dort die „Rußbach Schule für Nukleare Astrophysik“ statt. Während die Expertinnen und Experten über die Entstehung des Universums brüten, profitiert der Ort von internationale...

salzburg24.at

Astrophysiker:innen aus aller Welt treffen sich in Rußbach

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

🚀 Exciting start at the 36th Mass Spectrometry Forum at @univie.ac.at. Opening talks have been top-tier, diving into the latest innovations in the field. 🧪🔬 Don't miss the Poster Session at 6:00 PM—the perfect time to network and discuss research. Check out Poster No. 23! 😇 CU there! #MSForum2026

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Come and work with great isotopes at the Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator (VERA) 🎡. Apply now to one of the six PhD positions. Application Deadline: 27 March 2026, 12:00 noon. ⏳

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

How fast is the German landscape changing?⛰️ Using Be-10 data from VERA @univie.ac.at, Lianqing Zhang, Roland Zech et al. found long-term denudation in the Roda Catchment (Central Germany) is higher than modern short-term erosion, despite human impact 😱. Read more here 📖: doi.org/10.5194/egqs...

doi.org

Beryllium-10-derived denudation rates in the Roda Catchment, Germany

Abstract. Denudation is a key geomorphological process shaping landscapes. In-situ-produced cosmogenic 10Be has been used to quantify millennial denudation rates worldwide. Long-term denudation rates ...

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Same (but important!) procedure as every year: Have a look at our great female researchers at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Vienna @univie.ac.at ‼️👇

Shadow of a woman raises fist in the air in front of STEM-illustrating symbols. The chemical one shows carbon with too much bondings. :(

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

PhD position using C-14 AMS. Highly recommended! We love to measure C-14 in Vienna at VERA. isotopenphysik.univie.ac.at/veracore/

isotopenphysik.univie.ac.at

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EAG @eageo.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Don't miss the #Goldschmidt 2026 abstract submission deadline: 26 February 👇

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squawky.bsky.social @squawky.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Instead of an LPSC abstract, a few of us posted our concerns about the censorship of the conference at blog.planetary-research.org/2026/01/06/a..., with some suggestions for other conferences you can attend to discuss planetary science. (Definitely shorter than 2 pages 10 pt font, too!)

blog.planetary-research.org

An Open Letter Regarding LPSC - The Planetary Research Blog

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Females in Mass Spectrometry (FeMS+) @femalesinms.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

📢 FeMS Q4 2025 Empowerment Award applications are now open! More info here 👉https://femalesinms.com/empowerment/ Apply here👉https://airtable.com/applvoZXoHURMcSCq/shrQlJoZ6f2P5yWqc #FeMS #TeamMassSpec #WomenEmpowerment

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EAG @eageo.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

Recognizing deserving scientists is at the core of EAG's mission 🏆 2 weeks until the Awards Nomination deadline, for: - Senior scientists: Geochemistry Fellows, the H.C. Urey or Science Innovation award - ECRs: the Houtermans award 📅 Nominate your colleagues by 30 Oct More info: buff.ly/OLy4Plm

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

Really? 🤔 Six months gone and we are asking again for VERAcore Seed Grant proposals for free #AMS @univie.ac.at ? Here, we go: Happy to announce the 4th call‼️ It's just the same as before, but we'll set up a new email for you. Please send applications now to veracore.isotopenphysik@univie.ac.at. 🫵

QR code leading to https://isotopenphysik.univie.ac.at/veracore/veracore-seed-grants/

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Amazing: Our Nature Astronomy paper has an Altmetric Score of 499. Mentioned by 65 news outlets, 6 blogs, 32 X users, 1 Wikipedia page & 🥳 24 Bluesky users. Can anybody help to get it to 500? 😇 It's a nice paper "Catastrophic disruption of asteroid 2023 CX1 and implications for planetary defence"🤩

Altmetric Score of 499 for our Nature Astronomy Paper

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

🤩These are my favourite mails: "Your article is now published online!" Another great study led by Addi Bischoff from @uni-muenster.de including cosmogenic radionuclide data from our VERA AMS facility @univie.ac.at. It is still raining stones in Lower Austria. This time we investigated "Haag". 🌠

email saying that our paper was published online!

screenshot of our paper being online as "Early View"

screenshot of first page of our paper (pdf version)

me at the city of Haag - I did not look for meteorite pieces, just holiday.

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

On my way to the ReMade@ARI Meeting in Leuven. I love the trains in Belgium: On-time and friendly screens. This is what I need after a long but ecofriendly nighttrain ride from Vienna.

Screen in train to Leuven wishing me a nice travel

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 28/09/2025

Third and final stop "Tag des Denkmals": WUK (former locomotive production, today culture centre). Inside and outside true contrast!

Door to representative rooms WUK, Vienna.

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 28/09/2025

Second Stop "Tag des Denkmals": Palais Niederösterreich" (Palace Lower Austria). More than 500 years ago bought from the Liechtenstein Brothers.

Chapel built in the former entrance gate of Palais Niederösterreich. Daylight shining through the colourful window.

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 28/09/2025

First stop "Tag des Denkmals" (heritage day) in Vienna: #Oktoneum. Pretty young building (<40 years, Postmoderne) for Vienna, but I like it.

Sign Bundesministerium Wohnen, Kunst, Kultur, Medien und Sport

Male sculpture in entrance of Oktoneum in Vienna

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

The good things when working in Vienna: In autumn the theaters open again. Tonight #Volksoper Wien plays "Lass uns die Welt vergessen"...2nd-row seats...😀

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Silke Merchel @silke-merchel.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

happy, too 🤩...there are already some nice German articles about it...https://nature.altmetric.com/details/181458008/news

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Tom Higham @tommyhigham.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

PhD Studentship alert! I'm looking for a motivated student to work here in Vienna @vdsee-univie.bsky.social on my ERC grant "DISPERSE". It's a fulltime scholarship (working in 14C and #archsci in Palaeolithic archaeology in Eurasia. Details in the link below! jobs.univie.ac.at/job/Universi...

jobs.univie.ac.at

University assistant predoctoral 1

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