Sabine Seidler appointed to the IT:U Board of Trustees
IT:U is strengthening its Board of Trustees with one of Austria’s most distinguished higher education leaders. Sabine Seidler, former Rector of TU Wien and past President of the Austrian Universities Conference (uniko), has been appointed to the strategic supervisory body of Austria’s youngest public university.
From Founding Advisor to Trustee
Seidler’s appointment is made pursuant to Section 11 of the IT:U Act, in agreement with the Board members already appointed. Since 1 July 2026, the Board of Trustees has exercised strategic oversight of the university. Its responsibilities include appointing the President, approving the statutes, budget, and performance agreement, and adopting curricula. The law stipulates recognized scholars with extensive experience in science management, criteria that Seidler embodies in exemplary fashion.
“IT:U stands for a commitment to reimagining the university: interdisciplinary and rigorously aligned with the challenges of a digital and rapidly changing society. I had the opportunity to accompany IT:U during its founding phase, including as Chair of the Advisory Board, and I witnessed both the opportunities and the responsibilities that come with building a new kind of university. A future-oriented project like this requires courage to change, freedom to shape, and at the same time a clear responsibility to science, society, and the public. As a member of the Board of Trustees, I want to help ensure that IT:U delivers on this promise and thus makes a lasting contribution to the future of Austria’s science, education, and innovation landscape.”
Sabine Seidler, IT:U Board of Trustees
Strengthening strategic development
With leadership experience in Austrian higher education policy and at the helm of a major technical university, Seidler brings an important perspective to the Board, which plays a central strategic role in IT:U’s next development phase. Her expertise complements the diverse backgrounds within the body, which unites perspectives from academia, university management, international collaboration, and institutional practice.
“With Sabine Seidler, the Board of Trustees gains a seasoned university leader who understands institutions from multiple vantage points. In IT:U’s upcoming phase of development, her experience will be especially valuable in integrating scientific excellence, institutional responsibility, and our distinctive mission as a university for transformation.”
Stefanie Lindstaedt, IT:U Founding President
Decades of leadership in science and higher education
From 2011 to 2023, Seidler served as the first woman to lead TU Wien, guiding the university through three terms as Rector. From 2020 to 2023, she was also President of uniko, making her a central voice of Austrian universities. A materials scientist by training, she was appointed in 1996 as the first woman to a full professorship at TU Wien. She is recognized as an expert in the advancement of research universities, sustainable funding models, and the promotion of women in science and engineering.
Seidler remains actively engaged in Austria’s research and innovation ecosystem: since 2025 she has chaired the board of the alpha+ Foundation of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), and since 2024 she has served as Vienna’s STEM envoy. Her work has been recognized with numerous honors, including an honorary doctorate from TU Dresden.
About the governance transition
In accordance with Section 35 (5) of the IT:U Law (Federal Law Gazette I No. 43/2024), the mandate of the Founding Convention as the university’s strategic supervisory body concluded on 30 June 2026. Since 1 July 2026, the Board of Trustees has assumed these responsibilities pursuant to Section 11 of the IT:U Law. In addition to Seidler’s appointment, one further member of the Board of Trustees will be appointed pursuant to Section 11(2)(4) of the IT:U Act, in agreement with the members already appointed.