Peter Palese is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Microbiology of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, a position which he has held since 1987.

He is an international leader in the study of viruses that cause respiratory disease in humans. His emphasis has been on viruses that use RNA rather than DNA as their genetic material. His research to understand the structure and function of these viruses, how they interact with host cells and how they reproduce, continues to lead to the development of antiviral compounds and vaccines. Palese has received a number of awards for his professional achievements. In 2000 he was elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors that can be accorded to a U.S. scientist.

Palese holds a master's of Science in Pharmacy and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Vienna, Austria.

• Biological Agents from Nature and Elsewhere (published in OSTina Voices , July 31, 2003) Peter Palese was also featured in "bridges" vol. 13, April 16, 2007 Introducing Peter Palese -- Pharmacy Leads to Virology Leads to Mount Sinai .

Michael Paula is head of the unit: Energy and Environmental Technologies and initiated the Austrian Program on Technologies for Sustainable Development.

He has been lector for appropriate technology at the Technical University of Vienna since 1985. Since 1986 he has worked for the ministry in the field of energy research; and later in environmental technologies and strategies for sustainable development. Since 1996 Paula has been head of the unit: Energy and Environmental Technologies. Since 1999 he has worked on R&D strategies of technology-related research for sustainable development. He initiated the Austrian Program on Technologies for Sustainable Development with its subprograms “Building of Tomorrow,” “Factory of Tomorrow,” and “Energy Systems of Tomorrow.” In 2005 he initiated the Strategy Process, Energy 2050.

Paula studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Vienna.

• The “Building of Tomorrow”: Challenges of a Research Program (December 6, 2005)

He studied law at the University of Vienna, and during his studies spent one year in Madrid, participating in the Erasmus program. Since his graduation in 2002, Pecenka has completed an internship at the Austrian Courts, was previously involved with the organization of the Austrian EU Presidency in 2006, and is now responsible for EU and international matters in the Ministry of Science and Research. He was a visiting expert at the Office of Science & Technology from January to June 2008.

Pecenka holds a master's degree in law and received the degree, Master of Advanced International Studies, from Aliter Madrid. He also holds an M.B.A. in public management from SMBS – University of Salzburg Business School.

Contributions

• New European Commission Communication on Modernization of Higher Education (October 24, 2011)
• Youth on the Move - Moving Europe's Future? (December 21, 2010)
• Quo vadis student mobility? (July 1, 2008)
• The Rising Sun of Education in the EU: Lifelong Learning and the European Qualification Framework (April 28, 2008)

Hans Pechar is an associate professor at the Faculty for Interdisciplinary Studies (IFF), University of Klagenfurt (Vienna location), and head of the Institut for Science Communication and Research in Higher Education.

His research topics are comparative higher education and economics of higher education. In 1990/1991 he worked as a research associate at the Center for Studies in Higher Education, University of California at Berkeley.

Pechar received his Ph.D. in educational research from the University of Vienna.

• Why Austrian Universities Need a Tenure Track (July 13, 2005)

John J. Pederson retired from Zenith in 1991, where he started as a patent solicitor, and in succession has been manager of Zenith's Patent Department, general patent counsel, director of Patents, and vice president of Patents and Consumer Affairs.

He has been active in volunteer executive counseling for 10 years. He was a member of the Bar for the US Patent Office, the State of Illinois, and the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

Pederson earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, US, and his Doctor of Law degree from DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, Illinois, US.

• A Tribute: AUSTRIAN-BORN PHYSICIST ROBERT ADLER, 1913-2007 (April16, 2007)

Ada Pellert is vice president for academic affairs and professor of continuing education research at the Danube University in Krems, Austria, a state university for further and advanced studies.

Since 1989, she is has been a member of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies of Austrian Universities of Klagenfurt, Vienna, Innsbruck, Graz (IFF), Department of Higher Education Research. Her research focuses on higher education management and leadership, and on organizational development and staff development in institutions of higher education.

Pellert received her master’s degree in business administration and a Ph.D. in social and economic sciences from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration.

Ingrid Perschl worked as an intern in the Office of Science and Technology from January through March 2011.

She studies communication science at the University of Vienna, focusing on the fields of public relations, multimedia journalism, and communication research. Prior to her communication studies, she completed a program for media and graphics design in Vienna. She has been working in journalism, advertising, and public relations.

• Kurt Kotrschal: Works with Wolves: How Behavioral Biology Provides Insight into Human Behavior (April 18, 2011)

Karoline Peter is a nutritional scientist who has done internships in different areas of the life sciences.

She has completed internships at the Department of Molecular Biology at the University of Zagreb, the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), and the Diabetes and Adiposity Ambulance Service at Vienna General Hospital. Her wanderlust and curiosity led Peter to Costa Rica and Thailand, where she worked on diverse projects. She was also an intern at the Office of Science & Technology from January to March 2009.

Peter earned her master’s degree in nutritional sciences from the University of Vienna.

• Introducing Sylvia Stoeckler Ipsiroglu – a Champion of Newborn Screening (April 10, 2009)

Nicolas Peter is currently a Research Fellow at the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) seconded by ESA's DG Policy Office.

He has presented and published over 50 articles related to space activities and, in particular, space policy. Additionally, he was chosen to be the principal rapporteur in major international conferences in Europe, Asia and North America. He has been a teaching associate for the International Space University's master's program and a faculty and team project co-chair for the Summer Session Program. He has been a senior research assistant at the Space Policy Institute in Washington, DC, and a Research Fellow at the X Prize Foundation.

Peter holds his first master's degree in space systems and environment and a second master's degree in space technology applications from Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg, France. He is also a graduate of the International Space University's Master in Space Studies Program. Peter also holds a master's degree in international science and technology policy from the George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.

• NASA's Directions and its Impacts on Trans-Atlantic Space Relations (April 19, 2006)

Patti McGill Peterson is currently senior associate at the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP). Prior to joining IHEP, she served as executive director of the Council for International Exchange of Scholars and vice president of the Institute of International Education from 1997 to 2007. In that capacity she provided leadership for Fulbright scholar exchanges with 150 countries and for the development of a series of innovative global programs related to higher education development.

Peterson is president emerita of Wells College and St. Lawrence University, where she held presidencies from 1980 to 1996. She has served as chair of the US-Canada Commission for Educational Exchange, National Women’s College Coalition, American Council on Education’s Commissions on Academic Leadership and Governmental Affairs, Public Leadership Education Network, Salzburg Seminar on International Academic Mobility, and is a past president of the Association of Colleges and Universities of the State of New York.

Dr. Peterson holds a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University. Her master’s and doctoral degrees are from the University of Wisconsin. She did post-doctoral study at Harvard University.

• America in the World: Higher Education and the Global Marketplace (July 14, 2010)

Since 2003, Madeleine Petrovic has been chairwoman and member of the Green Party of  Lower Austria's state parliament. In 2008, she was elected president of Vienna for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

In 1990 she was elected top candidate of the "Grüne Alternative Wien" and became a member of parliament. She was again top candidate in the 1994 and 1995 parliamentary elections. From 1994 to 1996 Petrovic acted as the party's spokeswoman and until 1999 chaired the party's parliamentary club. Her areas of specialization are environment, nature conservation, women, culture, energy & anti-atomic energy policy, and animal protection.Prior to these functions, Petrovic was a lecturer in Roman law at the University of Vienna and worked at the Ministry of Social Affairs and as a legal interpreter.

Petrovic holds a Ph.D. in law from the University of Vienna, a master's degree in business studies from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration and language diplomas from the University of Michigan (English) and Brussels (French).

• A New Energy Policy - The European Perspective (April 19, 2006)

Franz Pichler has retired since November 2006 as Science Attaché to the Permanent Representation of Austria to the EU.

He is currently working on a novel related to European Affairs.

Pichler studied in Vienna and holds a Ph.D. from the "Institute of International Studies" at the University of Geneva, Switzerland.

• Bioethics in the European Community's Seventh Framework Program for RTD (2007-2013) (December 14, 2006)
• Challenges for the Finnish Presidency in Research & Technological Development (September 28, 2006)
• EU News on the 7th Framework Program (December 6, 2005)
• EU News on Nano & ITER (September 20, 2005)
• European Crisis Deepens (July 13, 2005)
• The Relaunch of the Lisbon Agenda and the Launch of the 7th Framework Programme on RTD (April 14, 2005)
• European Leaders Discuss Lisbon Agenda and Composition of New Commission (December 7, 2004)
• New European Commission Focus on Competitiveness and Growth (October 5, 2004)
• Future European Research Policy (July 20, 2004)

Markus Pichler is studying business administration at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, where he specializes in entrepreneurship & innovation as well as marketing management.

Besides his studies, Pichler has gained hands-on practice while working with the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and through his engagement in starting up the Junior Enterprise icons - consulting by students, where he has been a member of the Executive Board since July 2009. Pichler has been working with the core team of project-e, an educational development program in Ethiopia, for which the team won the Social Impact Award in Vienna in June 2009.

He also completed a study visit at INEX Summer University in San Jose, Costa Rica, with classes in sustainable responsibility and international marketing, and internships with Virginia Tech in North Carolina, US, and Morelia, Mexico.

• Introducing Markus Wagner - One Who Undertakes an Endeavor (December 21, 2009)

Susan Piedmont-Palladino is an architect and an associate professor at Virginia Tech's Washington Alexandria Architecture Center.

She recently joined the staff of the National Building Museum as a curator, after having been a consulting curator and writer for Big and Green: Toward Sustainable Architecture in the 21st Century and Masonry Variations, and the guest curator for Tools of the Imagination. Piedmont-Palladino will be the curator for the upcoming Green Communities exhibition, scheduled to open in fall 2008. She is the former national president of Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility and has lectured and written on design/build, sustainability, and the design process. She served as a consultant to the Department of Energy on the development of the rules and regulations for the Solar Decathlon.

• Turning Green: Educating the Public about Sustainability (September 28, 2006)

Roger A. Pielke, Jr. has been on the faculty of the University of Colorado since 2001 and is a professor in the Environmental Studies Program and a fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES). He is also currently a visiting fellow in the Mackinder Programme at the London School of Economics.

At CIRES, he served as director of the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research from 2001 to 2007. His research focuses on the intersection of science and technology and decision making. In 2006 he received the Eduard Brückner Prize in Munich, Germany, for outstanding achievement in interdisciplinary climate research. Before joining the University of Colorado, from 1993 to 2001 Pielke was a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Roger is a senior fellow of the Breakthrough Institute. He is also author, coauthor, or coeditor of seven books, including The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics, published in 2007 by Cambridge University Press. His most recent book is The Climate Fix: What Scientists and Politicians Won't Tell You About Global Warming (September, 2010, Basic Books).

Pielke holds a Ph.D. in political science, an M.A in public policy, and a B.A. in mathematics, all from the University of Colorado.

• Innovation Policy Lessons of the Vasa (December 16, 2011)
• Lessons of the L'Aquila Lawsuit (October 24, 2011)
• The Policy Advisor’s Dilemma (July 20, 2011)
• Democracy’s Open Secret (April 18, 2011)        
• Beyond the Annual Climate Confab (December 21, 2010)
• Sucess is not Guaranteed (October 19, 2010)
  
• Sport: An Academic’s Perfect Laboratory (July 14, 2010)
• Inside the Black Box of Science Advisory Committee Empanelment (April 21, 2010)
• Building Bridges between Europe and North America in Science Policy (December 21, 2009)
• Understanding the Copenhagen Climate Deal: The Fix is In (October 15, 2009)
• First Reflections from a Workshop on Science Policy Research and Science Policy Decisions (July 17, 2009)
• Obama's Climate Policy: A Work in Progress (April 10, 2009)
• An Interview with John H. Marburger, Outgoing US President's Science Advisor (December 22, 2008)
• The Rodel of Risk Models in the Financial Crisis (October 16, 2008)
• Has Technology Assessment Kept Pace with Globalization? (July 1, 2008)
• Blinded by Assumptions (April 28, 2008)
• Technology Assesment and Globalization (December 2007)
• Late Action by Lame Ducks (September 28, 2007)
• From "Is it True?" to "So What?" (July 12, 2007)
• The Honest Broker (April 16, 2007)
• The 2006 US Midterm Elections and Science and Technology Policy (December 2006)
• Self-Segregation of Scientists by Political Predispositions (September 2006)
• How to Break Up NASA (June 29, 2006)
• Science Policy Without Science Policy Research (April 19, 2006)
• The Role of Science Studies in Science Policy (December 6, 2005)
• Making Sense of Trends in Disaster Losses (September 20, 2005)
• Science Academies as Political Advocates (July 13, 2005)

Sylvia Pilz has been working as a consultant in the social policy department of the regional chamber Vienna of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber since December 2004. 

From April to June 2003, she supported the Office of Science and Technology (OST) in Washington, D.C., where she was primarily responsible for researching material for OST's online publication Voices on U.S. Science & Technology Policy and for legal matters relating to Austrian citizenship. From May 2002 through January 2003, Pilz completed her practical legal training for the District Courts and the Court of Appeals in Graz, Austria. She has been teaching Austrian labor law at an adult learning institution in Austria since 2002. She also worked as a lawyer for Team-i Consulting and the Styrian Economic Society.

Pilz holds a master's degree and a Ph.D. in Law from the Karl-Franzens University in Graz, Austria.

Since August 2008, William A. Pizer has been the deputy assistant secretary for environment and energy. 

During 2001-2002, he served as a senior economist at the President's Council of Economic Advisers where he worked on environment and climate change issues. He was a visiting scholar at Stanford University's Center for Environmental Science and Policy during 2000-2001, and taught at the Johns Hopkins University during 1997-1999. Pizer's research seeks to quantify how various features of environmental policy and economic context, including uncertainty, individual and regional variation, technological change, irreversibility, spillovers, voluntary participation, and flexibility, influence a policy's efficacy.

Pizer holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University and a B.A. in physics from the University of North Carolina.

• Climate Change Policy in the United States 2006 (April 19, 2006)

Simone Pötscher has been a member of the OST team since July 2006.

She gained experience working in the private sector in the fields of public relations and event management in Vienna, Austria, while completing her studies. She has been working in project management in the public sector, supporting an Austrian university and, for the past several years, the offices of the Embassy of Austria in Washington, DC.

A certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Pötscher also holds a master’s degree in communications and English from the University of Vienna, Austria, and a certificate in project management from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. In addition, she has been awarded certificates in the fields of speech communications, leadership, and business economics.

• A Bright Alternative: Austro-Indian Solar Cooking Initiatives (April 21, 2010)
• A Memorable Journey – the In Search of Memory Tour, US 2009 (April 10, 2009)

Gerhard Pohl is founder and chairman of the working group on the history of chemistry within the Austrian Chemical Society.

His specialties are biophysical chemistry and history of science. Pohl's professional experience includes research and teaching positions at the Universities of Basle, Switzerland; San Francisco, California; Konstanz, Germany; and Linz, Austria. A frequent guest lecturer at several European universities, he published over 70 publications on various areas in chemistry and four books on teaching chemistry. Pohl has organized a number of international meetings, conferences and symposia. He received several awards, including the Karlson lecturer award of the German Chemical Society in 2003.

• The Ignaz L. Lieben Project: Vienna, 8–10 November 2004 (December 7, 2004)

Milan Polak studied political science and researched in the topics of global political economy.

He has previously worked at the Cultural Forum and the Office for Technical Cooperation in Belgrade. From April through June 2007, he was an intern at the Office of Science & Technology.

Polak studied political science at the Universities of Salzburg and Warwick. In summer 2007, he graduated with a master’s degree.

• Nanotechnology: Exploring the fashion of thinking small (July 12, 2007)
• A "Win-win-win" Situation: Nanotechnology in Regenerative Medicine (July 12, 2007)
• Introducing Wolfgang Porod, or Why Good Things Come in Small Packages (July 12, 2007)

Wolfgang Polt is currently heading the Vienna office of the Institute for Technology and Regional Policy of Joanneum Research Ltd, one of the largest public contract research organizations in Austria.

He has long worked in the area of science, technology and innovation policy, especially in the international context. His work experience includes the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Commission, where he coordinated a number of large international projects. As a policy consultant Polt worked in Austria, Finland, Japan, Switzerland and in several Eastern European countries. He is representing Austria in the ‘Six countries Program for Innovation’. His areas of work include international comparative project on science, technology and innovation policy, consulting, design and evaluation of technology and innovation program and policies.

Polt holds a degree in Economics from the University of Vienna.

• Recent Trends in International Science and Technology Policy (October 5, 2004)

Alfred S. Posamentier is dean of the School of Education and professor of Mathematics Education at the City College of the City University of New York.

Among many other distinctions, he was awarded the Grand Medal of Honor from the Republic of Austria and was made an Honorary Fellow of the South Bank University in London; he was awarded the title of Ehrenbürger (Honorary Fellow) of the Vienna University of Technology and, in 2004, was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honor for Arts and Science First Class from the president of the Republic of Austria. In 2006 he was awarded the highly coveted Townsend Harris Medal from the The City College of New York Alumni Association, and in 2005 the Hunter College Alumni Association elected him to their – Hall of Fame. In 1990 he was a Fulbright Professor at the University of Vienna. Now in his 38th year on the faculty of the City College, he is still a leading commentator on educational issues and continues his long-time passion of seeking ways to make mathematics interesting to teachers and students, as well as to the general public. His recent books include Math Wonders to Inspire Teachers and Students (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2003) and, for the general readership: Math Charmers: Tantalizing Tidbits for the Mind (Prometheus Books, 2003), Pi: A Biography of the World’s Most Mysterious Number (Prometheus Books, 2004), The Fabulous Fibonacci Numbers (Prometheus Books, 2007), Exemplary Practices for Secondary Math Teachers (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2007) and Problem-solving Strategies for Efficient and Elegant Solutions (Corwin, 2008), among others.

Posamentier earned a B.A. from Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY), an M.A. from CUNY in mathematics education and received his Ph.D. in mathematics education from Fordham University.

• Leonhard Euler: His Work Equated to Genius (July 12, 2007)

Barbara Posch joined the Ministry of Economy in January 2010, focusing on EU competitiveness and internal market policies. In the course of her job orientation, she worked in the Departments of Sustainable Economic Policy and International Energy Policy in the Ministry of Economy, and as a visiting expert from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth at the OST, where she gained more insight into US economic and innovation policy.

Barbara Posch studied communications and political science at the University of Vienna and at the Institut d'Études Sciences Politiques in Paris. She wants to pursue her Ph.D. in political sciences.

During and after her studies, she interned at several institutions including the so-called “Tirol Büro,” a liaison office of the Austrian and Italian Region of Tirol in Brussels; the Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs in Vienna; and the Paris-based think tank, Institut Français des Relations Internationales.

• Apprenticeships: Managing the Skills Mismatch (December 16, 2011)

Daniel Posch worked as an intern in the Office of Science & Technology (OST) from July through September 2011.

Before he joined the OST, Daniel gained work experience in the technology sector and strategy consulting, and was involved in students’ councils on all levels.

He is going to spend a year in Paris and is preparing to complete his bachelor’s degree in physics in Summer 2012.

• Introducing Thomas Jennewein and Robert Prevedel (October 24, 2011)

Ines Pree is currently pursuing her Ph.D. studies, which she started in 2006 at the University of Vienna where she is doing research on human allergies.

During her studies, she specialized in immune biology and worked on a research project for her diploma thesis in the field of transplantation. Her work has been published in scientific journals and presented at national and international meetings. From January to March 2007 she interrupted her research project for a three-month internship at the Office of Science & Technology.

Pree completed her master's degree in microbiology and genetics at the University of Vienna in 2005.

• Introducing Peter Palese - Pharmacy leads to Virology leads to Mount Sinai (April 16, 2007)
• RE$EARCH RE$OURCES: www.grants.at (April 16, 2007)

Klaus Puchbauer-Schnabel is a staff member of the Department of Research and Technology at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy, Youth, and Family where he is specializing in eMobility matters. From April to June 2010, Puchbauer participated in the OST Stagiaire Program and spent three months at the Office of Science & Technology as a visiting expert.

He has been working for the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy, Youth, and Family since 2009. Prior to that, he worked for the Austrian Research Promotion Agency, the Austrian Rector's Conference, and the Ministry of Science.

Puchbauer-Schnabel studied international business administration at the University of Vienna, specializing in international energy management and business information systems.

• Collaboration between Academia and Industry in the US and in Austria – How TIP, STTR, and COMET Help to Bring Ideas to Market (July 14, 2010)

Sabine Pölzl is a member of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research. Currently she's working as national expert in the European Commission.

Since 2000 she has been the coordinator of various science projects within the framework of the European Social Fund. Previous to her current position, Pölzl coordinated European Union issues within the Ministry. In 2002 she spent three months in Sweden as a Senior Visiting Expert, followed by a six-month stay at the Office of Science & Technology in Washington, D.C. from fall 2003 through winter 2004. From 1995 – 1997, she was invited to join the Sokrates technical assistance office in Brussels to help manage EU mobility programs.

Sabine Pölzl holds a master's degree in English and German from the University of Graz, Austria.