Silke Weidinger is currently based in Graz, Austria, where she intends to work in consulting and human resources. From April to June 2003, Dr. Weidinger supported the Office of Science and Technology in Washington, D.C. as a Junior Visiting Expert. She was primarily concerned with the analysis of relevant news on science and technology issues and administrative duties. During her studies, Dr. Weidinger gained valuable professional experience through various internships, including internships with Deloitte & Touche Tohmatsu, Steweag-Steg GmbH (controlling and finance division), and RAIKA (accounting and mortgage division).

Silke Weidinger holds Master’s degrees in Business and Business Education and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Graz, Austria. Her doctoral dissertation focused on an empirical study about 'motivation, human resource management and incentive-systems' in companies.

• Project BioShield (July 20, 2004)

Barbara Weitgruber is the Senior Advisor for Strategy and Coordination in the field of international relations with a special consideration for the Interface Science - Research - Education at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research in Vienna Austria.

She was founding staff member and then director of the Office for International Relations and lecturer at Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Austria and Director of the Office for European Educational Co-operation of the Austrian Academic Exchange Service in Vienna, Austria. In December 1994 she joined the Austrian Ministry in charge of higher education and research as head of department and later became Deputy Director General for Higher Education and Director General for Scientific Research and International Relations.

Barbara holds a "Magister" degree in English/American and Interdisciplinary Studies, a Certificate in Mass Media and a Translator´s Diploma in English from Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Austria and a M.A. in Communications from the University of Illinois at Chicago, US, where she started her professional career as a Fulbright Scholar and Teaching Assistant.

• “From Bologna to London” – on the road to the European Higher Education Area (April 19, 2006)

Georg Wick is Professor Emeritus in the Laboratory of Immunopathology at the Medical University of Innsbruck. He is also the former President of the Austrian Science Fund (Wissenschaftsfonds – FWF).

His scientific fields of interest are centered on the topics of autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases, immunology of aging with special emphasis on immune-inflammatory processes in atherosclerosis, and the interaction of the immune and endocrine systems. He is the author of over 500 scientific publications, including eight books. In addition, he sits on the editorial board of several journals and is the editor-in-chief of Experimental Gerontology.

Georg holds a Ph.D. in Medicine from the University of Vienna Medical School. During his postdoctoral career he first worked at the Institute of General and Experimental Pathology at the University of Vienna Medical School. After his specialization in internal medicine, Georg spent three years at the Center of Immunology, State University of New York at Buffalo, NY. In 1975, he was appointed Professor and Chairman for Pathophysiology and Immunology at the University of Innsbruck Medical School, where, from 1991–2003, he also was Director of the newly founded Institute for Biomedical Aging Research of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Innsbruck.

• Basic Research Funding in Austria (July 20, 2004)

Guido Wimmers is an architect based in Innsbruck, Austria, and specializing in the creation of low energy consumption concepts for new buildings. With this qualification he works at the Energy Institute of Tyrol in Austria. Simultaneously he collaborated in the development and operation of several passive house projects. His experiences as an architect and developer include the construction of passive houses in the field of “passive” residential buildings and “passive” office buildings, as well as reconstructions and renovations ranging from schools to a passive house.

In his function as architect and consultant, he was actively involved in projects in Berlin, Germany, Belluno, Italy, and Tirolia. Being one of the initiators of the Austrian passive house group, he is engaged in activities involving that project in Canada.
Mr. Wimmers works as a trainer for several education institutes and lectures at the University of Innsbruck. In addition, he is working on a dissertation that involves the implementation of energy saving technologies by renovating old buildings with historical value.

• The Austrian Passive House Group Visits Canada: Promoting the Building of Tomorrow (September 28, 2006)

Eleonora Windisch is currently employed at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila as Head of the Planning and Coordination Unit in the Office of Administrative Services. Prior to joining ADB, she worked as a career diplomat for the Austrian Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs with postings in Mexico, Indonesia and the United States.
At ADB, Ms. Windisch worked closely with a number of Philippine Government agencies on immunity issues, developed a community outreach strategy, and coordinated the corporate footprint for ADB’s first Sustainability Report in 2007.

Eleonora Windisch holds Masters degrees from the University of Vienna in Political Science and Development Policy, and German and English Literature. She also earned a postgraduate diploma from the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna.

• Janez Potocnik: EU Commissioner for Science and Research (December 7, 2004)
• Josef Penninger—The Making of a Scientist (December 7, 2004)
• Conference Report on Clinical Research Education in Vienna (October 5, 2004)
• Helga Nowotny—Plurality, Diversity and Transdisciplinarity as Leitmotif for a Successful Scientist within European Science Policy (October 5, 2004)
• Sonja Hammerschmid - In Profile (October 5, 2004)
• Barbara Weitgruber: Enhancing Austria’s Position in the European Higher Education and Research World (July 20, 2004)
• Kerri-Ann Jones: Forging International Cooperation to Enhance Scientific Advancement (July 20, 2004)
• Martin Bernhofer: Cyberscience – Using New Tools to Understand and Communicate Science in the Digital Age (July 20, 2004)
• The Advanced Measurement Laboratory: Designed to Be the World’s Best (July 20, 2004)
• Edeltraud Stiftinger: How to Turn Scientific Research into Commercial Opportunities (April 20, 2004)
• Harald Isemann: Building an Optimal Framework for World-Class Biotechnology Research (April 20, 2004)
• Sherwood Boehlert, A Congressional Free Spirit Consumed with Voting his Conscience (April 20, 2004)
• Shirley Ann Jackson: A 'Woman of Firsts' - A Women of Superlatives (April 20, 2004)
• Wolfgang Mantl: The Austrian Science Board, an Endeavor to Improve University Qualification and Performance (April 20, 2004)

Wolfgang C. Winkelmayer is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and an Associate Physician in the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Having received training in General Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Dr. Winkelmayer's scientific contributions have highlighted the need for timely nephrologist consultation in patients with chronic kidney disease. He is also interested in drug utilization patterns and effectiveness studies in patients with kidney disease including those on dialysis or with a kidney transplant. Furthermore, he is conducting prospective studies of cardiovascular risk in kidney transplant recipients. He is also Past President of ASciNA (Austrian Scientists and Scholars in North America) and Founding Member of the ASciNA Chapter of Geater Boston.

Wolfgang Winkelmayer holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Vienna, a Master's degree in Public Health (Health Care Management) and a Doctor of Science degree (Health Policy and Management) from the Harvard School of Public Health.

• A Report on ASciNA: Full Throttle Ahead (April 20, 2004)

Peter J. Winzer studied electrical engineering/communications engineering. His academic work, largely supported by the European Space Agency (ESA), was related to laser radar for space-borne Doppler wind measurement applications and to highly sensitive free-space optical communication systems. After joining Bell Labs (Holmdel, NJ/USA) as a Member of Technical Staff in 2000, he focused on optical fiber telecommunications and high-capacity data networking.

Mr. Winzer has published extensively in the field of optical communications and networking, and holds several related patents. He is a member of the Optical Society of America (OSA), a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and serves on the committees of various international conferences.

He received his Dipl.-Ing. and Dr. techn. degrees in 1996 and 1998, respectively, and the venia docendi (Univ. Doz.) in photonic communications in 2003 from the Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria.

• The Power of A Critical Mass (September 20, 2005)

With an advanced diploma in industrial microbiology, Phil Wirdzek served as environmental scientist, toxicologist and senior advisor for sustainable practices within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for 28 years.

His work included regulatory development, health and environmental risk assessment, test data auditing and negotiating chemical testing needs. His career led to laboratory environmental planning and operations for EPA laboratories. He became the agency’s national energy manager and was responsible for creating the public-private partnership Laboratories for the 21st Century (Labs21 ). As director of Labs21, Phil designed the program in partnership with the US Department of Energy to promote energy efficiency and improved environmental performance in U.S. laboratories.

He left federal service in 2004 to found the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL). Now the non-profit co-sponsor for Labs21, I2SL’s mission is to encourage greater industry involvement in the promoting the goals of Labs21 and encouraging greater information sharing among other high technology buildings (i.e., hospitals, clean rooms, fabrication and nano-facilities).

• Going Green and Beyond: the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University (September 28, 2006)