Career talk with Johann Kastner
As Vice President of Research & Development at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Johann Kastner is the central contact person for the R&D career model.
What does a typical R&D career look like?
There are numerous opportunities to work in R&D with us. The career as a research associate is typical, but there are various career paths, from internships to project management as a senior researcher.
Achieving R&D turnover records like those of the past few years will surely require numerous human resources?
Yes, that is true and also the reason, why the promotion of young researchers is very important to us. After completing their studies, we support our employees regarding their PhD studies and therefore set up a doctoral college in 2019. We currently have about 250 full-time academic staff working on over 500 projects.
And where do the employees mainly come from?
They are either graduates of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria itself or of other universities in order to pursue a research career directly after their graduation. Some may also come from companies, mostly from R&D departments, to advance their specialist topics with us.
Are students also involved in R&D?
Absolutely, the next generation of researchers is very important to us! Even during their studies, students have the opportunity to work on projects or as interns in R&D and make their first contacts.
