Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Maximilian Fochler

Head of Department
Vice Director of the Studies Programme Sociology

Tel: +43-1-4277-49613

eMail: maximilian.fochler@univie.ac.at

Consultation hours:
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Biography

Maximilian Fochler is professor and head of the Department of Science and Technology Studies. His main research area is science and knowledge cultures. His recent research work focuses on forms of knowledge production at the interface of science and other societal domains (such as the economy), as well as on the impact of new forms of governing science on academic knowledge production.

From 2011 to 2014, his APART-project “Living and working in the hothouses of innovation” studied how people live, work and produce knowledge in hybrid spaces at the interfaces of academia and business, such as for example biotech startup companies. Focussing on the life sciences in the Vienna region, Max Fochler was particularly interested how the specifics of place and local context come to matter in these new contexts of producing knowledge and innovations. In the framework of this project, he worked as a guest researcher at Oslo University and the Berlin Social Science Centre.

The Apart project continued a long standing interest in the changing cultures of living, working and producing knowledge in the life sciences, and in the social and ethical dimension of these changes. During his PostDoc in the project “Living Changes in the Life Sciences”, Max Fochler had the opportunity to study these changes in the academic life sciences in Austria.

During his PhD, he worked on several projects which focussed on the relations between science and society, in the life sciences and beyond. His PhD thesis, entitled „Participating in which kind of governance?“ dealt with citizen perspectives on the concepts of governance and public participation in the life sciences. It has been awarded the “Award of Excellence” for the best Austrian dissertations by the Federal Minister of Research in 2008.

Maximilian Fochler has had the opportunity to contribute to the establishment of the new master programme Science-Technology-Society, for which he is responsible as Deputy Director of Studies from 2014. Together with colleagues, he received the University of Vienna teaching award for the development of a case based learning approach in the basic modules of this program.

Current Research Interests

the shifting cultures and practices of contemporary knowledge production
issues of science and democracy, in particular concerning the governance of innovation
the relations between techno-sciences and their publics

Publications

Falkenberg, R. I., Sigl, L., & Fochler, M. (2024). From ‘making lists’ to conducting ‘well-rounded’ studies: Epistemic re-orientations in soil microbial ecology. Social Studies of Science, 54(1), 78-104. https://doi.org/10.1177/03063127231179700

Falkenberg, R., & Fochler, M. (2024). Innovation in Technology Instead of Thinking? Assetization and Its Epistemic Consequences in Academia. Science, Technology & Human Values, 49(1), 105-130. https://doi.org/10.1177/01622439221140003

Felt, U., & Fochler, M. (2024). Quality Assessment in Berufungsprozessen an Higher Education Institutions in Österreich: Eine analytische Bestandsaufnahme von Praktiken, Perspektiven und Herausforderungen. https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/o:2054391

Asdal, K., Doganova, L., & Fochler, M. (2024). Valuation studies as a frame in STS. In U. Felt, & A. Irwin (Eds.), Elgar Encyclopedia of Science and Technology Studies (pp. 79-86). Edward Elgar.

Sigl, L., Falkenberg, R., & Fochler, M. (2023). Changing articulations of relevance in soil science: Diversity and (potential) synergy of epistemic commitments in a scientific discipline. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A, 97, 79-90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2022.12.004

Bieszczad, S. R., Fochler, M., & Brodschneider, R. (2023). How Citizen Scientists See their Own Role and Expertise: An Explorative Study of the Perspectives of Beekeepers in a Citizen Science Project. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, 8(1), 1-12. Article 26. https://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.501

Falkenberg, R. I., Fochler, M., Sigl, L., Bürstmayr, H., Eichorst, S., Michel, S., Oburger, E., Staudinger, C., Steiner, B., & Wöbken, D. (2022). The breakthrough paradox: How focusing on one form of innovation jeopardizes the advancement of science. EMBO Reports, 23(7), Article e54772. https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.202254772

Falkenberg, R. I., Fochler, M., & Sigl, L. (2022). Collaboratively exploring notions of innovativeness in research practices. A short tale of interdisciplinary publishing.. Web publication https://blog-sts.univie.ac.at/2022/06/30/collaboratively-exploring-notions-of-innovativeness-in-research-practices-a-short-tale-of-interdisciplinary-publishing/

Sigl, L., Felt, U., & Fochler, M. (2020). “I am Primarily Paid for Publishing ...” The Narrative Framing of Societal Responsibilities in Academic Life Science Research. Science and Engineering Ethics, 26(3), 1569–1593. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-020-00191-8

Felt, U., & Fochler, M. (2020). Wissenschaft. In Forschungs- und Anwendungsfelder der Soziologie (3 ed., pp. 308-322). Facultas.

Sigl, L., & Fochler, M. (2019). Gemeinsam oder einsam? Über den Umgang mit Unsicherheiten in Biotech und akademischer Forschung. Laborjournal, 2019(7-8), 40-43.

Felt, U., & Fochler, M. (2018). Der gesellschaftliche Impact sozialwissenschaftlichen Wissens in Österreich: Wirkungswege, Messung, Potentiale: Eine explorative Studie. Institut für Wissenschafts- und Technikforschung, Universität Wien. https://www.rat-fte.at/files/rat-fte-pdf/publikationen/2018/181022_Abschlussbericht_Societal%20Impact_Felt_Fochler%202018-min.pdf

Felt, U., Fochler, M., Richter, A., Schroeder, R., & Sigl, L. (2018). How to weave societal responsibility into the fabric of universities. Web publication, Reflections - Blog of the STS Department at the University of Vienna. https://blog.sts.univie.ac.at/2018/09/06/how-to-weave-societal-responsibility-into-the-fabric-of-universities/

Felt, U., Fochler, M., Richter, A., Schroeder, R., & Sigl, L. (2018). Scientific excellence and social relevance are two sides of the same coin. Times Higher Education. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/scientific-excellence-and-social-relevance-are-two-sides-same-coin

Fochler, M., & Sigl, L. (2018). Anticipatory Uncertainty: How Academic and Industry Researchers in the Life Sciences Experience and Manage the Uncertainties of the Research Process Differently. Science as Culture, 27(3), 349-374. https://doi.org/10.1080/09505431.2018.1485640

Fochler, M. (2018). Book Review: Stephen Hilgartner, Reordering life: Knowledge and control in the genomics revolution. Public Understanding of Science, 1012-1013.

Fochler, M. (2018). How entrepreneurs learn in their region: entrepreneurial strategies, financialisation and narrative learning in the Vienna biotechnology cluster. Triple Helix, 5(1), Article 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40604-018-0055-7

Felt, U., Fochler, M., & Sigl, L. (2018). IMAGINE RRI. A card-based method for reflecting on responsibility in life science research. Journal of Responsible Innovation, 5(2), 201-224. https://doi.org/10.1080/23299460.2018.1457402

Leisyte, L., & Fochler, M. (2018). Topical collection of the Triple Helix Journal: Agents of change in university- industry-government-society relationships. Triple Helix, 5(1), Article 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40604-018-0056-6

Fochler, M., & De Rijcke, S. (2017). Implicated in the Indicator Game? An Experimental Debate. Engaging Science, Technology, and Society, 3, 21-40. https://doi.org/10.17351/ests2017.108