Structure of the WPI

The WPI is an independent research institute with the legal status of a nonprofit association.

Its governing body are its full members. The full members elect a board according to the Austrian law for associations.

According to the statutes the board nominates a director who runs the institute in the sense of a CEO. The "chairman of the board" ("Obmann") is at the same time the president of the WPI.

The full members of the WPI are scientists in STEM fields (mathematics, computer science, physics, … medicine,…) who were awarded an ERC grant or START/Wittgenstein Preis or act as speaker of an FWF SFB / DK.

The WPI currently groups a total of about 200 international scientists in 35 such projects affiliated at the full members university or at the WPI. The WPI is also host institution of EU and Austrian grants, such as FWF stand-alone-projects.

Since 2004, the WPI implements also the "WPI Thematic programmes and Pauli fellows", a programme funded with 250 000 Euro per year by the Austrian ministry of science (BM.BWF). Since 2006 the "Olga Taussky Pauli fellow" programme is added as a special program component for the promotion of women.

Since Mai 2004, the WPI also carries the Institut CNRS Pauli, a Unité Mixte Internationale (UMI 2842) of the CNRS, one of only 3 such UMI in Europe. It is an "interdisciplinary" UMI meaning that the CNRS departements in mathematics, computer science and physics are all represented. Up to 5 French researches can hence come and work at the WPI in Vienna/Austria, continuing to be paid in France. These researchers are allocated to the WPI groups in their field and are in general co-organizers of thematic programmes and/or Pauli fellows if they are more senior.