Key Skills & Experience
- Innovation & Leadership
- Project Funding – Proposal writing, project/business planning, cost planning | Secured funding across academia, startups, and SMEs (2010-present)
- Project Management – Project leadership, risk management, stakeholder coordination | Led national/international R&D projects as applied researcher (2010-2017) and startup co-founder (2021–2025)
- Operations Management – KPI tracking, task & team management, procurement, financials | Built scalable operations as startup head of operations (2021–2025)
- Research & Business Insights
- User Research – Surveys, interviews, focus groups, UX/usability testing | Led extensive user studies (2008–2017) and guest lectured in HCI (2018–2019)
- Data Analysis & Analytics – Data collection/cleaning, analysis, visualization | Conducted data analyses as applied researcher and for industry/startups (2008-present)
- Business Analysis & Analytics – Requirements engineering, needs assessment, data-to-business translation | Bridged data insights with business strategy in applied research (2010-2017) and as startup co-founder (2021–2025)
- AI & Intelligent Systems
- Predictive Modelling & Advanced Analytics – Statistical and predictive modelling | Applied predictive modelling in industry/startups (2017–2025) and lectured on Big Data Analytics (2018–2023)
- AI/LLM Engineering – API integration, RAG, prompt design, model evaluation, automation | Currently expanding skills in AI/LLM integration, building prototypes and exploring AI-driven solutions (2025-present)
Work Experience
| 10/2018 – present | Freelance Funding Manager, The Minted, Vienna, Austria – Supporting startups and SMEs with public funding applications (national and international funding programs); advising on proposal strategy and project planning across various sectors |
| 09/2017 – present | Freelancer in Data & Business Analytics, Austria – Consulting startups and SMEs on advanced data analytics, business intelligence, and predictive modelling; translating data insights into actionable business strategies |
| 04/2021 – 08/2025 | Co-Founder, Head of Operations & Data Analytics, Dreamwaves, Vienna, Austria – Led successful fundraising efforts, built and optimized operational processes and tools, led team development, and implemented data analytics to enable data-driven decisions |
| 05/2018 – 06/2023 | Guest Lecturer, University of Applied Sciences FH Joanneum, Kapfenberg, Austria – Taught Big Data Analytics and User Research to Bachelor’s students, translating concepts into practical, industry-relevant skills |
| 04/2014 – 08/2017 | Scientist, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Vienna, Austria – Acquired and managed funded and customer projects, delivered data-driven insights, and supported recommendations in user acceptance, user experience and personalised solutions |
| 07/2010 – 04/2014 | Usability Engineer / Human-Computer Interaction Researcher, CURE – Center for Usability Research & Engineering, Vienna, Austria – Secured, coordinated, and executed usability and UX optimization projects, conducted user research and evaluations, improved interaction design and user satisfaction |
| 09/2008 – 07/2010 | Postgraduate Researcher, Cognitive Science Section, Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria – Designed and evaluated game-based learning environments, conducted user studies, collected and analyzed data to inform iterative improvements |
Education
| 08/2024 – present | University course Management & Social Skills, Austrian School of Applied Studies, Wels, Austria |
| 09/2015 – 03/2016 | University course Project Management, University of Salzburg Business School, Austria |
| 10/2010 – 10/2013 | Bachelor degree in Software Design, University of Applied Sciences FH Joanneum, Kapfenberg, Austria |
| 01/2013 – 05/2013 | Semester abroad, Institute of Technology Tallaght, Dublin, Irland |
| 10/2003 – 06/2008
10/2001 – 10/2002 |
Diploma degree in Psychology, University of Graz, Austria
|
| 10/2002 – 10/2003 | Studies of Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Austria |
| 06/2001 | Matura (A levels), BG/BRG Kirchengasse Graz, Austria |
Technical Skills
| Management & Collaboration Tools | Project and task management (Trello, Jira, Zoho), Knowledge and file management (Confluence, Google Workspace, sync), Communication & utilities (Microsoft 365, Slack, toggl) |
| Data, Analytics & AI Tools | Data collection & tracking (Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Ads), Data retrieval & processing (SQL, BigQuery, Python), Visualization & reporting (Jupyter Notebook, Google Sheets, Databox), AI/LLM integration (OpenAI API) |
Additional Skills and Activities
| Volunteer work | 02/2018 – 08/2020 Research Lead/Associate at AustrianStartups, Vienna, Austria – Designed and executed startup research and funding projects |
| Languages | German (native speaker), English (excellent command) |
| Publications | Full list of publications as applied researcher (2008-2017) on Google Scholar |
| Driving licence | Full, clean driving licence |
| Interests | Hiking, photography and post-production, comic illustration, traveling |