Dr. Robert Groß

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• Curriculum Vitae

  Curriculum Vitae

  Robert Groß is an environmental and energy historian and social ecologist with an expertise on 20^th century Europe. In 2017, he completed a doctorate at the University of Klagenfurt with a thesis on the environmental history of winter tourism in western Austria. Since then, he has worked as a research and teaching assistant at various universities and completed fellowships in Germany and the USA. In his habilitation (Venia docendi in economic, social and environmental history), he is focusing on the history of fossil fuels in Europe.

  He is currently leading an FWF project on the environmental history of natural gas dependency in Austria (link https://www.fwf.ac.at/forschungsradar/10.55776/PAT5092724) at the University of Vienna.

  Education:

  since 2020 Work on habilitation thesis

  04/2017 Doctoral viva, passed with distinction, University of Klagenfurt

  2011-2017 Doctoral studies in environmental history, Institute of Social Ecology, University of Klagenfurt, supervised by Univ. Prof. Ing. Dr. phil. Verena Winiwarter

  2005-2010 Graduate studies in interdisciplinary environmental studies, University of Vienna

  2002-2005 Graduate studies in biology, University of Vienna

   

  Positions:

  Since 2025 PI and research assistant on the FWF project "Unearthing Momentum: Natural Gas in Austria, 1940-2010," Department of History, University of Vienna

  2024 Research assistant on the ERC project “Energy Transitions and the Rise and Fall of Great Financial Centers”, Institute of Economic Geography, Vienna University of Economics and Business 

  2023-2024 Research assistant on the the project “Phasing in: Understanding the Emergence of Vienna's Natural Gas Dependence, 1969-1978,” Institute of Social Ecology, BOKU University Vienna

  2023 Adjunct professorship at the Department of Historical Sciences and European Ethnology, University of Innsbruck

  2018-2022 Research assistant on the ERC project “Understanding the Role of Material Stock Patterns for a Transformation to a Sustainable Society,” Institute of Social Ecology, BOKU University Vienna

  2018-2021 Postdoc University Assistant at the Department of Historical Sciences and European Ethnology, University of Innsbruck

  2012-2017 Research assistant on the FWF project “How Skiers' sensations shaped Alpine Valleys. An Environmental History of Winter Tourism in Vorarlberg/Austria, 1920-2010”, Institute of Social Ecology, University of Klagenfurt
• Awards

  Grants, fellowships and awards:

  2023 Scholar in residence, Center for the History of Science and Technology, Deutsches Museum, Munich

  2022-2024 EVN100 Fellowship, Energieversorgung Niederösterreich (EVN AG), Maria Enzersdorf

  2019 RCC Writing Fellowship, LMU Munich

  2019 Travel grant for young scholars awarded by the University of Innsbruck

  2018 Montafoner Wissenschaftspreis

  2018 Funding of young scholars of the University of Innsbruck, project “Transition durch Rekonstruktion. Erschließung von Originalakten zum Marshall Plan und dem Aufbau von Energie- und Mobilitätsinfrastruktur in Europa, 1947-1955“

  2017-2018 Scholar in residence, Center for the History of Science and Technology at Deutsches Museum, Munich

  2017Fellowship Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies

  2014 Fellowship DFG-Graduiertenkolleg Topology of Technology, Technical University of Darmstadt
• Social Media

  https://bsky.app/profile/robertgro5.bsky.social

  www.linkedin.com/in/robert-gro%C3%9F-060268246/

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• Research interests

  • Environmental History
  • Energy History
  • History of Technology
  • Human- and Social Ecology
  • Transition Studies

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• Memberships

  Since 07/2025 Member of the Vorarlberg Economic Archives (Vorarlberger Wirtschaftsarchiv)

  Since 08/2024 Member of the Society for the History of Technology (GTG) and the GTG Working Group on Environment and Technology (AKUT)

  Since 10/2023 Founding member of the D-A-CH Working Group on Environmental History

  Since 2016 Founding member of the Environmental History Cluster Austria (EHCA)

  Since 2014 Member of the European Society for Environmental History (ESEH)

  10/2013-01/2025 Coordinator and member of the Vienna Centre for Environmental History (Zentrum für Umweltgeschichte, ZUG)

  Since 08/2025 Chair of the Summer School Committee of the European Society for Environmental History (ESEH)

  Since 08/2025 Member of the Board of the European Society for Environmental History (ESEH)

  11/2023 Scientific advisor for the exhibition “Klima. Wissen. Handeln!” at the Vienna Technical Museum

  Since 08/2023 Regional representative for German-speaking countries in the European Society for Environmental History (ESEH), together with Katharina Scharf
• Reviews

  Research funding:

  • Schweizerischen Nationalfonds SNF
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG

  Journals:

  • Energy, Sustainability & Society
  • Water History
  • Histoire des Alpes-Storia delle Alpi-Geschichte der Alpen
  • Technikgeschichte
  • VIRUS - Beiträge zur Sozialgeschichte der Medizin,
  • Geschichte und Region/Storia e regione
  • Journal of Energy History/Revue d’histoire de l’énergie
  • Studies in History and Philosophy of Science