From the early female pioneers at the University of Graz to women whose work has helped shape the history of astronomy, physics and space travel, the exhibition covers a wide range of topics. The current special exhibition on democracy is also being supplemented with female perspectives. At the same time, the Hans Gross Crime Museum is focusing on the theme of ‘violence against women’.
The exhibition features, amongst others: Seraphine Puchleitner (1870–1952), the first female student with full attendance rights and the first woman to be awarded a doctorate at the University of Graz; Caroline Herschel (1750–1848), who discovered eight comets over the course of a decade and carried out important work in the observation, measurement and cataloguing of stars and nebulae; Lisa Kaltenegger, who researches how habitable exoplanets and possible signs of life can be identified based on the light from their atmospheres; Susanne Ferrari, the first woman in Graz to obtain a habilitation in law; Daphne-Ariane Simotta, who in 1992 became the first full professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Graz; NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson (1918–2020), who calculated trajectories for the early US manned space missions; Hisako Koyama (1916–1997), who systematically documented sunspots over several decades, thereby creating a key reference for long-term solar activity; Octavia Aigner-Rollett (1877–1959), who was the first woman in Graz and Styria to run her own medical practice. The exhibition also highlights the lives and work of the physicists Lise Meitner, Marie Curie, Laura Bassi, Maria Goeppert-Mayer, Anne L’Huillier and Donna Strickland. Women who championed democracy, and whom the exhibition features, include Olympe de Gouges and Karoline Perin-Gradenstein.
‘Women in Research’ was opened on 2 October 2026 in the foyer of the University Library by Rector Peter Riedler, who highlighted the exhibition’s thematic breadth and its integration across the various venues – UniGraz@Museum and the Hans Gross Crime Museum.
The next opportunity to explore the exhibition comes as early as Saturday, 3 October 2026: during the ORF Long Night of Museums, the University of Graz will be represented at eight venues from 6 pm to midnight. ‘Women in Research’ will be on display, alongside these exhibitions and collections at the University of Graz: the Botanical Garden, the Mineralogical Collection, the University Library, the Aula with its Rectors’ Gallery, the Hans Gross Crime Museum and UniGraz@Museum.
