Austrian Scientists & Scholars
Winning the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Postdoctoral Fellowship has been a major milestone in my career, allowing me to pursue research I am passionate about and relocate to Chicago, a hub for anthropological thought. After years abroad—as an international student in Vienna, an exchange student in Istanbul, and an intern in New Delhi—I have learned that building a life and career in science relies on the generosity of those who open their doors to you. In North America, the ASCINA Mentoring Program helped me find some of those doors.
The best advantage of being an ASCINA mentee was connecting with my mentor, Walter Scheidel. Walter is a Professor of Classics and History at Stanford University who, like me, holds his PhD from the University of Vienna. Walter and I met in New York in December 2023. I understood that he had broken away from the typical Central European value of keeping work and private life separate by welcoming me to his home in New York.
Ever since, Walter and I have discussed many topics: systemic differences between the Austrian and American academia, maximizing my postdoctoral fellowship at the Field Museum, pitching an idea for a book at a university press, and interacting with editors, among others. Walter also provided feedback on my first discussion article published in Archaeological Dialogues, in which I advocate for the central role of anthropological theory in discussions such as matrilineal kinship and female rule in archaeological contexts.
Even though Walter is a professor of classics and history, whereas I am a postdoctoral researcher in anthropology, our disciplinary divides have not been an obstacle but an advantage. For example, the visit of my collaboration partners in Rome within my X-KIN project coincided with Walter’s research time at the American Academy in Rome. Walter offered to welcome me there.
Although our official ASCINA mentoring ended in autumn 2024, Walter and I continue to find new spaces to talk science and career paths. Thanks to his support, I gave a talk at the Stanford Archaeology Center and connected with faculty, students, and fellow Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellows. We forgot to take a photo at a lovely Palo Alto wine bar, but the one below captures our efforts to bridge Austrian and Slovenian scholars in North America. I do not know where we will meet next—but I am sure this is not the end.
When someone opens their doors to you in a foreign country, it often inspires you to do the same for them or others. I hope to return the favor to Walter one day, in Chicago or elsewhere. He has been a generous mentor, a humorous thinker, and an insightful guide. I am deeply grateful to ASCINA, the University of Vienna, and Walter for bridging academic worlds across continents and cultures.
If you are moving from Austria to the US, do not hesitate—apply to the ASCINA Mentoring Program! My experience exceeded all expectations, and I believe yours will too if you stay open and embrace new opportunities. For everyone else, I hope my story encourages you to keep your doors open to international colleagues and strangers. A simple gesture of welcome can leave a lasting impact and foster more inclusive, open communities for everyone.
Sabina Cveček is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellow at the Field Museum and the Austrian Academy of Sciences. She holds a PhD in socio-cultural anthropology from the University of Vienna and was an ASCINA 2023/24 mentee. Cveček is an elected Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute and received the 2023 City of Vienna Promotion Award. She currently serves as a University of Vienna Alumni Ambassador in Chicago.
