
Welcome to my website! My name is Barbara and I am a social scientist.
Overall, my research focuses on people’s participation opportunities in various domains of life, processes of social transformation and reproduction in everyday life, and methods in the social sciences.
In June 2024 I completed my PhD in Sociology at the University of Vienna. The results of my dissertation project highlight the potential (and limitations) of young people’s everyday leisure time. Using a novel measurement instrument, the analysis considers not only organized leisure time but also less formal contexts, such as the home of significant others, outdoors in nature, and urban facilities. My dissertation project was funded by the uni:docs fellowship programme, a competitive scholarship for doctoral candidates.
At the Department of Sociology of the University of Vienna, I contributed to the development of the mixed-methods and multi-topic “Pathways to the Future” panel study. This longitudinal study followed the lives of young people in Vienna over a five-year period with qualitative interviews and an online survey. Additionally, I gained academic work experience at the Department for European Policy and the Study of Democracy at the University for Continuing Education Krems.
I have a master degree in Human Rights from the University of Vienna and a bachelor degree in Economics and Management in Arts, Culture and Communication from Bocconi University in Milan.
NEWS



SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
Increasing fit or unfulfilled aspirations? The effects of educational changes on wellbeing among school leavers from middle schools in Vienna (with B. Schels, O. Valls Casas and J. Flecker).
31st Annual Transition in Youth (TIY) Workshop, University of Warsaw.
Leisure-time Places in Young People’s Everyday Lives: Validity and Reliability of a New Measurement Instrument for Survey Research.
16th Conference of the European Sociological Association, University of Porto.
Welche Bedeutung kommt der Freizeit im Alltag für das Wohlbefinden von Jugendlichen zu? Längsschnittanalysen eines quantitativen Panels in Wien.
Österreichische Jugendforschungstagung, Universität Innsbruck.
- show translation
How important is young people’s everyday leisure time for their wellbeing? Longitudinal analyses of a quantitative panel in Vienna.
Austrian Youth Research Conference, University of Innsbruck.
TEACHING
At the University of Vienna, I had the opportunity to gain teaching experience in the BA Sociology. I was primarily involved in practice-oriented courses, such as “Data collection and data analysis”, “Reading classics of sociology” and a research practice course. In addition, in the context of the project “Pathways to the Future” I also gained experience in blending research and teaching. I coordinated the data gathering process of the first and second qualitative wave, which were carried out in the context of one-year research laboratories in the MA Sociology programme.
FURTHER INTERESTS
In research projects that involve the collection of primary data, I am interested in working closely with the respective target groups. Among others, this comprises:
- creating context-sensitive data collection instruments, and
- encouraging people’s intrinsic motivation to participate.
In my leisure time, I enjoy swimming both in sport facilities and open water venues. Moreover, I have a passion for photography, especially analog photography.