Modulian of the Month - Sabine Sedlacek

With spring in full swing, MODUL University Vienna is surrounded by the leafy green trees of the Vienna Woods to the west and the rolling vineyards of Grinzing towards the east. Maintaining a vibrant ecosystem through sustainable practices is a key concern of MU, and Sabine Sedlacek is at the forefront of MU’s efforts. As Assistant Professor at the Department of Public Governance and Management and chair of the award winning Sustainability Committee, Sabine has her green thumb on the pulse of the university.

Before joining MODUL University Vienna she was Assistant Professor at the Institute for Regional Development and Environment at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration. She obtained her PhD in economic geography from the University of Vienna, with a doctoral thesis in the area of sustainable regional development. Her current research and teaching interests focus on regional and local economic development, environmental economics and sustainability, with the question of governance for sustainable development on different spatial levels of particular importance.

Currently she is conducting the MSc seminar on 'Environmental Management and Sustainability', as part of an inter-university collaboration with SID – UNIDO (Society for International Development - United Nations Industrial Development Organization) under the title “Local initiatives for energy management”. Modul University students will present their work at a two day international workshop where Sabine will chair a working group on ” Starting and maintaining networks for local initiatives”.

Her commitment to student life at MU extends beyond the classroom, and alongside the Student Service Center she is co-organizing a Windpark excursion to the Windturbines in Parbasdorf (Deutsch Wagram) on Tuesday, June 19th in cooperation with WEB AG.

At Sabine’s home on the outskirts of Vienna she tends an eclectic garden with the help of her partner and their 8 year old daughter. Interested in seed conservation, she plants rare varietals of such common fruits and vegetables as tomatoes, peppers, and raspberries, as well as lesser known herbs like purple sage and citrus thyme, as well as purchasing organic products from local farmers. Her athletic pursuits include running and skiing, and she is a recent convert to the benefits of Yoga. As a geographer she is interested in books about exploration, especially in India and Africa, and enjoys a friendly round of world conquest herself, playing board games such as Settlers of Catan.