The University Council of the University of Applied Arts Vienna has elected Dr. Ulrike Kuch, a German architecture theorist and university lecturer, as its new rector. The decision was made on July 24, 2025. Kuch, currently Vice President for Social Transformation at Bauhaus University Weimar, will assume her new role on November 1, 2025, for a four-year term.
Hildegund Amanshauser, Chair of the University Council, praised Kuch’s leadership credentials and her “visionary yet concrete concept” for the university, highlighting her team-oriented approach.
In her acceptance remarks, Kuch described the appointment as “an enormous honor and joy,” emphasizing the unique role of the University of Applied Arts Vienna in combining art, design, and science to address pressing global issues. “Especially in times of global upheaval, places like the Angewandte are essential to promoting a resilient, open, democratic global society,” she said.
Kuch’s academic and professional career spans architecture studies in Weimar, Helsinki, Berlin, and her doctoral research at Bauhaus University Weimar. She has held leadership roles in university governance and research, with her work focusing on architectural theory, phenomenology, and global architectural history.
The University of Applied Arts Vienna, with over 2,000 students from 90 countries, is one of the world’s leading art universities, integrating arts, sciences, architecture, and design in its interdisciplinary programs.
Source: University of Applied Arts Vienna
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