Katharina is a senior researcher, XR expert, and lecturer at TU Wien, where she earned her PhD in 2020. She conducts research on the applications of virtual and augmented reality in perception, psychology, and medical simulations. Specifically, she develops simulations of vision impairments to increase understanding and enhance accessibility. For 3 years, she voluntarily served as an expert at Austrian Standards, contributing to a new standard on visual guidance systems that improved signage accessibility, including for those with low vision.
Katharina's work has earned her multiple recognitions, such as the 2022 Futurezone Women in Tech Award, the Liese Prokop Award in Science & Technology, an Honorable Mention at the IEEE VR Best Dissertation Award, and a nomination for Vienna's 2023 Hedy Lamarr Award.
As a founding member of IEEE Women in Engineering Austria and a WOMENinICT ambassador, she is deeply committed to supporting women in tech. Her activities include mentoring young women in visual computing and organizing networking events for women in tech. She also regularily serves as reviewer or committee member at prestigious scientific conferences such as ISMAR, IEEE VR, and SIGGRAPH.