Benedikt Simbrunner, a PhD graduate of MedUni Vienna, has been honored for his academic achievements with the "Promotio sub auspiciis Praesidentis rei publicae" award. Federal President Alexander van der Bellen awarded the honorary rings at a ceremony held at the Presidential Chancellery in the Vienna Hofburg.
Benedikt Simbrunner studied medicine at the Medical University of Vienna, with exchange semesters in Heidelberg and Zurich. In 2024, he completed his PhD studies in gastroenterology and hepatology with the highest honors (Promotio sub auspiciis Praesidentis).
His clinical career took him through several specialties, including nephrology, cardiology and intensive care, before he started as a resident at the Clinical Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Medical University of Vienna in 2023. From 2024, a postdoc fellowship took him to the Universidad Miguel Hernández in Spain.
Benedikt Simbrunner’s research focuses on the mechanisms of advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD), in particular systemic inflammation, immune disorders and the gut-liver circulation. His scientific training already included research work on serotonin transporter function during his medical studies and later on the pathophysiology of liver fibrosis and portal hypertension.
Award for outstanding academic achievements
The "sub auspiciis doctorate" (Latin for "doctorate under the auspices of the Federal President"), also known as the "sub auspiciis promotion", is a specifically Austrian form of award for outstanding academic achievements. It is the highest possible distinction for academic achievements in Austria. The requirements for admission to a sub auspiciis praesidentis doctorate are: completion of the upper school with honors, a high school diploma with honors, completion of the relevant studies with honors (this includes all’examination subjects of the diploma examinations or all modules in the bachelor’s or bachelor’s or master’s program and a grade of "very good" for the diploma or master’s thesis) and the assessment of the dissertation and passing all’oral exams or the final exam with the grade "very good".
