Historian Michael David-Fox to Become the New IWM Rector in Vienna
The renowned Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna is undergoing a significant leadership change. As the institute announced, the internationally acclaimed American historian Michael David-Fox will take over as the new rector effective August 1, 2026. He will thus become the fourth person in the institute’s history to hold this prestigious office.
Historian Michael David-Fox will become the director of the renowned Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. / Picture: © IWM / Lucas Rohde
David-Fox succeeds British journalist and author Misha Glenny, who led the institute from 2022 to early 2026 and then returned to the BBC in London. In the interim, Permanent Fellow Ivan Krastev had served as interim director.
Unanimous Election Following a Global Search
The appointment is the result of an intensive, internationally advertised selection process that began as early as January 2026. A high-profile selection committee chaired by the renowned historian and IWM Fellow Timothy Snyder reviewed approximately 40 applications. Following personal interviews with six top candidates in Vienna, David-Fox emerged as the top choice. On June 8, 2026, he was ultimately elected unanimously by the Institute’s Board of Directors, chaired by former Federal President Heinz Fischer.
“Michael David-Fox is a world-class scholar with considerable experience in building and leading institutions,” Timothy Snyder said enthusiastically. IWM President Heinz Fischer also emphasized the new rector’s “deep understanding of the IWM’s key areas of focus.”
An Expert on Russia, Eastern Europe, and Totalitarian Regimes
With David Fox, the Vienna research community gains a proven expert on the history of Eastern Europe, the Russian Empire, and the Soviet Union. His academic career began with degrees from the elite U.S. universities of Princeton and Yale. In the early 1990s, he was among the very first Western researchers to gain access to the Communist Party’s previously top-secret archives during the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Until his move to Vienna, he taught as a professor at the renowned Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he directed the Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies (CERES). His expertise is in greater demand than ever amid current geopolitical upheavals: His research focuses on comparative revolutionary studies, Stalinism, and the historical roots and instrumentalization of history in contemporary Putinism.
His book *Crucibles of Power: Smolensk under Stalinist and Nazi Rule* (Harvard University Press), published in 2025, received particular attention in academic circles. He also gained international recognition for his strong commitment to fostering collaboration among researchers: Until the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, he served as academic director of the International Center for the History and Sociology of World War II and its Consequences at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. Following the invasion by Russian troops, the renowned center was closed.
A Bridge Between Cultures and Disciplines
David-Fox, who speaks fluent German, English, French, and Russian, among other languages, is looking forward to his new role in Vienna with great enthusiasm. In an initial statement, he emphasized the importance of the institute: “The IWM is a center for reflecting on and addressing some of the most challenging problems facing Europe and the world today. I look forward to coming to Vienna and leading this unique institution in the years ahead.”
During his five-year term, David-Fox will steer the IWM through an era in which intellectual exchange between East and West, as well as a deeper understanding of European history, is more important than ever.