Sonja Hammerschmid
| Sonja Hammerschmid | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) |
|
| Minister of Education | |
|
In office May 18, 2016 – December 18, 2017 |
|
| Chancellor | Christian Kern |
| Preceded by | Gabriele Heinisch-Hosek |
| Succeeded by | Heinz Faßmann |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 24, 1968 Steyr |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Michael Hammerschmid |
| Education | PhD |
| Alma mater | University of Vienna |
Sonja Hammerschmid (born Sonja Maria Theresia Mörwald on June 24, 1968 in Steyr) is an Austrian molecular biologist and politician. She was Rector of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna from 2010 to 2016 and Minister of Education in the Kern government from 2016 to 2017. Since 2017, Hammerschmid has been a member of the Austrian National Council. Hammerschmid is a member of the Social Democratic Party.
Sonja Hammerschmid was born as Sonja Maria Theresia Mörwald on June 24, 1968 in Steyr.
Hammerschmid grew up in Baumgartenberg, a rural town of about 1200 people. She attended primary school from 1974 to 1978 and Hauptschule from 1978 to 1982. She completed her secondary education at the Gymnasium in Perg, graduating in 1986.
Hammerschmid's parents were working class. The region, bordering the Iron Curtain, was economically underprivileged; a large agricultural sector was trying to eke a living out of some of the poorest soils in the country. Hammerschmid's school career was highly respectable given her background and locale; educational mobility was low in small, disadvantaged rural towns in 1970s Austria. Hammerschmid freely admits to being a statistical outlier.
Starting in 1986, Hammerschmid studied genetics and tumor biology at the University of Vienna, receiving a master's degree in 1992 and a PhD in 1995. From 1990 to 1995, she was also working as a research associate at Boehringer Ingelheim.
...
Wikipedia