We – the group with the snake – are a group of biology students, open for anyone to join, who volunteer their time to support and improve the Biology study programmes at the University of Vienna.

Every two years, part of our team is officially elected as the Student Representatives of Biology (STV Biology Vienna). These five elected representatives formally represent the interests of all biology students within the Austrian Students’ Union (ÖH) and the university.
The group with the snake is much larger: besides the STV and the students we nominate as faculty and centre representatives, we include many more active and motivated students. Without them, our work would not be possible – thank you to everyone involved!

In line with our principles, all members of the group with the snake – whether elected, nominated, or voluntarily active – are equal. Our group is non-partisan and independent, meaning we do not follow any ÖH party programme.

What we do

As the ÖH level closest to the students, we represent the interests of biology students in the study conference and various other committees (curricula, habilitations, etc.). We also offer study-related consultation (information about counselling) and regularly organise events and networking opportunities.

Any biology student who agrees with our principles can join the group with the snake. We hold weekly plenary meetings where you can get to know us and our work.

How can you join us?

As the student representatives, we meet weekly to discuss current issues and topics. To give interested students the opportunity to get involved, our plenaries are open.

If you would like to attend, the easiest way is to drop by during our consultation hours or send us an email. The first plenary meeting of each month is the ideal time to join – we are happy to give you a short introduction before we start. Please read our principles beforehand.

Please note: plenary meetings are NOT consultation hours.

Our Principles

Our principles outline guidelines we want to follow as student representatives. Equality among students and the non-partisan nature of our work are very important to us. We strictly reject any form of discrimination, including racism, sexism and fascism.

You can find our principles here.

Our Team

Our group consists of:

the five elected representatives of the STV Biology (ÖH University of Vienna),
the students we nominate for faculty and centre representatives,
- Faculty representative for Life Sciences (Website)
- Centre Representative for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (Website)
- Centre representative for Molecular Biology
- Centre representative for Teacher Education
as well as many other dedicated and active biology students

Together, we are the group with the snake.

We are always happy to welcome new faces and fresh ideas – everyone who respects our principles is warmly invited to join!

Current elected STV Biology representatives (2025-2027)
              Tobias Geiler
              Jakob Pelzmann
              Anna Sophie Mittermayer
              Stefan Struzina
              Solvejg Rozanek

The current team of the group with the snake (as of mid-2025):