Maria Fritsche studied History in Vienna and Bern and earned her doctorate at the University of Portsmouth with a dissertation on Austrian post-war cinema. She subsequently held research and teaching positions at the University of Southampton and at the German Historical Institute in Washington, D.C. In 2010, she joined the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), where she was appointed Full Professor in 2016.

Her research focuses on modern military history, contemporary European history, and the history of film, justice, and gender. Fritsche’s work combines social, cultural, and military-historical perspectives and is internationally recognized for advancing a multi-perspective approach to the study of war and post-war societies. Her current research explores societal experiences in contexts of war and occupation, as well as cultural practices and media worlds in twentieth-century Europe.

Since February 2026, Maria Fritsche has headed the Research Department at the Museum of Military History in Vienna. She complements the leadership team alongside Director Georg Hoffmann, Deputy Director Stephanie Pracherstorfer, and Barbara Karl and Birgit Johler as part of one of the largest museum reform projects in Europe.