Dr. Percy Lavon Julian war einer der bedeutendsten Chemikern des 20ten Jahrhunderts. Seine Entdeckungen, unter anderem Cortison und synthetisches Testosteron, waren ausschlaggebend für wissenschaftliche und medizinische Entwicklungen, die unsere Gesellschaft bis heute noch stark prägen. Als ein Schwarzamerikaner, waren Dr. Julians akademischen Möglichkeiten aufgrund der damaligen Diskriminierungsgesetzte in seinem Heimatlande, stark eingeschränkt. Stattdessen schreib Dr. Julian im Jahr 1931 seine Doktorarbeit an der philosophischen Fakultät der Universität Wien. Mein Ziel ist es, mittels Quellenanalyse der Dokumente des Archivs der Universität Wien, das Studium von Dr. Julian an der Universität, sein Leben in Wien in den frühen 1930er Jahren und wie seine Zeit an der Universität Wien sein späteres Leben beeinflusste, möglichst ausführlich zu erforschen und zu schildern.

Dr. Percy Lavon Julian was one of the most influential chemists of the 20th century. His discoveries, such as cortisone, synthetic testosterone and other hormones, were essential for the scientific and medical developments, that strongly influence our society to this day. Despite a long list of achievements and accolades he, unfortunately remains largely unknown. As a black American, Dr Julian had few academic opportunities available to him, due to the racially discriminatory laws of his home country. After being denied entry to further his education within the United States, he did not give up on his goals and instead wrote his doctoral thesis at the philosophical faculty at the university of Vienna in 1931.Thus making him the second black American to ever earn a PhD in chemistry and the first to receive it from a university not specifically designated for black students, not to mention the first to receive a degree from a university in Europe. During his time in Vienna he learned German to an extraordinary high level within a very short amount of time, made lasting friendships, one of whom, Dr. Pickl moved to America with him in order to further their research together as teachers at the University of Howard and De Pauw University and gained the knowledge and inspiration needed to achieve his goal of helping people through plant based medicinal chemistry. My goal with this paper is to research and accurately depict Dr. Julian’s studies at the University of Vienna, his life while studying in Vienna as a black man during the early 1930’s, with the rise of fascism and German- Nationalism looming and how is time there influenced him later in life both professionally and personally, through the source analysis of his records and documents that are located and made available by the University of Vienna’s archive. These documents are his Matriculation entries to the Philosphical Institute from the Winter Semester of 1929 to the Winter Semester of 1930, as well as his Doctoral Viva file, or Rigorosumakt”, as well as biography written by a friend and colleague of his, Dr. Bernhard Witkop, which was written in honor of Dr. Julian after his death in 1975.