He studied under chemist
Heinrich Hlasiwetz (1825–1875) at Innsbruck, with
Justus von Liebig (1803–1873) at the
University of Munich, and with
Henri Victor Regnault (1810–1878) and
Charles Adolphe Wurtz (1817–1884) in
Paris. In 1861 he received his doctorate, and in 1867 was appointed professor of physics at the
University of Innsbruck. In 1891 he succeeded
Ludwig Boltzmann (1844–1906) as professor of physics at the
University of Graz. In 1887 he became a full member of the
Vienna Academy of Sciences. Pfaundler is remembered today for his
kinetic-molecular explanation of gas reactions under the condition of equilibrium. He was the inventor of a number of scientific apparatuses — devices he often utilized in classroom demonstrations. These included a
temperature regulator (1863), a
Stromkalorimeter (1869), a differential air
thermometer (1875), a
seismograph (1897) and a distance meter (1915), to name a few. In 1863–64 he performed a survey of the
Stubaier Alps with
Ludwig Barth zu Barthenau (1839–1890), and in 1864 he was the first person to ascend to the summit of the
Hofmannspitze (3112m). == Selected written works ==