Project management
Tania Singer, Prof. Dr.
Research Group Leader (Social Neuroscience Research Group, Max Planck Society)
Tania researches human social behavior, social cohesion and cooperation, and social emotions such as empathy and compassion. She is also interested in the plasticity of the social brain and is the director of the ReSource Project, a large-scale long-term study on the effects of mental training on brain plasticity, mental health, stress reduction, and increased resilience, prosocial behavior, and cooperation.
Scientific staff
Patrick Kutschar, Ass.-Prof. Dr.
Assistant Professor, Institute for Nursing Science and Practice, Center for Public Health and Health Services Research, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg
Patrick is a sociologist specializing in empirical social research and quantitative methodology. His research focuses on the quality and validity of standardized (survey) data in health, social, and nursing science research on aging. He is currently also conducting research on moral distress and nurse leadership, interprofessional delirium management, and the professional identity of nursing staff in long-term care. As co-spokesperson for the “Sociological Methods and Research Designs” section of the Austrian Sociological Association (ÖGS), he is committed to the further development of innovative research methods.
Beate Priewasser, Dr.
Head of Research Institute & University Course in Early Life Care Paracelsus Medical Private University, Salzburg
Beate is a psychologist, educator, and psychotherapist. Her research focuses on the socio-cognitive and socio-emotional development of children up to preschool age and on parental and educational mentalization abilities.
She heads the research institute and the university course Early Life Care at Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg. Early Life Care is an interdisciplinary and integrative concept of health promotion and care with the aim of creating optimal conditions for children and parents or families in relation to fertility, pregnancy, birth, and early childhood, with a particular focus on risk situations.
Antonia Dinzinger, Dr.
Postdoctoral researcher (Early Life Care Research Institute, Paracelsus Medical University)
Doctorate in Medical Science, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg
Antonia’s research focuses on early interaction and attachment experiences as well as the mentalization abilities of parents and professionals. She deals with attachment representations in adulthood as well as processes of child attachment development. In addition to basic and intervention research on mentalization, sensitivity, and attachment, she is dedicated to investigating digital influences on parent-child interaction, for example in connection with technoference.
Philipp Beuchel, Dr.
Postdoctoral researcher (Social Neuroscience Research Group, Max Planck Society)
Doctorate in Education, University of Tübingen
Philipp’s research focuses on the professionalization of teachers, resilience and mental health in the educational context, and the teaching and social-emotional effects of mindfulness training. He is particularly interested in measuring behavior and physiological parameters in order to capture concepts such as stress, prosociality, and teaching quality.
Ananda Zeas-Sigüenza, Dr.
Postdoctoral researcher (Social Neuroscience Research Group, Max Planck Society)
Doctorate in Health Sciences, Public University, Navarre, Spain
Ananda’s research focuses on understanding loneliness and its effects on mental health, well-being, and social functioning. She is particularly interested in developing evidence-based tools that help individuals and communities cope with loneliness and mental health issues and build stronger social connections in both personal and professional settings. Building on her previous work with fMRI and behavioral methods, her research explores how insights from social neuroscience and intervention research can be translated into practical strategies to improve resilience, well-being, and social connectedness in educational and organizational contexts.
Coordination and management
Juliane Domke, Dr.
Lab Management (Social Neuroscience Research Group, Max Planck Society)
Doctorate in General Linguistics, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany
Juliane coordinates administrative and organizational tasks.
Nine Kompier, M.Sc.
Project coordination (Social Neuroscience Research Group, Max Planck Society)
PhD student, Cellular Neuroscience, Max Delbrück Center, Berlin, Germany
Henrik Schmidt, M.Sc.
Project coordination (Social Neuroscience Research Group, Max Planck Society)
Master of Science in Psychology, University of Potsdam, Germany
Henrik’s academic background is primarily in clinical psychology, health psychology, and public health. In his previous research work, he was interested in the relationship between mindfulness and addiction, acute stress and social behavior, and the psychosocial effects of telemedicine services. Henrik is responsible for coordination and organization in the Edu:Social School project.
Janine Sigulla, Dr.
Project coordination (Social Neuroscience Research Group, Max Planck Society)
PhD in Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany
Janine’s expertise combines basic biological research (PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology) with clinical psychology (Master of Arts in Psychology at the International Psychoanalytical University).
Support
Evelyn Garnreiter, B.Sc. (Student)
Intern (Social Neuroscience Research Group, Max Planck Society)
Master’s student in psychology, Free University of Berlin, Germany
Intervention trainers
Urte Sänger
Senior Trainerin
MBSR-Teacher & Coach
Urte Thölke is a trainer and mentor for mindfulness and self-compassion. She teaches in large corporations as well as educational institutions, parent groups, and public organizations. She is passionate about the practice of mindfulness and its scientific background, which she uses to help people reconnect with themselves and others, especially in today’s world. Based on her experience, this opens up a space for individuals to tap into their intuition and confidence, and to use this to actively shape their personal relationships and the future of our planet.
Katharina Schacht
Senior Trainerin
Trainer and coach for mindfulness and compassion (MBSR/MBCT/MBCL teacher), owner of MBSR-Eppendorf, Hamburg
As a trainer and coach, she supports people in strengthening their mental health and well-being in the long term. She teaches mindfulness according to the scientifically researched MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) method developed by Prof. Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and the compassion practice MBCL (Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living) developed by Dr. Erik van der Brink and Fritz Koster. Her approach combines practical exercises with short lectures and reflection sessions, enabling a holistic understanding of the content and sustainable learning.
Oliver Kirchhof
Senior Trainer
MBSR mindfulness trainer, management consultant, and systemic coach
The focus of his work is on creating living and working environments in which joy, effectiveness, and connectedness are not contradictions, but go hand in hand. To train and strengthen the necessary (self-)leadership, communication, and conflict management skills, Oliver Kirchhof relies on the principles and methods of mindfulness and agility.
Julia Darbinjan
Trainerin
MBSR teacher, systemic therapist (SG), EFT couples therapist, certified art therapist (FH)
As a certified MBSR teacher, Julia regularly leads mindfulness courses, gives training sessions, and teaches aspiring systemic therapists about mindfulness and therapeutic presence.
She also works as a couples therapist and counselor in her own practice. She supports people in exploring their own and interpersonal processes and in maintaining good relationships with themselves and others.
Sonja Noss
Trainerin
Trainer and coach for resilience and social skills, founder of Sonja Noss – Training & Coaching
As a certified MBSR teacher and systemic coach, Sonja specializes in resilience and mindfulness-based stress management training for international scientific institutions and companies. She also offers individual coaching to support professionals with career orientation, leadership, and stress-related issues. Her goal is to equip modern employees with tools that enable them to cope with competitive pressures in the workplace, stay focused and creative, connect well with others, and maintain physical and mental health.
Jacomo Fritzsche
Trainer
MBSR Teacher
For more than ten years, Jacomo has been helping people to cope better with stress and strengthen their resilience through scientifically based mindfulness training. As part of the development and implementation of mindfulness-based curricula, he has explored the potential of mindfulness in the context of sustainable consumption, gender, and inclusion. He shares the care work for their daughter with his wife.
Annette Inzelmann
Trainerin
Certified mindfulness teacher and therapist with many years of experience (MBSR, MBCT, mindfulness for children and adolescents)
Annette Inzelmann offers mindfulness courses and individual coaching in her own psychotherapy practice. She provides long-term support to help people shape their lives in a self-effective way, develop their potential, and find fulfillment even in difficult times. Mindfulness is an essential foundation for her work as a mentor for value-oriented personality development based on Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy (“meaning-centered therapy”). In this way, she also wants to contribute to more (self-) compassion and connectedness in our world.
Mascha Blankschyn
Trainerin
Certified MBSR teacher
Mascha Blankschyn is a trained MBSR and MSC teacher, high school teacher, and has been practicing Vipassana meditation for 10 years. She is the founder of “Monkeymind” and gives regular meditation and mindfulness courses as well as coaching sessions in Berlin and online.
The principles of mindfulness and self-love are a fitting antidote to inner and outer turmoil and, for Mascha Blankschyn, a guide to a good life: a stable inner self can more easily withstand the waves of turbulent everyday life and leads to a compassionate approach to oneself and others. Mascha is involved in various projects at schools and universities. More information: www.monkeymind.love
Anno Mauel
Trainer
Certified MBSR teacher
Anno is a music and English teacher at a secondary school and an MBSR teacher. In the school context, he works with various mindfulness-based formats (.b and .b Foundations of the Mindfulness in Schools Project, Mindful Schools Curriculum, AISCHU, Mind the Music, etc.) with students, teachers, and staff. He is particularly interested in implementing mindfulness in teacher training and continuing education.
Annette Gieß
Trainerin
MBSR and MSC teacher and consultant for mindfulness-based teacher training (AVE)
Annette Gieß has been a teacher for over 25 years. She has many years of experience practicing mindfulness and meditation and is deeply committed to teaching mindfulness-based methods in education and beyond. She focuses particularly on mental health and skills such as empathy and compassion. As a teacher, it is important to her to enable young people to live mindful and self-effective lives and to promote social interaction. In her work in teacher training on the topics of “mindfulness” and “self-care,” Annette aims to support educators in their (self-)efficacy. In her view, the embodied resilient and attentive attitude of teachers forms the basis for a mindful teaching and learning culture characterized by mutual appreciation and lived integrity.
Mirjam Luthe
Trainerin
MBSR-Teacher
Mindfulness & compassion teacher since: 2012
Mindfulness practice: Personal practice since 2008, including in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Teaching awareness of the connection to oneself, in the perception of our shared humanity and in our commitment to life on our planet Earth – from inner to systemic resilience.
Certification: MBSR, MSC, Yoga, AITW, in training: MBST (Mindfulness Based Sustainable Transformation) M.A. European Studies, B.A. Development Cooperation and NGO Management Mindfulness teacher at UC Irvine (Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, California), long-time collaborator at the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, San Diego. Lecturer at ETH Zurich in DRRS and MAS “Regenerative Systems”; Monviso Institute Design Associate. Speaker for mindfulness-based teacher training (AVE). Coordination team for the European network “Dankbar leben” (Living Gratefully). 15 years of professional experience in international development cooperation in project management and consulting with a focus on evaluation and capacity building. Co-leader of the IDG Global Empathy and Compassion Network.
Teaching format:
Training sessions, courses, retreats, projects, consultations, and individual coaching using an experience-based approach in multiple languages and with intercultural competence, preferably in natural surroundings.
Website: https://www.walk-in-beauty.org/, https://www.thewayout- isin.net
