Team

Project lead

Prof. Dr. Tania Singer

Scientific Head, Social Neuroscience Research Group, Max Planck Society

Tania investigates human social behavior, social cohesion, cooperation, and social emotions, including empathy and compassion. She also explores the plasticity of the social brain and led the ReSource project, an extensive, long-term study on the impact of mental training on brain plasticity, mental health, stress reduction, and the enhancement of resilience, prosocial behavior, and cooperation.

www.taniasinger.de | www.social.mpg.de

Scientific Cooperations

Prof. Dr. Manuel Völkle

Methods and Statistical Modeling, Professor of Psychological Methodology at the Institute of Psychology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Manuel’s research interests focus on the design and analysis of multivariate empirical studies with an emphasis on longitudinal research. A large part of his methodological work deals with continuous-time dynamic models.

www.psychologie.hu-berlin.de/de/mitarbeiter/1688290

Scientific Staff

Lisa Johnson (Ph.D.)

Post-Doc, Social Neuroscience Research Group, Max-Planck-Society

Ph.D. Psychology, University UC Davis, USA

Lisa’s research interests include psychosocial, biological, and environmental factors involved in the promotion and maintenance of mind-body health and wellness, particularly as it unfolds during sensitive life periods. Her work intersects developmental stress physiology and relational dynamics to better understand neurobiological mechanisms underlying the extent to which interpersonal relationships influence psychological health and resilience.

Yael Malin (Ph.D.)

Associated Researcher, Social Neuroscience Research Group, Max-Planck-Society

Ph.D. Education, Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel

Yael’s research is centered on investigating well-being and prosociality within the school environment. She has a specific interest in exploring the connection between students’ wellness and their engagement in prosocial behaviors, which are evaluated through behavioral tasks. Furthermore, Yael aims to understand the impact of teacher wellness on their teaching and interactions with students. Finally, her focus extends to examining the unique relationship between teachers and students, both within the pedagogical process and in contexts beyond it.

Mille Doessing (M.Sc.)

PhD Candidate, Social Neuroscience Research Group, Max-Planck-Society

M.Sc. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Free University Berlin, Germany

In her PhD research, Mille is exploring how psychological interventions influence social emotions and behavior. Mille’s research interests include employing social network analysis to understand changes in prosocial behavior over time, as well as exploring the application of mindfulness for promoting mental health.

Rémi Thériault (Ph.D. Candidate)

Ph.D. Intern, Social Neuroscience Research Group, Max-Planck-Society

M.Sc. Psychology, Ph.D. Candidate at the Université du Québec in Montréal, CDN

Rémi’s research interests include investigating how contemplative practices (e.g., meditation, mindfulness) can boost prosociality. Overall, he is passionate about putting social-psychological research to use to increase people’s well-being and intrinsic motivation to help one another.

https://remi-theriault.com

Project Coordination and Management

Juliane Domke (Ph.D.)

Lab Manager, Social Neuroscience Research Group, Max Planck Society

Ph.D. in General Linguistics, Humboldt University of Berlin, GER

As Lab Manager, Juliane is responsible for the successful organisation of the Social Neuroscience Lab’s research projects with regard to administrative and organisational tasks.

Luise Bauerecker (M.A.)

Project Coordination, Social Neuroscience Research Group, Max-Planck-Society

M.A. Sports Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, GER

With a background in sports science, Luise’s interests lie in health-related issues. Among other things, she has been involved in the MeTAzeit study, which investigated students’ cognitive abilities, emotions and well-being in the context of mindfulness interventions. Her role at Edu:Social School includes the coordination and organisation of the project, with particular responsibility for issues related to the study app.

Lea Mertens (M.Sc.)

Project Coordination, Social Neuroscience Research Group, Max-Planck-Society

M.Sc. Health and Social Psychology, Maastricht University, NL

Lea has extensive experience in the development of evidence-based intervention apps and has led an evaluation study on the effectiveness of the screen time app “Wellspent”. In her role at Edu:Social School, she will coordinate and organize the project together with Luise.

Support

Ava Eliane Iro (Student)

Student Assistant

Psychology at Freie Universität Berlin, GER

Ava is currently completing her Bachelor of Science in psychology. At Edu:Social School, she supports the team in research and organizational matters. Ava is broadly interested in systems that children grow up in, and how disruptions and changes in these systems affect early development. Her experience with schools stems from, among other things, coordinating a volunteering project working with students on destigmatizing mental health issues.