How do individuals navigate the challenges of development and aging across the life span? As a Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychology at Martin-Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, this central question drives my research. In particular, my research examines how people deal with aging-related changes, negative age stereotypes, and the gain and loss of social status across the life span. Our studies include experimental, longitudinal, and cross-cultural methods to unravel how motivational and social-cognitive factors affect physiological and psychological well-being. A key focus of my research is understanding the self-regulatory processes that enable individuals to flexibly adapt to developmental challenges.
I’ve published in leading academic journals, including but not limited to Psychology and Aging, Developmental Psychology, Psychophysiology, and Current Directions in Psychological Science. My work has garnered attention in prominent media outlets such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Die Zeit, and PBS Next Avenue. I have been honored with several prestigious awards for my research, including the Karl-Giehrl Award for outstanding dissertations, the Vontobel Award for Research on Age(ing), and the Calderone Award for Junior Faculty Excellence.
I began my academic journey as a student of social identity dynamics at the University of Kiel, Germany, and at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. In 2009, I completed my PhD at Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen, Germany. Following my doctoral studies, I conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Zurich, Switzerland (2009-2014) before taking on a role as an Assistant Professor at Columbia University in New York City, USA (2014-2018). In 2018, I further expanded my research expertise at the University of Leipzig, Germany, while holding the prestigious Heisenberg Fellowship from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). Since November 2021, I have been leading the Developmental Psychology Section within the Department of Psychology at Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.
Photo credit: Mona Weiss