Research teams
The research work package No. 1
Short-term and long-term impacts of using digital technologies on the wellbeing of the general population led by Prof. David Šmahel
Prof. David Šmahel (MU)
serves as the Vice-Dean for Strategy and Development at the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, while also holding a position at the Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University. He has led numerous projects in the field of researching the impacts of technology on humans, focusing on Human-Computer Interaction. He has authored over 80 academic publications and has been involved in various international projects. As part of the EU Kids Online project, he led international research on the risks and opportunities of internet use by children and adolescents. He also serves as the editor of the Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace.
Assoc. Prof. Anna Ševčíková (MU)
holds the position of Head of Research Activities for Project WP1.2. Concurrently, she serves as the Head of the Institute for Psychological Research at Masaryk University and leads the working group for sexuality research. She has authored over 40 internationally recognized scholarly publications and served as an associated editor for the International Journal of Public Health (IF 5.1). Additionally, she is a member of the prestigious International Academy of Sex Research.
Assoc. Prof. Lenka Dědková (MU)
serves as the Head of Research Activities for Project WP1.1. Her long-term research focuses on the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the lives of adolescents, with specific emphasis on longitudinal studies, online risk interactions, and parental mediation. She has extensive experience in national and international quantitative research (EU Kids Online) and has published 40 scholarly publications. Additionally, she serves as an editor for the Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace.
Dr. Klára Maliňáková (UP)
serves as the Head of Research Activities for Project WP1.4. Currently, she is affiliated with the Institute of Social Health at Palacký University in Olomouc. Her research focuses on spirituality and health. She completed her bachelor's studies in theology at Palacký University in Olomouc in 2019. Subsequently, she obtained her doctorate in the field of Social and Spiritual Determinants of Health as part of a double degree program at the University of Groningen (Groningen, Netherlands) and Palacký University in Olomouc from 2015 to 2019.
Assoc. Prof. Hana Macháčková (MU)
is an excellent senior researcher. She leads the Interdisciplinary Research on Internet and Society (IRTIS) department. Since the beginning of her career, her research has focused on the field of media psychology. She has participated in numerous projects in this area and has authored over 40 scholarly publications on the subject. Currently, she is developing the Experimental Working Group at IRTIS MU and serves as the national coordinator for the international project EU Kids Online.
Doc. Lukas Blinka, an excellent researcher (MU)
specializes in media psychology and health, particularly in the study of excessive use of digital technologies and behavioral addictions. He is the author of over 40 scholarly publications. In addition to the Czech Republic, he has professionally contributed to universities and research projects in Estonia and Iceland. He is a member of the international research network WHO Health Behavior in School-aged Children.
Assoc. Prof. Mariek Vanden Abeele (MU)
is the current holder of an ERC project focused on researching digital wellbeing. She is an expert in statistics and methodology, and will serve as the guarantor of methodological and statistical activities. She has published a number of highly cited publications in the field of media research and digital wellbeing.
The research work package No. 2
Experimental Research on Technologies and Wellbeing led by Assoc. Prof. Martina Hřebíčková, DSc.
Assoc. Prof. Martina Hřebíčková, DSc. (Institute of Psychology, Czech Academy of Sciences)
works as leading senior researcher at the Institute of Psychology, Czech Academy of Sciences, where she leads Department of Personality and Social Psychology. She also works in the Presidium of the Czech Science Foundation. Her research interest is personality and social psychology, particularly the trait approach and the structure of personality traits within the so-called Five-factor model of personality (Big Five). She has also researched national stereotypes, acculturation and intergroup relations.
Assoc. Prof. Hana Macháčková, Ph.D. (MU)
leads the research activity WP2.1 and is head of the department „Interdisciplinary Research Team on Internet and Society“ and works at Department of Psychology and Department of Media Studies and Journalism at Masaryk University. She researches the role of the internet and technologies in adolescents' and adults' lives. Her current research focus is on online aggression, online communities, and health and wellbeing. She is now focusing on experimental research in the area of media psychology.
Prof. Sylvie Graf, Ph.D. (Institute of Psychology, Czech Academy of Sciences)
leads the research activity WP2.2 and works as leading senior researcher at the Institute of Psychology, Czech Academy of Sciences, where she founded and leads the Brno Lab of Intergroup Processes. Her main research interest relates to improving relations between social groups – through intergroup.
Dr. Katja Schlegel, Ph.D. (Institute of Psychology, Czech Academy of Sciences)
is an excellent researcher who also works at the University of Bern. Her research focuses on emotions, emotional competencies, and emotion regulation. She was a co-investigator on the Horizon 2020 ECoWeB project "Assessing and Enhancing Emotional Competence for Wellbeing in the Young".
The research work package No. 3
Personalized Digital Interventions for Promoting Wellbeing and Healthy Lifestyle (OU) led by prof. Steriani Elavsky
Prof. Steriani Elavsky (OU)
leads research activities WP3.1 and WP3.2. She has long been devoted to the issue of mHealth technologies and their utilization in promoting wellbeing and healthy aging. With extensive international experience from the USA, where she worked at the Pennsylvania State University (a globally renowned institution in the field of social science methodologies employing intensive longitudinal data and EMA methodology), she spearheaded the project's content conception. Currently, she is a highly cited scholar in the field of social sciences.
Dr. Vera Kr. Jandačková (OU)
leads research activity WP3.3. Her expertise lies in health psychology, including the exploration of biological mechanisms of cognitive and emotional health, and healthy lifestyles. She has long collaborated with numerous international experts from the USA, Germany, Austria, Poland, but primarily with epidemiologists and psychologists from University College London in the United Kingdom, from whom she gained valuable experience in working with large longitudinal datasets. She is an active member of the American Psychosomatic Society and the Society for Psychophysiological Research.
Doc. Lukáš Cipryan (OU)
leads research activity WP3.3. He has long been dedicated to the issues of stress and sports physiology, sports training, and nutrition. His research focus extends beyond sports to encompass human health and the prevention of civilization diseases.
Prof. Soňa Kalenda Vávrová (OU)
leads research activity WP3.4. She has long been involved in developing situational analysis methods in research focused on social work. She is the guarantor of the main research direction at OU, the Group of Socially Excluded Population (https://www.osu.cz/hlavni-smery-vyzkumu/). Within this framework, she leads a research team focusing on the digitalization of social work interventions and digital exclusion among the most vulnerable groups (endangered children and older adults). In her research, she collaborates primarily with experts from Finland, Spain, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom. She is a member of the international network Social Research Center for Welfare Technology (https://sites.uef.fi/weltech/).
The research work package No. 4
PhDr. Petr Winkler, Ph.D. (NIMH)
is an expert in public mental health. His main focus is on mental health systems of care, psychiatric epidemiology, stigma of mental illness, mental literacy and overall mental wellbeing and resilience.
MUDr. Pavla Stopková, PhD. (NIMH)
leads research activity WP4.2. She is a CBT therapist, psychiatrist and expert in the field of education and cognitive-behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders.
Mgr. et Mgr. Iveta Hocko Fajnerová, PhD. (NIMH)
leads research activity WP4.3. She is a psychologist, neuroscientist and researcher and has long focused on the use of VR tools in cognitive interventions and psychotherapy.
PhDr. Ladislav Csémy (NIMH)
leads research activity WP4.4. He is an expert in the psychological aspects of addiction with an emphasis on identifying predictors of addiction development and the use of prevention tools. He is a researcher or member of the research team of 16 national or international research projects.
prof. Mgr. Tomáš Řiháček, Ph.D. (MU)
leads research activity WP4.5. He is a qualified psychologist and psychotherapist with a specialist interest in psychotherapy research. He has authored or co-authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications, co-authored the DeePsy web application, and received a Fulbright-Masaryk Scholarship (2021).
doc. MUDr. Viktor Mravčík (NIMH)
is an excellent researcher and expert in the field of addiction medicine, epidemiology and preventive medicine. Until 2021, he headed the National Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Addictions. He teaches at the 1st Medical Faculty of the UK. He has participated in many international research and implementation projects supported by EMCDDA and the European Commission.
Tobias Elgan, Ph.D.
is an expert consultant for the project. He is an associate professor in public health at STAD, Center for Psychiatry Research at the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. His research focuses on the development, evaluation and implementation of digital interventions for people with substance dependence and children of parents with addiction, and he contributes to the project through advisory and consultancy services.
The research work package No. 5
Development of International Cooperation and Enhancement of Application Potential in the Creation of Health, Education, and Environmental Policies (UP) led by Dr. Petr Baďura.
Dr. Petr Baďura (UP)
is a member of the international research network HBSC, where he serves as the co-chair of the "Peer Culture and Leisure Time" working group and is part of the Scientific Development Group. Within the Czech HBSC team, he is responsible for the methodological aspects of the study, including the preparation of the nationally representative dataset. He completed his Ph.D. studies at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
Dr. Michal Kalman (UP)
holds the position of Head of Research Activities for WP5.1 and is also the Head Researcher at the OUSHI UP. He leads the national research team for the HBSC study in the Czech Republic and plays a key role in collaborating with the applied sphere. He is a member of the general assembly of the international HBSC study.
Assoc. Prof. Hana Macháčková, Ph.D. (MU)
leads the research activity WP5.2 and is head of the department „Interdisciplinary Research Team on Internet and Society“ and works at Department of Psychology and Department of Media Studies and Journalism at Masaryk University. She researches the role of the internet and technologies in adolescents' and adults' lives. Her current research focus is on online aggression, online communities, and health and wellbeing. She is now focusing on experimental research in the area of media psychology.
Prof. Rodrigues Curi Hallal (UP)
is an excellent researcher and professor in the field of epidemiology at the Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil. His main research area is physical activity and public health. He has also served in the leadership of the Lancet Physical Activity Series journal. Currently, he holds the Fulbright Chair in Public Health - Visiting Professor position at the University of California in San Diego.
Prof. Dana Hamplová (Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences)
leads research activity WP5.3 and heads the Department of Social Stratification at the Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences. She also serves as the Czech representative in the ISSP program. In the past, she has worked at the University of Bamberg in Germany and at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Dr. Alina Cosma (UP)
leads research activity WP5.4. She has extensive experience in international research. In 2015, she obtained her doctorate in psychology from Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca. Since then, she has completed postdoctoral and research internships at prestigious universities in the UK (University of St Andrews), Ireland (RCSI, Trinity College Dublin), and the Netherlands (Utrecht University).
Dr. Meyran Boniel-Nissim (UP)
is an excellent researcher and has been serving as an associate professor and senior research fellow at The Max Stern Academic College of Emek Yezreel in Israel since 2022. Dr. Boniel-Nissim primarily focuses on research concerning adolescents in the digital age, and has contributed to publications for special issues such as Highlights in Psychology for Clinical Settings.
Prof. Erik Sigmund (Palacký University)
is an excellent scientific researcher and professor in the field of kinesiology at the Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacký University. His main research focus, which he has been developing extensively, is lifestyle, physical activity, and health, with an emphasis on field monitoring of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep. He serves as an editor for international journals such as the International Journal of Public Health and BMC Public Health.
Dr. Michael L. Smith (Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences)
is an excellent researcher and a senior research scientist at the Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences. Additionally, he is affiliated with Washington University in Seattle. He obtained his doctorate from the New School for Social Research in New York. His primary focus is on quantitative methodology.
The research work package No. 6
Research, Development, and Application of Innovative Methods for Processing Complex Data in the Field of Wellbeing (OU) led by Prof. Misha Pavel
Prof. Misha Pavel (OU)
is affiliated with Northeastern University and the University of California Davis, specializing in electrical engineering, computer science, and experimental psychology. His research focuses on multiscale computer modeling of human behavior and its control, as well as technological innovations aimed at supporting sustainable, distributed, proactive healthcare. He studies approaches to reasoning and augmenting human intelligence using computer games, EEG, and transcranial electrical stimulation.
Dr. Marek Brabec (Institute of Computer Science, Czech Academy of Sciences)
who leads research activities WP6.1 and WP6.4, is a senior research scientist in the Department of Statistical Modeling at the Institute of Computer Science, Czech Academy of Sciences. He is the author of over 150 publications (WoS) with more than 1700 citations. Dr. Brabec develops and applies statistical methods, primarily in the field of modern semi-parametric regression and dynamic and highly structured spatiotemporal models (both classical/frequentist and Bayesian). He has been involved in the development of models for fusing empirical information with prior knowledge from sources other than data.
Doc. Patrícia Martinková (Institute of Computer Science, Czech Academy of Sciences)
who leads research activity WP6.2, is a senior research scientist at the Institute of Computer Science. She heads the Department of Statistical Modeling and the Computational Psychometrics Group. She has been a principal investigator on grants from TAČR and GAČR, focusing on interdisciplinary research connecting statistical modeling with social/medical fields. She is a recipient of the Wichterle Prize and has held a Fulbright-Masaryk Scholarship at the University of Washington. She is the author of over 40 publications in WoS-indexed journals, including prestigious (D1/WoS) journals in the fields of Computer Science Interdisciplinary, Statistics Probability and Information Science, Educational Research, and Psychology Educational.
Dr. David Hartman (Institute of Computer Science, Czech Academy of Sciences)
who leads research activity WP6.3, is a research scientist in the Department of Complex Systems at the Institute of Computer Science. He specializes in issues related to complex networks, focusing on reliable construction and the emergence of structural phenomena. He applies methodological research in the fields of neurology and climatology.
Dr. Richard Cimler (University of Hradec Králové)
leads research activity WP6.5 and is the founder and head of the Center for Advanced Technologies at the University of Hradec Králové. He has been the principal investigator or co-investigator on more than 20 projects funded by AZV, TAČR, OP PIK, and has been involved in 12 projects funded by GAČR, TAČR, eDIH, and European projects. He is the author of over 80 publications indexed in WoS.
Prof. Vilém Novák (OU)
leads research activity WP6.6 and is a professor at the University of Ostrava, where he founded and directed the Institute for Research and Applications of Fuzzy Modeling (ÚVAFM OU) from 1996 to 2020. He is an expert in mathematical fuzzy logic and its applications. He has authored several formal theories, a mathematical model of natural human reasoning, original methods for process regulation and automatic decision-making, as well as methods for processing time series. He is the author or co-author of over 300 scientific publications and 6 scientific monographs.
Doc. Michal Holčapek (OU)
is a key research scientist and associate professor at the University of Ostrava. He is an outstanding researcher in the field of computational intelligence, aggregation operators, and mathematical modeling. He has been involved in solving numerous grants, including projects funded by GAČR focusing on mathematical models in economics, time series analysis, or the application of aggregation operators in data analysis. Additionally, he is responsible for quantitative research within the doctoral studies at the Faculty of Social Studies, University of Ostrava.
Dr. Jitka Kuhnová (University of Hradec Králové)
is the principal investigator or co-investigator of several research and development projects at the University of Hradec Králové focused on monitoring vital functions, evaluating data, and responding to them. Over the past 5 years, she has been the coordinator of the development of the Health React system used in Czech and international studies.
Dr. Melanie Revilla (OU)
holds an ERC grant and is dedicated to the methodology of social science research at IBEI (Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals). She is the Principal Investigator of the WEB DATA OPP project, funded by an ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2019-STG). This project explores new measurement possibilities using smartphones, including the use of visual data, passively measured data, and focuses on questions of validity and quality of such measured data.
Dr. Michal Burda (OU)
is a research scientist (R3) at the University of Ostrava, an excellent data analyst, and developer. He is the author of a specific and extensive package in the R language (lfl). He has contributed to numerous projects and applications, particularly in medical sciences, social work, and biology.