Docotral Research Group Psychology

At Leuphana, the subject of psychology conducts research from a basic research-oriented perspective in a wide range of application areas, particularly with regard to economics, management, education, and sustainability. Consequently, the subject of psychology at Leuphana is located in the Schools of Management and Technology, Education and Sustainability, with complementary profiles in research and teaching.

The doctoral research group psychology combines research across schools and disciplines, thus highlighting the role of psychology as a hub science in times of diverse transformations. In line with the principle of open science, psychology pursues transparent and sustainable research—for example, by pre-registering studies, attempting replications, and making data and experimental materials publicly available.

Research Areas

At the School of Management and Technology, the focus is on psychological research into business-related, entrepreneurial, and organisational topics (specialisation in Psychology in Management and Business). This research analyses the success of a responsible, sustainable and socially just transformation of work, entrepreneurship, organisations, and society, e.g. in the following research fields:

  • work stress, recovery and health, with a particular focus on new forms of work
  • demographic change, knowledge exchange, and social inequalities in organisations
  • purchasing and consumer behaviour, e.g. with regard to sustainability and in the context of AI and the digital transformation

At the School of Education, research is related to the basic disciplines of psychology (e.g. developmental psychology, social psychology, and differential psychology) that are relevant to educational processes. In addition, research is conducted in the fields of educational psychology on socially relevant processes of change and transformation in educational contexts. Relevant research areas here include:

  • social-cognitive and communicative development in early childhood
  • challenges and conditions for the success of school inclusion
  • the significance of social identities for human experience and behaviour

At the School of Sustainability, psychological research is based on central psychological theories and methods that are further developed in a practice-oriented way and, above all, applied to the area of climate and sustainability, e.g. in the research fields of

  • sustainability thinking and action over the lifespan, including in institutional and informal learning processes
  • risk perception and communication
  • sustainable health promotion

In addition to their joint work in the doctoral research group, doctoral candidates are encouraged to actively participate in events of the DGPs and those of the relevant specialist groups, as well as to attend other national and international events on the topics covered here.

Doctoral Degree

Within this doctoral programme, the responsible School awards the following doctoral degree, depending on the subject-specific orientation of the dissertation:

  • Dr. phil.
  • Dr. rer. nat.

Spokesperson

  • Prof. Dr. Laura Venz

Doctoral Supervisors

School of Education

  • Prof. Dr. Manuel Bohn
  • Prof. Dr. Alexander Freund
  • Prof. Dr. Poldi Kuhl
  • Prof. Dr. Stephan Schiemann
  • Prof. Dr. Birte Siem

School of Sustainability

  • Prof. Dr. Astrid Kause
  • Prof. Dr. Dirk Lehr
  • Prof. Dr. Maria von Salisch
  • Prof. Dr. Roman Trötschel
  • Prof. Dr. Sebastian Wallot

School of Management and Technology

  • Prof. Dr. Lea Boecker
  • Prof. Dr. Jürgen Deller
  • Prof. Dr. Michael Frese
  • Prof. Dr. Oliver Genschow
  • Prof. Dr. Michael Gielnik
  • Prof. Dr. Monika Imschloß
  • Prof. Dr. Franziska Josefine Kößler
  • Prof. Dr. David Loschelder
  • Prof. Dr. Gerd Meier
  • Prof. Dr. Sabine Remdisch
  • Prof. Dr. Augustin Süßmair
  • Prof. Dr. Laura Venz

Doctoral Topics, Positions and Scholarships

In the doctoral research group psychology, you can pursue basic or application-oriented projects. The supervisors look forward to hearing from you.

You can find information about current job and scholarship offers here.

Doctoral Courses

As a doctoral candidate at Leuphana, you not only write your dissertation, but also participate in the interdisciplinary doctoral courses to the extent of 30 credit points, which include (inter)disciplinary colloquia (Research Forum I and Research Forum II) and furthermore comprises four interdisciplinary modules on research ethics, research methods, scientific practice and current perspectives on science. Please find more information about Leuphana's doctoral courses here.

If you wish to pursue your doctorate at Leuphana, you must be enrolled as doctoral student. Information about admission to the doctorate at Leuphana and the application procedure can be found here.

Leuphana Graduate School offers advice and coaching to academics in the qualification phase. The Graduate School's advisor will be happy to support you in questions of decision-making, challenges in the course of your doctorate, and career planning and development. You can find more information about the counselling and coaching services here.