Meet the team
A learning community of 14 scholars whose disciplines span economics, psychology, public health, big data, design sciences and public administration.
Professor
Micael is a Professor in Economics and in Wellbeing, Welfare and Happiness at the Stockholm School of Economics and the founder and director of the Center for Wellbeing, Welfare and Happiness at the same institution. He has written numerous books and is an internationally acclaimed speaker.
Associate Professor
Daniel is an Associate Professor at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. He blends urban planning, public health and behavioural science to design greener schoolyards that spark kids’ play, movement and wellbeing.
Research Fellow
Gustav is a Research Fellow at the Center for Wellbeing, Welfare and Happiness, holding a PhD in Design Science. Alongside his research, he is a serial entrepreneur with international reach.
Professor
Paul is a Professor of Behavioural Science at the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science, The London School of Economics and Political Science. He is known for work on happiness, wellbeing, and public policy, is an acclaimed speaker and is the author of several bestselling books.
Director
Talita is the Director of the Centre for Wellbeing, AI and Social Impact and Professor at the School of Economics at the University of Johannesburg. Her research lies at the intersection of wellbeing economics, Big Data, and artificial intelligence. Among others, she leads the Gross National Happiness. Today project, which measures real-time happiness using 4IR methods across multiple countries.
PhD Student
Nora is a PhD student at the Center for Wellbeing, Welfare and Happiness at the Stockholm School of Economics. She studies how wellbeing at work can be improved through real-world experiments, and she is especially interested in understanding and reducing gaps in wellbeing between different groups.
Professor
Cassie is a Professor of marketing and behavioral decision making at UCLA Anderson School of Management. Cassie’s research examines such questions as how focusing on time (rather than money) increases happiness, how the meaning of happiness changes over the course of one’s lifetime, and how much happiness people enjoy from extraordinary versus ordinary experiences.
Research Scientist
Tim is a Psychology Research Scientist in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and part of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University. Tim’s main research focus is exploring cross-cultural perspectives on wellbeing, especially concepts and practices deemed ‘non-Western.’
Researcher
Jareef is a Researcher in Psychology & Behavioral Science at the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH). He is a judgment and decision-making researcher running experiments to study things people do, believe, and prefer.
Professor
Kazuki is a Professor at the Graduate School of Health and Nutrition at Miyagi Gakuin Women's University in Japan. He aims to make academic contributions that elevate the wellbeing in Japan and beyond, drawing inspiration from ideal models of wellbeing in for example the Nordics and Bhutan. In the near term, he hopes to realize this vision through collaborative efforts with fellow HPF members.
Vice Chancellor
Chewang Rinzin is Vice Chancellor of the Royal University of Bhutan and Founding Director of Royal Institute for Governance and Strategic Studies in Bhutan.
Associate Professor & Deputy Head
Stephanié is a wellbeing economist, Associate Professor and Deputy Head of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at Auckland University of Technology. She also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Happiness Studies, President of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS), and is a member of the World Wellbeing Panel. Her work explores how data, technology, and societal dynamics shape happiness and wellbeing across contexts, including New Zealand, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and the UK.
Assistant Professor
Otto works as Assistant Professor at Karolinska Institutet, where he primarily conducts epidemiological and experimental research on meditation, psychedelics, and wellbeing. His research agenda is both broad and focused, united by a central aim: to reduce suffering in the world.
Professor
Michael is the Founder and Director of the Center for Meaning and Purpose, and Professor of Psychology at Colorado State University. He is a recognized authority on meaning in life, purpose, happiness, psychological strengths, and positive psychology. His research interests center on understanding how people create a life worth living, and seeking ways to help people flourish and achieve wellbeing.