Alexandra M. Freund

Professor Alexandra M. Freund serves as Chair of Developmental Psychology: Adulthood at the University of Zurich's Department of Psychology. She has held this prestigious position since 2005, following academic appointments as Associate Professor (2003-2004) and Assistant Professor (2003) of Human Development and Social Policy, Learning Sciences, and Psychology at Northwestern University. Her distinguished career began with research positions at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin (1994-2002) and included a post-doctoral fellowship at Stanford University under Laura L. Carstensen (1993-1994).

Her educational background reflects deep expertise in developmental psychology:

• Habilitation from Free University Berlin (2002), with thesis titled "The role of goals for development"
• Dr. phil. from Free University Berlin (1994), with thesis titled "Who am I? Content, Structure, and Function of the Self-Definition in Old Age"
• Diploma in Psychology from Free University Berlin (1989)

Professor Freund's research program centers on developmental regulation across the lifespan, exploring how individuals actively shape their development through goal selection and pursuit. She distinguishes between two fundamental levels of goal representations: (1) age-related expectations informed by social norms and personal experiences, and (2) personal goals that directly influence behavior. Her work examines three key processes that help manage resource limitations throughout life: focusing resources on central goals, matching motivational orientation to resource potential, and representing goals in terms of process versus outcome. Her research spans developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, gerontology, and social psychology, with particular emphasis on motivational processes across adulthood.

Her scholarly contributions have earned significant recognition:

• Elected member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (2020)
• Research award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2015)
• Elected founding member of the Young Academy of the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and the German Academy of Natural Sciences Leopoldina (2000-2005)

Professor Freund has mentored numerous researchers who have co-authored publications with her, contributing significantly to the understanding of developmental processes across adulthood. She has served as Co-Speaker for the IMPRS LIFE program and has been actively involved in academic leadership at the University of Zurich. Her work has appeared in top journals including American Psychologist, Psychology and Aging, and The Journals of Gerontology.

Her research laboratory employs a multi-methods approach encompassing self-report, experiments, and process-oriented studies, including experience sampling techniques, behavioral measures, and social-cognitive paradigms. Current projects investigate goal conflict and facilitation, the pursuit of multiple goals, disengagement from conflicting goals, age-related differences in motivational orientation, and cognitive representations of goals. Her team examines how individuals balance resource allocation across competing life domains and adapt their goal pursuit strategies throughout the lifespan.