Guna Svence

Dr. Guna Svence is an Assistant Professor at Riga Stradiņš University's Department of Health Psychology and Pedagogy, concurrently holding a position at the University of Latvia's Faculty of Education, Psychology and Arts. Previously, she served for over 20 years at Riga Teacher Education and Management Academy as Dean of Psychology and Study Programs Director. She holds a Doctor of Science in Psychology (University of Latvia, 1995) and a Master's in Educational Sciences.

Her research focuses on positive psychology applications with specialization in resilience mechanisms, social-emotional health, and teacher well-being. Current investigations examine cross-cultural adaptations during crises, psychological assessment tools, and educational interventions in Eastern Europe.

Recent publications (2022-2023) demonstrate concentrated work on pandemic-era teacher resilience across Baltic nations, analyzing stress responses, distance learning efficacy, and institutional support frameworks through multi-country collaborations.

She actively contributes to EU-funded projects including:

• GreenTouch: EcoMind Development for Higher Education Future (2024-2027) as Leading Expert
• PERSONA: Supporting teachers in distance teaching (2020-2023) as Leading Expert

Additional roles include Horizon Europe participation, COST Action network membership, and conference presentations on developmental psychology topics.