معرفی
Gudrun Sproesser is a Professor and Head of the Department of Health Psychology at the Institute of Psychology, Johannes Kepler University Linz since February 2022. She leads research and teaching initiatives focused on health psychology with particular emphasis on sustainable eating behaviors, food psychology, and the intersection of health and environmental sustainability. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications for promoting sustainable dietary choices.
Dr. Sproesser completed her Diploma in Psychology at the University of Tübingen, Germany in 2007, followed by her Doctorate in Psychology at the University of Konstanz, Germany in 2012. She also earned the Baden-Württemberg Certificate for University Didactics in 2012. Her academic journey includes postdoctoral work at the University of Konstanz (2012-2022) and visiting positions at the University of Pennsylvania (2014, 2016).
Her research primarily investigates the psychological mechanisms underlying dietary choices, with special focus on meat consumption, sustainable eating behaviors, and the cognitive heuristics that influence food perceptions. Dr. Sproesser's work examines how health and sustainability labels affect food choices, the role of cultural differences in dietary behaviors, and the psychological justifications people use for their eating habits. Her research employs experimental methodologies across multiple countries to understand the complex interplay between health psychology and environmental sustainability. She has established herself as a leader in examining the 'healthy = sustainable' heuristic that influences consumer food decisions.
Analysis of Dr. Sproesser's recent publications reveals a strong focus on the intersection of health psychology and sustainability, particularly examining how people process information about food healthiness and environmental impact. Her work frequently employs cross-cultural comparative approaches, with studies conducted in Germany, Australia, Brazil, and other countries. A significant portion of her recent research investigates how animal-related labels influence meat selection behaviors and the psychological processes behind these effects, as well as the carbon footprint implications of academic conference travel.
- Distinguished Reviewer Award, European Journal of Health Psychology (2019)
- Early Career Award, European Health Psychology Society (EHPS) (2016)
- Schmieder Foundation Prize 2012, Award for Neurological Rehabilitation
As an academic leader, Dr. Sproesser supervises Master's thesis students and teaches courses including Clinical Psychology, Advanced Psychological Diagnostics, Mental Disorders and Their Treatment, and Personality and Differential Psychology. Her research is supported by multiple grants, most notably a project funded by the German Research Foundation (2017-2020) titled 'Why people eat in a traditional or modern way: A cross-country study,' for which she was the lead applicant. She currently leads several active research projects including 'Psychometric evaluation of the German Version of the Motivations to Eat Meat Inventory (MEMI)' and 'The Health Sustainability Heuristic: Implicit Measurement and the Role of Knowledge.'
Dr. Sproesser actively participates in professional organizations including the European Health Psychology Society and the German Psychological Society, where she contributes to task forces examining the professional profile of health psychology. She regularly presents at international conferences and collaborates with researchers across Europe, Australia, and the United States to advance understanding of the psychological factors influencing sustainable dietary behaviors.
