Selina Ismair

Selina Ismair is a researcher at the University Institute for Early Life Care at Paracelsus Medical University, specializing in developmental psychology with a focus on parental attachment, child development, and family systems. Her research spans multiple disciplines including psychology, developmental science, and family studies, with particular emphasis on understanding the complex interplay between parental mentalization, attachment representations, and parenting sensitivity.

Dr. Ismair's research interests center around adult attachment, child development, and parenting dynamics, with specific focus on parent-child interaction patterns, longitudinal developmental trajectories, and causal inference in family systems. Her work explores how both mothers' and fathers' attachment representations and mentalization abilities reciprocally influence parenting sensitivity within family systems, challenging traditional mother-centered approaches to child development.

Analysis of her publication record reveals a consistent trajectory of scholarly output with increasing productivity from 2021 through 2025. Her research demonstrates strong interdisciplinary connections across developmental psychology, attachment theory, family systems theory, and mentalization processes. A notable trend in her work is the growing emphasis on paternal influences in child development, as evidenced by publications like 'Daddy Cool: Fatherly influence on child development' and 'Does fathers' attachment determine sensitivity?'

• Best PhD Poster (2024)
• Franz Kainberger Health Prize (2024)

Dr. Ismair is actively involved in research projects including 'Reflecting Minds - Development of a mentalization training for elementary educators' (2022-2025) and 'Conception and prototypical implementation of a digital documentation system for the Grow Together association' (2025-2026). She regularly presents her findings at academic events, with scheduled speaking engagements through 2026 on topics including family resilience, early parent-child interaction, and contemporary fatherhood.

Her work is conducted within the framework of the University Institute for Early Life Care, where she collaborates with researchers like Brigitte Priewasser, Alexandra Dinzinger, and Gabriela Markova on family systems research and intervention development.