Tone Roald

Tone Roald is an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Social Sciences. She has been in this position since 2017, having previously served as an Assistant Professor (2013), Postdoctoral Researcher (2010), and Ph.D. student (2006) at the same institution.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Psychology, University of Copenhagen (2009)
• Cand. Psych (M.Sc.), University of Copenhagen (2004)
• B.Sc. (Hons.) in Psychology, University of Glasgow (2000)

Tone Roald's research focuses on the intersection of phenomenology and psychology, particularly in the domain of aesthetics. Her work explores how aesthetic atmospheres influence us, the nature of aesthetic experience, and the application of Maurice Merleau-Ponty's philosophy to psychological research. She investigates how art works to influence pre-reflective features of the self, and how infants develop meaning through bodily movements in relation to caregivers.

Her scholarly output demonstrates a strong focus on phenomenological psychology and aesthetics, with numerous publications exploring atmospheric experiences, emotional responses to art, and the theoretical foundations of aesthetic perception. Her research consistently bridges philosophy and psychology, creating an interdisciplinary approach to understanding human experience with art and aesthetic phenomena.

Her scientific achievements have been recognized with several prestigious awards:

• Sapere Aude:DFF-research leader (2016)
• The Carlsberg Foundation Distinguished Fellowship (2018)
• The Carlsberg Foundation Monograph Fellowship (2021)
• Article of the year award by the Finnish Society of Aesthetics (2022)
• Munch- and Vigeland Grant (2022)
• Carlsberg Conference Grant (2023)
• Queen Margrethe II's Science Award 2025 (2025)

Tone Roald has been actively involved in supervising Bachelor and Master's theses, teaching courses in Personality Psychology, Theory of Science, and Qualitative Methods. She has received significant research funding, including the Carlsberg Foundation Distinguished Fellowship (4.497.286 DKK) for her project "Aesthetic experience. An empirical investigation in phenomenological psychology" and a Sapere Aude award (7.053.520 DKK) for "Aesthetic experience and the pre-reflective self."

She is a key figure in the Copenhagen School of Phenomenology and has organized numerous academic events, including symposia on art and identity, and serves as a consulting editor for the Journal of Phenomenological Psychology.