Verena Johann

Verena Johann is a Junior Professor for Developmental Psychology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz since 2023. Her academic career includes positions as Deputy Junior Professor at RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau (2022–2023) and postdoctoral research roles at the University of Koblenz-Landau (2018–2022). She holds a Dr. rer. nat. from Goethe University Frankfurt (2018), summa cum laude, and has been recognized with the Margret and Paul Baltes Prize (2019) for outstanding developmental psychology research.

Her research focuses on developmental psychology, cognitive development, and trust dynamics in human-technology interactions, particularly in automated systems and robotics. Notable projects include leading the BMBF-funded ZEN-MRI competence center investigating human-robot interaction in public spaces. She explores psychological variables like anxiety, technology attitudes, and trust calibration in contexts such as automated driving and service robots.

Her work integrates interdisciplinary methods, including experimental psychology, human factors engineering, and robotics. She has collaborated on studies involving driver behavior in automated vehicles, conflict resolution strategies for robots, and the design of trustworthy human-machine interfaces. Her contributions bridge theoretical psychology and applied technologies, emphasizing user-centered design and ethical considerations in AI.