jSchool 2026

Following the success of previous jSchools, jSchool 2026 will return to the Certosa di Pontignano in Siena, Italy from the 28^th June to the 4^th July. Students will get the chance to kick-off their group research studies, supported by their Research Supervisors and JRP Team Members, as well as enjoying sunny Tuscany.

The Junior Researcher Programme (JRP) is now accepting applications from bachelors and masters students in psychology and behavioural sciences to join jSchool 2026. Each year, students from all over the world are selected to become part of the Junior Researcher Programme and work on a research project within a dedicated team for 13 months. The journey starts at the one-week summer school in late June, where teams meet and projects take shape. After 13 months of collaboration, students present their final work at the Junior Researcher Programme Conference in Cambridge, UK. Once their journey is completed, they will join the JRP Alumni Network, where they can keep in touch with researchers of previous cohorts and continue to grow within an international research community.

Student applications are closed for 2026.

Taking part in the JRP was an incredibly rewarding experience, both in terms of the skills and knowledge I gained and the social aspect of meeting new people. This was my first time being involved in a full research project, so I learned a lot about all the steps involved in the process, starting from literature review and designing a methodology, all the way to collecting and analysing data and presenting the findings.

The programme also greatly shaped my career ambitions and interests, as it taught me the many practical applications of social psychology and exposed me to fascinating new avenues of research. The topics chosen each year are not only extremely interesting from a theoretical point of view, but also highly relevant for solving today’s pressing global issues.

And of course, the JRP is an invaluable networking opportunity, as you get to meet researchers and fellow students from all over the world and forge lasting connections.

Participating in JRP has not only deepened my understanding of being an early career researcher but has also equipped me with the essential skills, confidence, and a valuable network to pursue this path. JRP stands out for its commitment to practical support, particularly in honing skills through publication emphasis during the 13-month journey.

The outstanding networking opportunities, engaging with diverse like-minded individuals at various research experience levels, have been a constant source of inspiration. Beyond academia, the friendships I have made in JRP were an unexpected but fantastic perk, creating a genuine sense of community.

I strongly recommend the JRP experience for anyone seeking a comprehensive immersion into the world of research or wishing to explore its possibilities. It extends beyond academia, providing a holistic approach to personal and professional growth.

Theme

The theme of this jSchool is Psychological Science in a Digital Age: From Individual Well-being to Societal Processes. This theme was carefully selected to allow jSchool students to apply their skills to a diverse range of psychological challenges and research areas.

The increasing integration of digital media into daily life – ranging from social media communication to AI-powered assistance – presents both significant opportunities and complex challenges. Social media platforms, algorithmic recommendation systems, and AI-powered tools now mediate experiences that psychologists have long studied through other lenses. This year, our set of research projects explore the opportunities, challenges, and effects of digital media.

Projects & Supervisors

jSchool offers the chance to gain valuable experience in designing cross-cultural research in small groups under the supervision of early-career researchers. The event is a platform for psychology students to conduct research in an international setting and in their field of interest, with the aim of producing meaningful insights suitable for publication in scientific journals.

For jSchool 2026, we have six different projects. Click between the six tabs to read more about the projects and the supervisors:

Public Trust in AI-Supported Medical Decision-Making: A Cross-Country Study

Artificial intelligence is increasingly used in medical decision-making, raising important questions about public trust. This project examines how trust in AI-supported medical decisions varies across countries and how cultural values shape perceptions of risk, responsibility, and acceptance under different forms of human–AI involvement. Participants will complete an online vignette-based survey presenting a medical diagnosis made by either a clinician alone, a clinician supported by AI, or an AI system with limited human oversight. These scenarios reflect ongoing debates about AI autonomy in healthcare. Drawing on established psychological frameworks of trust, perceived risk, and acceptability, the study tests whether these mechanisms operate similarly across cultural contexts.

Anna Louise Todsen · University of Oxford, United Kingdom

Anna Louise Todsen is a PhD student in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. Her research examines human–AI decision-making in healthcare, integrating cognitive and systems-level perspectives to inform the development and implementation of clinical AI. She holds an MSc in Policy and Intervention Evaluation and has worked at RAND Europe translating research evidence into health policy.

The Impact of Doomscrolling on Human Attention Span

Doomscrolling, the act of continuously consuming distressing news, has become a common behaviour in today’s digital media landscape. Concerns have emerged regarding its potential negative effects on cognitive functions, particularly attention. This project aims to explore the impact of doomscrolling on attention span by comparing individuals’ performance on attention tasks after exposure to distressing versus positive content. We will analyse differences in attention performance both within and across groups to better understand how digital content may influence cognitive performance.

Dr Akanksha Gupta · Aix-Marseille University, France

I recently completed my PhD at INS, INSERM, Aix-Marseille University, France. I am a cognitive computational neuroscientist investigating human attention and audition. My work bridges experimental neuroscience (behavioral, sEEG, fMRI) and computational approaches (machine learning, coupled oscillators, graph theory). Passionate about interdisciplinary science, I also contribute to open science, mentoring, and cross-field collaborations at the intersection of neuroscience, AI, and complex systems.

In the Eye of the Beholder? How Perception Shapes Real-Life Aesthetic Decisions

Why did you buy that shirt, mug, or bookmark? Many day-to-day choices involve an aesthetic dimension. However, investigating these aesthetic decisions is difficult, given the many perceptual, cognitive, and social factors involved. This project investigates to what extent daily-life aesthetic decisions can be understood based on our perceptual experience of various visual feature dimensions (e.g., variety in color, shape, orientation). Hence, we will estimate to what extent real-life aesthetic decisions are ‘in the eye of the beholder’. By creating parametrically-controlled patterns and designs (using the Order & Complexity Toolbox for Aesthetics; OCTA) and applying them to diverse daily-life products, we will replicate findings in the field of empirical aesthetics in more real-life contexts, and answer new questions regarding differences in appreciation across cultures, individuals, and products.

Dr Eline Van Geert · KU Leuven, Belgium

Eline Van Geert is a postdoctoral researcher in the research unit of Brain & Cognition at KU Leuven. During her PhD, she investigated the role of individual and contextual differences in how we visually experience the world around us. In her postdoctoral research, she develops new approaches to study our appreciation for visual stimuli, with the aim to clarify the extent to which individual and contextual differences in visual sensitivity and experience can explain differences in appreciation.

Shall We Do Less or Better? Well-Being Impact of Social Media Use and the Impact of Aesthetic Experiences

Can we make social media healthier—not just by using it less, but by using it better? Most current approaches focus on digital detox, yet evidence for their effectiveness is mixed, and we still lack a clear understanding of why social media impacts well-being—or how to improve it. Drawing on research in empirical aesthetics, previous work shows that even brief exposure to meaningful, emotionally rich content can enhance mood and well-being. Building on this, this project directly compares two strategies: reducing use versus improving the quality of engagement. Using an experience sampling and experimental design, we address three key questions: (1) how everyday social media use relates to momentary well-being, (2) whether “use less” or “use better” is more effective, and (3) how these strategies differentially affect mood, stress, and meaning.

Dr Jan Mikuni · University of Vienna, Austria

Dr Jan Mikuni is a postdoctoral researcher at University of Vienna in the field of psychology of art and aesthetics. Her work focuses on aesthetic experiences in everyday life—whether through engagement with artworks, designed objects, or urban environments—and how these experiences shape human perception, emotion, and behavior. Core interest lies in understanding not only the nature and quality of these experiences, but also their broader societal impact.

Undercurrents of Suicidality: Mapping Suicide-Related Internet Use across Europe

Suicide-related internet use (SRIU) can shape how people experience and act on suicidal thoughts. Research shows SRIU is common and impactful, with most suicidal individuals engaging for multiple, often conflicting, reasons, such as seeking both harmful and supportive content. As people with higher suicidality are more likely to engage in this behaviour, understanding SRIU is especially important. This study examines both the reasons people engage in SRIU and its effects on suicidal individuals across Europe and how service contact and digital and structural contexts shape this.

Dr Lana Bojanić · University of Manchester, United Kingdom

Lana Bojanić is a research associate at the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health at the University of Manchester. She completed her PhD research on suicide-related internet use in adults who are in contact with mental health services. Her work aims to help make online world safer for suicidal people.

Psychological Inoculation against Misinformation: Can Feedback-Enhanced Exercises Boost the Effects?

Misinformation can have dire consequences for societal challenges such as public health and democratic processes. Psychological inoculation is arguably the most popular intervention against misinformation, in which participants are exposed to a weakened dose of manipulation strategies, for example. Although most inoculation interventions are short and scalable, effect sizes are often small and there is debate about whether inoculation makes people overly skeptical. Our study will explore whether exercises with automated feedback (potentially via LLMs) can strengthen inoculation effects and finetune people’s judgments to achieve sustainable skill improvement. The findings could provide valuable insights into how to foster resilience against misinformation among citizens on a large scale.

Marvin Fendt · Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany

Marvin Fendt is a PhD candidate at the Ludwig Maximilian University Munich in educational psychology. His research focuses on individual-level interventions against misinformation and media education. Beyond his research he likes hiking, singing, story-driven video games, and his Nashi trees.

Venue

The Certosa di Pontignano is a 14th-century monastery in the very heart of the Chianti countryside. The site, also denominated as the Pearl of the Sienese Chianti, brings together nature, history, and hospitality, whilst incorporating perfect spaces for study groups, needed for the students to lay the grounding blocks for their team projects, and to form strong friendship and collaborative bonds.

The location offers multiple green spaces, ideal for social events and moments of relaxation. Its natural silence, and its proximity to Italy’s capital cultural cities, Siena and Florence, give the summer school participants the chance to both enjoy a stroll through the Chianti vineyards, and appreciate the frenetic Italian city life.