Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, October 2024 — Dr. Vera Ludwig has been appointed as the Director of the Human Sexuality and Well-Being Project at the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. In her new role, Dr. Ludwig will lead a five-year NIH-funded research project aimed at understanding and measuring sexual well-being and its connection to overall well-being and health.
Dr. Ludwig, who has worked with the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative and the Positive Psychology Center, has spent the last four years focused on investigating methods to enhance mental health and well-being. She has also led research on fostering authentic human connections and improving subjective well-being. Her work will now focus on integrating sexuality into models of holistic well-being, an area she believes deserves more attention in the science of well-being.
Earlier, she served as a Research Associate at the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative and Platt Labs, where she contributed to research on well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, optimizing interventions to strengthen interpersonal connections.
Previously, Dr. Ludwig facilitated workshops on mindfulness and mental health, integrating neuroscience with Eastern wisdom traditions. She conducted contemplative retreats and led mindfulness meditation groups, with a particular focus on how sexuality contributes to well-being.
Dr. Ludwig also held positions as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain and a Postdoctoral Researcher at Brown University, where she developed a framework for self-regulation and explored mindful eating interventions through app-based research.
About University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is one of the oldest and most prestigious Ivy League universities in the United States. Renowned for its interdisciplinary approach, Penn houses several top-tier schools, including the Wharton School of Business and the Perelman School of Medicine, as well as the Positive Psychology Center, a leading institute for the study of well-being.
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