Workshop: Stress Management, Resilience & Psychological Safety in Academia
Schedule:
- Start: 10:00
- Short break: 11:30
- Lunch break: 12:30–13:30
- Afternoon session: 13:30–17:00
Workshop Summary
This workshop is designed specifically for early career researchers who are navigating the unique combination of academic pressure, uncertainty, and high expectations, often while trying to maintain a functional private life. The session addresses stress and well-being from both professional and personal perspectives, highlighting how challenges in academia and everyday life interact and reinforce each other.
Grounded in scientific research on stress, cognitive load, and coping strategies, the workshop translates evidence-based concepts into practical tools that can be applied in the lab, the office, and at home. At the same time, the delivery intentionally incorporates humor, relatable examples, and common PhD-life scenarios (including deadlines, comments, and the mysterious disappearance of free time).
By combining academic rigor with a light-hearted and engaging approach, the workshop aims not only to provide useful insights and techniques for stress management, but also to create a space where participants can recognize themselves, laugh, and reflect, because sometimes the most effective way to deal with stress is to understand it scientifically and laugh at it together.
Facilitator: Mara Schär
Mara is the CEO and Founder of Joy Corporate GmbH and a Life & Business Coach (Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist®).
She supports individuals and organizations with a holistic, science-based approach to health, performance, and well-being.
She brings many years of experience in developing corporate health management concepts and coaching across areas such as stress management, work-life balance, resilience, digital detox, organizational psychology, and neurohacks. Mara is a trained journalist and has over 20 years of international experience in corporate wellness, communication, negotiation, emotional intelligence, coaching, sales, marketing, and key account management.
Driven by her passion for communication and psychology, she studied Communication Sciences, followed by a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master of Business Administration in Human Resources Management. She completed her Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist® training in Los Angeles in 2017, alongside further specialized education.
Mara works with scientifically grounded methods based on the latest findings from neuroscience, psychology, and communication, translating them into practical, tailored solutions for her clients.
