Team
I am a lifespan developmental psychologist by training and the founder of OldSchool. I lead a research group at the Healthy Longevity Center (University of Zurich) and teach at the Department of Psychology (University of Zurich). My research program focuses on cognitive activities (e.g., learning, memory) and psychological well-being across adulthood. I use qualitative and quantitative methods, collect real world evidence (e.g., smartphone sensing, wearables) and use interdisciplinary approaches in data analytics (e.g., machine learning) to understand and promote healthy human development and longevity.
At the Healthy Longevity Center, I have positioned myself at the intersection of research and innovation, with the aim of fostering the translation of psychological research findings into social innovation. I mainly focus on research and innovation development in ed-tech, age-tech and digital health.
I have a Master’s degree in psychology and am currently working on my dissertation. At OldSchool I am responsible for the technical implementation of the content on the e-learning platform: creating lecture modules for a new semester, publishing the recordings of lectures, or writing news pieces is part of it. I also support the users of the platform via e-mail and phone helpline if there are difficulties or questions. In addition, I support our own research projects and evaluate the feedback provided on our offers.
Contact:
Anja Vandersmissen
Platform Manager
Kathrin Inerle
Researcher & Content Developer
I studied Social Work and Religious Education in my Bachelor’s degree (Protestant University of Applied Sciences Ludwigsburg) and was afterwards employed in church-based, informal educational work. Now I am doing my Master’s in “Gerontology” (Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg) and I am currently working on my thesis in the project OldSchool about social elements in e-learning. At OldSchool, among other things, I am responsible for member support and development of e-learning courses.
Oliver Hliddal
IT Support
Aurel Müller
IT Support
We are Oliver Hliddal, student in psychology and Aurel Müller, student in communication sciences and media research at the University of Zurich. We are responsible for the livestream of the weekly lectures and the technical support of the lecturers. Our tasks are to make sure that everything works technically, both for the people on site and in Zoom. In addition, we do our best to ensure that the lecturers can concentrate on the content of their lectures.
Advisors
Prof. Mike Martin
Professor in Gerontology
Dr. Sandra Oppikofer
Business & Innovation Development
Former Members
In 2022, I did an exchange semester at the University of Zurich as part of my final Bachelor year. On this way, I got to know Burcu as one of my professors. I joined OldSchool in June 2022 as a research intern as I was and still am convinced of the idea to develop a tool that enables seniors to continue to learn and improve their skills in areas of their own interests. Since then, I was mainly involved in developing and improving the modules of the course “Studium Digitale”.
I am currently finishing my studies in Work, Organization, and Health Psychology at Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. I recently started working as change advisor in an international engineering and architecture advisory company in Germany.
Contact:
Pia Tremel
Intern
Cornelia Ursprung
Master’s Student
After graduating in business informatics at the university of applied sciences (2008) and many years of professional experience as an IT project manager, I completed my Master’s degree in psychology in January 2023 at the University of Zurich. My Master’s thesis on “E-Learning 60+” investigated the needs of seniors in online learning and implemented a course that is age-appropriate and accessible. The successful feedback from the participants served as a catalyst for the expansion of the e-learning offerings of OldSchool.
Today I work as a scientific researcher at the Institute for Ageing Research at the University of Applied Sciences OST (Profile), where I focus on technologies for ageing(n). Additionally, I work as a scientific researcher in a clinical research project to improve waiting times in psychotherapy at the University of Zurich and the Psychiatric University Hospital.
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I obtained my Bachelors degree in Psychology at the University of Novi Sad in Serbia and now I am a Master’s student at the University of Zurich. I am currently working on my Master’s thesis, supervised by Dr. Burcu Demiray. I have been a member of the Seniors’ University of Zurich and OldSchool team since 2022, and my responsibilities in the team include overlooking the live stream in Zoom, adapting video material for the online platform as well as assisting seniors in Helpline calls.
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