Swiss Center for Affective Sciences at the University of Geneva

The Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences is one of 20 National Centers of Competence in Research (NCCR) established by the Swiss federal government.

With the University of Geneva as its home institution, the NCCR Affective Sciences coordinates collaborative research by psychologists, neuroscientists, philosophers, historians, economists, social scientists, and legal scholars, in a dedicated multi-disciplinary effort to understand how emotions affect the way individuals and societies behave. It is directed by Professor Klaus Scherer.

Research topics
Twelve long-term projects at five collaborating institutions will investigate core issues surrounding the way emotions are triggered and the changes this causes in the body; how we control our emotions, especially in the context of social norms; what happens when emotional control goes awry; and how emotion is involved in social interactions between individuals, groups and countries.

Practical applications
Special emphasis will be placed on practical applications of the research, particularly in relation to health, including stress and mood disorders, and in relation to reducing conflict, whether between individuals, groups and countries, in the home, the workplace or on the international stage. To this end, the Center will foster collaborative links with public companies and institutions. The International Labor Organization, the Federal State Secretariat of Economic Affairs, the Fribourg Department of Health and Social Affairs, the Swiss Household Panel, and companies like Firmenich have already agreed to help.

Training the next generation of researchers
Taking a long-term perspective, the Centre for Affective Sciences’ collaborating institutions, the Universities of Geneva, Bern, Fribourg, Neuchâtel and Zürich, will also train the next generation of researchers in this new, multi-disciplinary field, with particular emphasis on attracting more female researchers.
http://affect.unige.ch