Alberto Danilo Garcia
Professor
Contact
Telephone: 51832145
Email: danilo.garcia@uis.no
Room: KA A-302
Department
Faculty of Social Sciences
Institutt for psykologi
About me
I am a professor of psychology at the Department of Psychology, University of Stavanger, Norway, and head of research for the Promotion of Health and Innovation (PHI) Lab, the Lab for Biopsychosocial Personality Research (BPS-PR), and the Promotion of Health and Innovation for Well-Being (PHI-WELL) research group. My work focuses on how personality shapes well-being, mental health, and performance—in everyday life, in organizations, healthcare professionals, and also in vulnerable groups such as adolescents, refugees, and long-term unemployed .
I received my PhD in psychology from the University of Gothenburg in 2012 with a dissertation on adolescents’ happiness and affective temperament. I subsequently held postdoctoral positions at the Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health (University of Gothenburg) and at the Center for Well-Being, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (USA). I have since held roles as associate professor and head of research in Sweden, and have been visiting professor at Sapienza University of Rome (Italy) and the University of Fortaleza (Brazil). I also co-founded and chair the International Network for Well-Being, which connects researchers and students working on personality and the science of well-being across disciplines and countries.
I have authored or co-authored more than 130 peer-reviewed original research articles, three scientific books, over 30 book chapters, and numerous encyclopedia entries, reviews, editorials, and conference contributions. My editorial service includes Scientific Reports and Frontiers in Psychology, and I regularly review for leading journals in personality, health, and clinical and organizational psychology.
Teaching and supervision are central to my work. I have more than 10,000 hours of teaching experience at bachelor, master, and PhD level, including courses in personality psychology, work and organizational psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and quantitative and qualitative methodology, and I have completed formal pedagogical training in higher education and supervision. I have been main or co-supervisor for several PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers and have supervised numerous master’s and bachelor’s theses in psychology and related fields.
I have led multiple large-scale and several smaller research projects, including externally funded projects from the Swedish Research Council, European Social Fund, and regional and national agencies. Much of this work has been conducted in close collaboration with healthcare providers, municipalities, and civil society organizations, with the aim of promoting sustainable personal development, better work environments, and equitable access to health and well-being interventions.
My research
My research focuses on how personality shapes well-being, mental health, and functioning in everyday life and work. I study the genetics and epigenetics of personality and well-being, resilience and character development, free will and moral identity, work climate and burnout, and parasocial relationships with media figures and AI companions. Methodologically, I combine classical test theory, item response theory, and network and person-centred models with AI-based language analysis and machine learning to bridge quantitative and qualitative methods. This includes developing semantic and AI tools that use people’s own narratives to assess personality, mental health, and treatment outcomes, as well as contributing to large international projects on the complex genetics of temperament and character.
Academic background
- PhD in Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden (2012).
Dissertation: “Adolescents’ Happiness: The Role of the Affective Temperament Model on Memory and Apprehension of Events, Subjective Well-Being, and Psychological Well-Being”. - Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, University of Gothenburg, Sweden (2011–2013).
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Well-Being, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, USA (2014–2015).
- Associate Professor (Docent) in Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden (appointed 2015).
- Professor of Psychology, University of Stavanger, Norway (current position).
- Visiting Professor, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, and University of Fortaleza, Brazil (recent years).