Academic | Clinical & Therapist | Student | Corporate & Charity
Click the links above to view the relevant list of members.
A
Simona Abagnale
Role / Position
PhD student
Instiution / Company
University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli
Bio
My work aims to investigate the physiological and behavioural responses of patients with Disorders of Consciousness following specific sensory stimulations, such as tickling and pleasant touch.
Rochelle Ackerley
Role / Position
Researcher/PI
Instiution / Company
CNRS - Aix-Marseille University
Bio
I use microneurography to investigate how touch is encoded and interpreted in humans. I combine physiological recordings and the stimulation of tactile afferents with neuroimaging (EEG, MEG, fMRI).
Joana Antunes
Belkis Ezgi Arikan
Role / Position
postdoctoral researcher
Instiution / Company
Justus Liebig University Giessen
Michaela Maria Arnold
Role / Position
Physician
Instiution / Company
Universitätsklinikum Würzburg
Bio
Physician & licensed massage therapist, Co-founder of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Berührungsmedizin
Malika Auvray
Role / Position
Director of Research, CNRS & Sorbonne-University
Instiution / Company
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut des Systèmes Intelligents et de Robotique, ISIR
Bio
Malika Auvray is CNRS Director of Research at ISIR. Her research interests include the auditory conversion of social touch, social and spatial perspective taking.
B
Narjes Bahreini
Instiution / Company
Narjes Bahreini
Swati BANERJEE
Role / Position
Scientist
Instiution / Company
LIST, CEA Tech
Michela Bassolino
Instiution / Company
School of Health Sciences, HES-SO Valais-Wallis, Sion, Switzerland & MySpace Lab, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Switzerland
Ingvars Birznieks
Role / Position
Associate Professor
Instiution / Company
UNSW Sydney
Bio
I am a sensory neurophysiologist interested in function of tactile receptors, information encoding mechanisms and sensorimotor control of the human hand.
Alexis Block
Role / Position
Assistant Professor
Instiution / Company
Case Western Reserve University
Sonja Blum
Bart Boets
Role / Position
Professor
Instiution / Company
KU Leuven
Bio
My research focuses on the perceptual, cognitive, socio-affective and neural correlates of neurodevelopmental disorders, in particular autism and prematurity (www.cdp-leuven.be).
Mary Burleson
Role / Position
Professor
Instiution / Company
Arizona State University
Bio
My PhD is in Psychology (behavioral neuroscience). I use cardiovascular psychophysiology & subjective measures to study social connection and interpersonal regulation of emotion and stress via touch.
Niccolò Butti
Role / Position
Psychologist, PhD student
Instiution / Company
Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea
C
Carissa Cascio
Role / Position
Associate Professor
Instiution / Company
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Bio
I am interested in somatic perception and development and its impact on individuals with autism. My work focuses on the neural basis of touch and interoception in this group.
Laura Case
Role / Position
Postdoctoral Fellow
Instiution / Company
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
Bio
Laura Case, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, NIH. Her research uses functional magnetic resonance imaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and pharmacological manipulation to probe brain regions involved in affective touch.
Laura Case
Role / Position
Assistant Professor
Instiution / Company
UC San Diego
Bio
I use sensory testing, brain imaging, brain stimulation, and pharmacologic manipulation to test mechanisms involved in affective touch perception in individuals with and without chronic pain.
Müge Cavdan
Role / Position
Postdoctoral researcher
Instiution / Company
Justus Liebig University Giessen
Zhong Jian Chee
Role / Position
Research Fellow
Instiution / Company
University of Aberdeen
Anna Ciaunica
Pierre-Henri Cornuault
Role / Position
Associate Professor
Instiution / Company
Femto-ST Institute
Ilona Croy
Instiution / Company
Technical University of Dresden
D
Olga Dal Monte
Role / Position
Associate Professor
Instiution / Company
University of Turin
ENRICO DE LUCA
Role / Position
Assistant Professor in Nursing
Instiution / Company
University of Birmingham
Bio
Enrico has researched and published findings on the impact of touch interactions in caregiving. He strongly believes in the value of interdisciplinary, international, and multi-method research.
Anik Debrot
Role / Position
Senior Lecturer
Instiution / Company
University of Lausanne
Karl Devreese
Role / Position
LECTOR
Instiution / Company
VIVES KU LEUVEN
Bio
Relaxationtherapist (Brugge)
Master Gerontology (VUB, Brussel)
lector Bachelor Wellbeing&Vitality (Vives Ku Leuven, Kortrijk) & PostGraduate Relaxation Therapy (Ku Leuven)
basil duvernoy
Role / Position
Postdoc
Instiution / Company
Center of Social and Affective Neuroscience
Eva Dydenkova
Instiution / Company
Moscow Affective Touch Laboratory at Pushkin Russian Language Institute
E
Flavia Esposito
Role / Position
Postdoctoral fellow
Instiution / Company
Linköping University
Bio
My current research scope is focused on affective touch and how social context influences the perception of tactile experiences, by creating meaning and impact.
F
Merle Fairhurst
Role / Position
J. Prof. Social Affective Touch
Instiution / Company
TU Dresden
Elena Fuehrer
Role / Position
PhD candidate
Instiution / Company
Justus Liebig University Giessen
G
Mayank Gautam
Role / Position
Postdoctoral Researcher
Instiution / Company
University of Pennsylvania
Bio
My major research interest is in the circuitry of DRG and spinal cord.I am studying the functional circuits governing the expression of touch and pain behaviors.
Michelle Giraud
Role / Position
Phd Student
Instiution / Company
University of Milano-Bicocca
David Gueorguiev
Role / Position
Researcher
Instiution / Company
CNRS
Marco Guidotti
Instiution / Company
UMR 1253 INSERM - Université de Tours
Bio
PhD thesis project on affective touch in autism spectrum disorder. Data from somatosensory evoked potentials.
H
Connor Haggarty
Role / Position
Postdoctoral Fellow
Instiution / Company
Linköping University
Bio
My PhD looked at individual differences in the physiological and behavioural responses to affective touch. I'm interested in the role of affective touch in social behaviour in humans and other species
Juliana Harkki
Role / Position
Doctoral researcher
Instiution / Company
Aalto University
Bio
Studying the therapeutic potential of C-tactile afferents with current focus on treatment of substance addictions.
Robin Heron
Role / Position
PhD student
Instiution / Company
Telecom-Paristech
Hsin-Ni Ho
Damien Huzard
Role / Position
Postdoc
Instiution / Company
IGF
I
Tristen Inagaki
Role / Position
Assistant Professor
Instiution / Company
San Diego State University
J
Hilde Jacobsen
Role / Position
PhD candidate
Instiution / Company
University of Oslo
Ozaveshe Patrick JIMOH
Role / Position
Health and Social Care Lecturer
Instiution / Company
Scholars School System
Merel Jung
Role / Position
Assistant professor
Instiution / Company
Tilburg University
Bio
Merel's research interests cover the automatic analysis of social touch in interpersonal and human-robot interaction and the development of socially intelligent behavior for artificial agents.
K
Faiz Kassim
Role / Position
Postdoctotal fellow
Instiution / Company
Linköping University
Bio
Faiz is a neuropharmacologist and postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Social and Affective neuroscience, LiU. He focuses on social and affective aspects of pain, with pharmacological manipulations.
Konstantina Kilteni
Role / Position
Group leader & Assistant Prof.
Instiution / Company
Donders Institute & Karolinska Institute
Emma Kindström
Role / Position
Research engineer
Instiution / Company
Linköping University
Evelin Kirkilionis
Dasha Kolesnyk
Role / Position
Postdoc
Instiution / Company
University of Twente
Austin Korgan
Role / Position
Postdoc
Instiution / Company
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Denys Kovalenko
Role / Position
Research Assistant
Instiution / Company
Linköping University
L
Malin Lagerström
Role / Position
Senior lecturer, research leader
Instiution / Company
Uppsala University
Bio
Itch, pain, primary afferents, spinal cord, transgenic tools
Krisztina Lakatos
Role / Position
Senior Researcher
Instiution / Company
HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology
Andrea Lambell
Role / Position
Doctoral researcher
Instiution / Company
Durham University
Bio
ESRC-funded PhD candidate, formerly a massage therapist with a multidisciplinary palliative care team. Investigating the role of touch and non-verbal communication in healthcare inequities.
Mathilde Landgrebe
Max Larsson
Role / Position
Researcher
Instiution / Company
Linuköping University
Leslee Lazar
Role / Position
Assistant Teaching Professor
Instiution / Company
IIT Gandhinagar
Bio
I am interested in understanding the cognitive and neural mechanisms of human multimodal tactile perception.
Thanh-loan Le
Role / Position
PhD Student
Instiution / Company
Sorbonne Université, ISIR
Olivia Le Moëne
Role / Position
Postdoc
Instiution / Company
Linköping University
Haemy Lee Masson
Role / Position
Postdoc
Instiution / Company
KU Leuven
Liat Levita
Role / Position
Associate Professor
Instiution / Company
University of Sussex
Bio
I study why adolescence leads to wellbeing for some and long-term issues for others, using brain imaging, physiology, and psychology to explore responses to threat and reward over time.
Alastair Loutit
M
Laurent Mapelli
Role / Position
Senior Teacher, Senior Tutor
Instiution / Company
AIMO
Bio
I am a physiotherapist and osteopath. The study of the mechanisms that regulate the tactile experience and its interpretation in the CNS level is of primary importance.
Sarah McIntyre
Instiution / Company
Linköping University
Staci Meredith
Instiution / Company
University of Cambridge
Bio
My interest lies in the development of the body schema, or the awareness of the topographic arrangement of body parts, especially parts whose function is entwined with their role as sensory organs.
Els Messelis
Role / Position
Gerontologist
Bio
Gerontologist based in Belgium. (Co)Author of 13 books.
Expertise: Sexual health in later life
Since 2019 collecting stories on social en touch
Latest book 2021: ‘Touch in times of skinhunger’
Ronna Moore
Role / Position
Graduate Researcher
Instiution / Company
La Trobe University
Bio
I am a massage therapist undertaking doctoral research exploring the specific role of touch in developing the therapeutic relationship in the context of palliative care massage therapy.
Margarete Mueller
Instiution / Company
University of Leipzig Haptic Research Lab
D. Muret
Instiution / Company
UCL
N
Elena Nava
Role / Position
Assistant Professor
Instiution / Company
University of Milano-Bicocca
O
Bonnie O'Malley
Role / Position
Post-doc
Instiution / Company
Linköping University
P
Victor Hugo Pacagnelli Infante
Role / Position
Postdoc
Instiution / Company
Leibniz - INM - Institute for new materials
Daniela M. Pfabigan
Role / Position
Postdoctoral Fellow
Instiution / Company
University of Oslo
Ravi Poorun
Role / Position
NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow (Paediatrics)
Instiution / Company
University of Exeter & Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
Nicola Power
Role / Position
University Lecturer
Instiution / Company
Auckland University of Technology
Bio
I am a lecturer and researcher in areas of wellness with a strong focus on affective, caring touch. Both Masters and PhD have explored a qualitative approach to this topic.
R
Nadege Roche-Labarbe
Role / Position
Associate Professor
Instiution / Company
Université de Caen
S
Mikko Sams
Role / Position
Professor
Instiution / Company
Aalto University
Katie Sarra
Role / Position
Founder
Instiution / Company
Body Poem
Bio
Founder of the Institute of Relational Harmony Studies, offering professional training in Sexological Bodywork, Sexological Intimacy Coaching, Somatic Sex Education, & Body Poem.
Robert Schleip
Role / Position
Senior Scientist
Instiution / Company
Technical University Munich
Ekaterina Schneider
Role / Position
Research Associate
Instiution / Company
Institute of Medical Psychology
Renate Schweizer
Instiution / Company
Functional Imaging Laboratory, German Primate Center, Goettingen, Germany
Amanullah Solangi
Role / Position
Community Educator
Instiution / Company
Aahung NGO
Grazia Fernanda Spitoni
Role / Position
Associate Professor
Instiution / Company
Sapienza, University of Rome
Louise Staring
Role / Position
Research Assistant
Instiution / Company
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Susanne Stoll
Instiution / Company
Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research
T
Paula Trotter
Role / Position
Lecturer in Cognitive Neuroscience
Instiution / Company
Liverpool John Moores University
Pauli Tuovinen
Role / Position
Doctoral Researcher
Instiution / Company
Aalto University
V
Agnes van Swaay
Role / Position
PhD student / researcher
Instiution / Company
Radboud university medical center
Bio
As a health care psychologist and as a haptotherapist I have many years of experience in palliative and oncological care, treating and supporting patients with cancer.
PhD research: 'Haptotherapy for people with cancer'. First study: Experience of haptotherapists and reasons for consultation.
Maria Evangelia Vlachou
Role / Position
PhD student
Instiution / Company
Aix Marseille University
Eliane Volchan
Role / Position
Full Professor
Instiution / Company
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
Bio
Full Prof. and Head of Neurobiology Lab. Focus on motor predispositions for social grooming. Explores the visuo-motor affective interplay employing bonding scenes and electrophysiological recordings.
W
Claire Wardak
Role / Position
Researcher
Instiution / Company
UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm
Grace Whitaker
Role / Position
Postdoc
Instiution / Company
AC3E - Universidad Federico Santa María
Max Wileschek
Carmen Winters
Role / Position
Postdoc
Instiution / Company
ETH Zürich
Z
Cezary Zechowski
Role / Position
Head of Psychiatry Clinic of Children and Youth, Lazarski University, Warsaw,
Instiution / Company
Psychiatry Clinic of Children and Youth, Lazarski University, Wolski Hospital, Warsaw
Jason Zhang
Instiution / Company
University of Birmingham
Mounia Ziat
Role / Position
Associate Professor
Instiution / Company
Bentley University