Dr. Lisa Maria Wu promoted to Professor in the Department of Psychology

Dr Lisa Maria Wu has been promoted to the rank of Professor in the Department of Psychology. The evaluation committee, formed by Dr Jón Friðrik Jónsson (chair), Reykjavik University; Dr Unnur Valdimarsdóttir, University of Iceland; and Dr Eveline Bleiker, Leiden University, unanimously agreed that Dr Wu has proven herself to be an independent researcher, leading in her field. Presenting a strong and compelling case for promotion to Full Professor, particularly on the basis of her research excellence, international impact, and service contributions.

Her research focuses on studying patients with cancer and other chronic diseases. As her publication list shows, she has been working on the burden of cancer survivorship, e.g. fatigue, neurocognitive changes, sleep disturbance, and depressive symptoms, as well as mechanisms underlying these symptoms. She has also translated research into interventions for cancer patients, e.g., light therapy and circadian-driven interventions for late effects of cancer, and has led the development and testing of a neuropsychological rehabilitation program named ImPACT (I'm Aware: Patients and Carers Together), supported by the Danish and Icelandic Cancer Societies. The programme will be evaluated further in Denmark and Iceland.

Dr Wu has also been quite successful in obtaining research grants, the first one as a Principal Investigator in 2012 and up to now her grants exceed 3.3 million Euros as Principal Investigator, including large funding from the American, Danish and Icelandic Cancer Societies and the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (US).

Dr Wu has more than 230 hours of formal pedagogical training (2016-2023), including specific training in blended learning and supervision, educational IT and mentoring.  She has lectured primarily on clinical neuropsychology, sleep and sleep disturbances at the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral levels, as well as Postdocs and General Practitioners, as a workshop facilitator. In addition to teaching, Dr Wu has been involved in developing and co-organising courses in her field at the master’s and PhD levels, and she recently participated in developing a neuropsychological program at Reykjavik University. In 2017 & 2018, she received the Outstanding Teacher Award for Health and Society Small Group, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

Dr Wu has been active in presenting scientific papers at conferences (38 in total, 24 of them herself). She has given scientific keynotes, invited papers, and guest lectures on nearly 40 occasions, organised international scientific meetings, workshops, and seminars on 15 occasions, and contributed to “knowledge” dissemination, e.g., through media appearances and lay publications.

She has been a group leader in several research groups across several countries, a scientific co-ordinator, a board member, a founding member, an editorial board member, and a PhD thesis examiner.