Jessie Dezutter is an Associate Research Professor at the KU Leuven (Belgium). She conducts research that sits at the boundaries of positive psychology, existential psychology, and gerontology. She directs the Meaning Research Late Life Lab (https://dezutterjessie.wixsite.com/meaninginlatelife) and co-directs, with her colleague Prof. Siebrecht Vanhooren, the KU Leuven Meaning & Existence Research Center (https://ppw.kuleuven.be/meaning-and-existence). Her current research lines focus on how meaningfulness is related to late life psychological functioning and mental health, how existential givens are experienced at highly advanced age and whether and how existential struggles are related to psychological suffering. She is an advocate for a biopsychosocial-existential approach of elderly care. Her research and her team are interdisciplinary in nature, and she combines quantitative and qualitative studies.

In addition to her research, Dr. Dezutter teaches courses on the Psychology of Religion, Spirituality and Meaning, Developmental Psychology, and Psycho-Gerontology. She loves interactive and dynamic teaching, and uses blended and flipped-class room formats. She also supervises several doctoral students as well as Master’s theses students and Internship students. For Jessie, science is team work combined with curiosity and passion.