Professor Gro Mjeldheim Sandal

Gro Mjeldheim Sandal is a (full) professor in psychology and the leader of Society and Workplace Diversity research group. She is trained as a clinical psychologist and holds a Ph.D in psychology. She is particularly interested in how people cope under extreme environmental conditions, and countermeasures that might enhance mental health and functioning in these contexts. Her current research encompasses the mental health, wellbeing, and integration of displaced populations in urban and camp settings. She is particularly interested in on how social and mental health service in receiving countries can be tailored to meet the needs of refugees, and how health professionals can be trained to serve this patient group. Several of her ongoing projects involves utilizing refugee resources to enhance healthcare services. As a specialist in work and organizational psychology, much of her previous research focused on integration in diverse workplaces, leadership, and biases in recruitment processes. Sandal has clinical experience from underserved communities including refugees, vulnerable youth, and migrants in Greece, USA, and Norway.    

Another branch of Sandal’s research activities is humans in isolated and confined operational settings. Much of this research has been connected to the European Space Agency. She has been the Principal Investigator of large international projects on crews at the International Space Station and many space simulation studies, in which she has led interdisciplinary and international research teams. Her research has also included other extreme contexts, such as expeditions to remote areas and over-wintering crews in polar regions. She has participated in a number of international expert groups related to international space missions. She is a member of the Human spaceflight and Exploration Science Advisory Committee (HESAC), the senior advisory body to the Directors of Human and Robotic Exploration at the European Space Agency (ESA).  

Publications: Click here

E-mail: Gro.Sandal@psysp.uib.no

Phone: +47 55 58 86 85