The Institutional Flourishing Lab’s research focus from 2023-2026 will be on the following priority areas:

  1. Flourishing Religious Institutions
    1. Congregational Responses to the Pandemic: How are religious congregations around the US emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic? How has the pandemic affected mental health and well-being in faith communities, and how are these communities responding to mental health needs? (Learn more here and here)
    2. The Catholic Priesthood in a Time of Crisis: Having conducted the National Study of Catholic Priests, we are examining the impact of the sex abuse crisis on US Catholic clergy and bishops and the relationships between them 
    3. Innovations in Religions: What is the meaning of and scope for innovation in the context of religion? What are the conditions of possibility for innovation in the domain of religion/spirituality? How might the study of religions contribute to research on innovation? We aim to develop a new research agenda on these themes through consultations and workshops with scholars and practitioners.
  2. Flourishing in science
    1. Work and Well-Being in Science: We conducted an international mixed-methods study of well-being in science, including nationally representative surveys and in-depth interviews examining the role of aesthetic factors (e.g., beauty, awe, wonder) in shaping scientific practice, organizational cultures, and well-being in science and academia (Learn more here)
    2. Spiritual Yearning in Science: We are conducting an international study examining spiritual concerns and experiences among scientists.
  3. Beauty and Human Flourishing
    1. Can beauty be a generative concept for understanding flourishing in organizations and institutions? What does “beautiful” work look like in domains such as science, business, hospitality, justice, and so on? How might beauty both enable and impede human flourishing? Learn more here.