Mind the Gap Winter School 2026
A six-day intensive lab on methods, measurement and design in psychological, social, behavioural, clinical and human sciences.
For PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, university researchers and professors in psychology, economics, computer science, engineering and related fields working with human data.
What is Mind the Gap Winter School?
An intensive, project-centred week to rethink how you design, measure and analyse research on human behaviour and experience.
Your project at the centre
Bring your own PhD, postdoctoral or lab project and work on it throughout the week: from research questions and design choices to measurement models and analysis plans.
Method, not just tools
Go beyond tutorials and isolated techniques. Learn how psychometrics, advanced statistics, VR and immersive methods, ESM and psychophysiology fit together in a coherent methodological vision.
A clearer research workflow
Leave with a sharper set of questions, stronger designs, and a transparent workflow you can explain, defend and replicate in your own department, lab or organisation.
Who is it for?
Mind the Gap Winter School is designed for researchers who work with human data and want to rethink their methods – not just add more techniques.
Early-career researchers
- PhD students designing or revising their thesis projects.
- Postdoctoral researchers and research fellows planning new studies.
- Researchers moving into more advanced methods and designs.
Established academics & professionals
- University researchers and professors leading research groups.
- Scholars in psychology, economics, computer science, engineering and related fields working with human behaviour and experience.
- Professionals in evaluation, UX, applied research or innovation who want a stronger methodological backbone.
No, you don’t need to be a stats wizard.
Basic familiarity with empirical research is expected, but curiosity and a willingness to question your current assumptions are more important than perfect technical skills.
What you will get
Not just more techniques, but a clearer, more coherent way of doing research – built around your own project.
Stronger research design
Sharpen your research questions, clarify your hypotheses and align constructs, measures and analyses in a single, coherent design – instead of a patchwork of disconnected decisions.
Hands-on with contemporary methods
Work directly with psychometric models, advanced data analysis, VR and immersive setups, ESM and psychophysiology – always linked to concrete questions about human behaviour and experience.
Feedback & a research network
Receive structured feedback from faculty and peers, define the next steps for your PhD, postdoc or lab, and connect with an international community of method-driven researchers across disciplines.
How the Winter School works
Six intensive days in a retreat setting, combining core sessions, labs and mentoring – all built around your own research project.
A typical day at Mind the Gap
Morning – Core sessions
Short, focused inputs on design logic, measurement models, data analysis and contemporary methods (VR, ESM, psychophysiology) anchored to real research examples.
Afternoon – Project labs
Hands-on work on your own project: refining questions, sketching designs, testing measurement strategies, discussing analytic options in small groups.
Late afternoon & beyond
One-to-one mentoring slots, informal discussions with peers and faculty, space to digest feedback and plan the next steps for your research.
Core components of the week
Core methodological sessions
Structured inputs on measurement models, data analysis strategies and study design – always connected to concrete decisions you face in your own work.
Hands-on labs
Practical sessions on psychometrics, advanced analysis, VR/immersive setups, ESM and psychophysiology, with guided exercises and space for questions.
Project clinics & mentoring
Small-group reviews and one-to-one mentoring moments focused on your project, where you can stress-test ideas and clarify methodological choices.
Community & reflection
Time and structure to step back, reflect on your research practice and connect with an international group of researchers facing similar methodological challenges.
Programme snapshot
Six days structured around a set of modules that connect design, measurement, analysis, immersive methods and psychophysiology into one coherent workflow.
Research questions & design logic
Clarifying what you are really asking, which assumptions you are making, and how to build designs that truly answer your questions instead of just following disciplinary habits.
Measurement models & scales
Working with psychometric models, dimensionality, reliability and validity, and learning to align constructs, items and indicators with your theoretical framework.
Advanced data analysis
Exploring multivariate models, structural and network approaches and model-based reasoning, with an emphasis on transparent analytic decisions rather than black-box procedures.
VR, ESM & immersive methods
Understanding when and how to use VR, 360°/immersive media and Experience Sampling Method to collect ecological, time-sensitive data on human behaviour and experience.
Psychophysiology & biosensing
From signals such as GSR, HRV or EEG to meaningful research questions: designing studies, synchronising physiological and behavioural data, and avoiding common interpretative pitfalls.
Your integrated research workflow
Putting everything together around your own project: from question to design, measurement, analysis and reporting – with a clear, defensible and reproducible workflow to take back to your lab or department.
What past participants say
Previous editions of Mind the Gap have brought together researchers from different disciplines who share the same need: a deeper, more conscious way of doing research.
“It was the first time a methods school asked me why I was using a technique, not just how. I completely redesigned my PhD studies after this week.”
“As someone coming from computer science, I finally understood how to connect my technical skills with solid research questions about humans.”
“The mentoring and project clinics were the most valuable part: I went back to my department with a concrete, defensible plan for my next studies.”