Pedro Teixeira has been hired as Director of Research at the Synthesis Institute (partial time position) to coordinate all research projects and activities, in collaboration with leading research organizations worldwide. The Synthesis Institute is a pioneering organization in the field of psychedelics, providing legal, medically-supervised experiential retreats; practitioner training programs; and science outreach and dissemination activities.

Jorge Encantado is a researcher in Health Psychology and Behavioral Science and recently defended his PhD in Health Psychology analysing the impact of a digital behaviour change intervention on physical activity. He has participated in several national and European research projects in the last decade where he has accumulated extensive research experience in the design and implementation of health behaviour change interventions. He is interested in the investigation of the multiple factors that support motivation and optimize self-regulation for health-conducive behaviours, psychological well-being, and weight management.

Diogo Veiga is a Guest Assistant Professor at the University of Lisbon, Faculty of Human Kinetics and an Exercise Physiologist. He holds a Masters degree in Health and Exercise and is currently a PhD candidate in Health and Physical Activity. He is a past manager of several fitness companies in Portugal and has been working with exercise prescription for people with chronic diseases since 2010. His main research interests are related to physical activity, nature exposure and behaviour change interventions.

Laura Carvalho is PhD candidate in Physical Activity and Health at Faculty of Human Kinetics and a Sport Psychologist. She holds a masters’ degree in Social and Organizational Psychology and a postgraduation in Sports and Exercise Psychology. Between 2014 and 2020 accumulated professional experience in the fields of human resources, sport psychology and community intervention, and is currently working as a Sport Psychologist in private practice. Regarding scientific research, has participated in European research projects, in both health and sport psychology, and public health-based interventions. Her research interests are related to motivational and self-regulation processes underlying behavior change and maintenance, and the impact of transformative experiences on adoption and regulation of health, prosocial and pro-environmental behaviors.

Marques, M. M, Encantado, J., & Silva, M. N. (2021). Teoria da Autodeterminação. In I. Leal, & J. L. Pais-Ribeiro (Eds.), Manual de psicologia da saúde (1st ed., pp. 85–89). Pactor.

Godinho, C., Ribeiro, S. S., Encantado, J., & Marques, M. M (2021). Intervenções Digitais de Mudança Comportamental em Saúde. In I. Leal, & J. L. Pais-Ribeiro (Eds.), Manual de Psicologia da Saúde (1st ed., pp. 467–476). Pactor.

Stubbs, R. J., Duarte, C., O’Driscoll, R., Turicchi, J., Kwasnicka, D., Sniehotta, F. F., Marques, M. M., Horgan, G., Larsen, S., Palmeira, A., Santos, I., Teixeira, P. J., Halford, J., Heitmann, B. L., & The EASO Obesity Management Task Force. (2021). The H2020 “NoHoW Project”: A Position Statement on Behavioural Approaches to Longer-Term Weight Management. Obesity Facts, 1–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000513042

Pereira, H. V., Palmeira, A. L., Carraça, E. V., Santos, I., Marques, M. M., & Teixeira, P. J. (2021). Running prevalence in Portugal: Socio-demographic, behavioral and psychosocial characteristics. PloS One, 16(1), e0245242. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245242

Oppert, J.-M., Bellicha, A., van Baak, M. A., Battista, F., Beaulieu, K., Blundell, J. E., Carraça, E. V., Encantado, J., Ermolao, A., Pramono, A., Farpour-Lambert, N., Woodward, E., Dicker, D., & Busetto, L. (2021). Exercise training in the management of overweight and obesity in adults: Synthesis of the evidence and recommendations from the European Association for the Study of Obesity Physical Activity Working Group. Obesity Reviews: An Official Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 22 Suppl 4, e13273. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13273

Carraça, E. V., Encantado, J., Battista, F., Beaulieu, K., Blundell, J. E., Busetto, L., van Baak, M., Dicker, D., Ermolao, A., Farpour-Lambert, N., Pramono, A., Woodward, E., Bellicha, A., & Oppert, J.-M. (2021). Effect of exercise training on psychological outcomes in adults with overweight or obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Obesity Reviews: An Official Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 22 Suppl 4,  e13261. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13261