“Hora Est” for new (scientific) adventures!

On October 7th, 2024, Caroline Graf successfully defended her PhD thesis, marking the culmination of years of research within the DONORS group led by Prof. Eva-Maria Merz. Her work, supervised by Eva, as well as Pamala Wiepking and Bianca Suanet, investigated the interplay of culture and prosocial behavior, particularly blood donation. It aimed to answer questions such as: How do differences across countries in trust, social norms and incentives shape people’s decisions to donate blood?

Caroline's thesis cover

Her dissertation provides cross-cultural insights into the role of both social-psychological and institutional factors for prosocial behavior, as well as cultural change. Across different countries, she examined how variation in trust, social norms, social networks, and incentive policies are related to prosocial decisions, and how culture itself evolves over time. Her findings underscore the importance of culture for understanding human psychology and prosocial behavior, including blood donation. You can find a digital copy of her dissertation here: LINK

The defense ceremony took place on October 7th, following the unique and highly ritualized tradition of Dutch PhD defenses. In the presence of her colleagues, family, friends, and the two paranymphs, Joris and Joey, as well as the committee members in their academic robes and hats, the defense began with a layman's talk, where Caroline provided an overview of her dissertation research. This was followed by a lively discussion with the interdisciplinary doctoral committee, comprising experts from sociology, psychology, and economics, some of whom had traveled from afar to participate in person. The committee included Prof. Daniel Balliet and Prof. Rene Bekkers (VU Amsterdam), Prof. Mario Macis (Johns Hopkins University), Dr. Tim Reeskens (Tilburg University), and Prof. Edlira Shehu (Groningen University). Once the Beadle ended the questioning period by announcing “Hora Est”, the committee was pleased with the responses and discussion, and approved the granting of the degree.

Caroline receiving her diploma from Eva

Caroline was awarded the doctorate and received her diploma by Eva, who was proud and gave a warm speech, reflecting on the challenges and accomplishments of Caroline’s PhD journey. The celebrations continued during the reception, where colleagues from the Philanthropic Studies group, the VU Department of Sociology, the Donor Studies group from Sanquin, and Caroline’s family and friends gathered to mark this special occasion.

The PhD defense constituted a meaningful milestone to Caroline’s journey toward becoming an independent researcher. She expressed deep gratitude to her PhD supervisors, Eva-Maria Merz, Pamala Wiepking, and Bianca Suanet, for their invaluable guidance and support, as well as to the DONORS group, the broader research community at VU Amsterdam, and collaborators at Sanquin for their support and insightful discussions. The lessons learned, from designing research projects to considering real-world implications, will continue to guide her in future endeavors. And, of course, having all her colleagues, along with family and friends, united for her PhD defense – a highly ritualized event, soaked in academic history – will remain a particularly cherished memory!

After completing the PhD, Caroline has embarked on a new adventure as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Psychology at the University of Zurich. She continues her work on culture and prosocial behavior, with an added focus on the psychological mechanisms underlying prosocial behavior more broadly. You can continue to follow her research on Google Scholar: LINK