Robert W. Roeser is the Bennett Pierce Professor of Caring and Compassion, and a Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, in the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State. He received his Ph.D. from the Combined Program in Education and Psychology at the University of Michigan (1996) and holds master’s degrees in religion and psychology (Holy Names College), developmental psychology and clinical social work (University of Michigan). He has held faculty appointments at Stanford University, Portland State University, and Penn State University.
In 2005 and 2016, Dr. Roeser was a United States Fulbright Scholar in India; and from 1999-2004 he was a William T. Grant Faculty Scholar. From 2006 to 2010, he served as the Senior Program Coordinator for the Mind and Life Institute and a coordinator for the Mind and Life Education Research Network (MLERN). Since, that time, Dr. Roeser has served in numerous roles with the Mind and Life Institute and currently is a member of its steering committee.
Dr. Roeser’s main research interests are in the areas of human motivation, identity and learning; adolescence and early adulthood, schooling as a central cultural context affecting students’ academic, social-emotional and identity development; and the implementation and impacts of mindfulness and compassion training programs on parent, teacher and student outcomes with respect to health and wellbeing, teaching and learning, and the creation of compassionate and equitable learning environments in schools. He also has a deep scholarly interest in indigenous Asian Indian psychologies and related forms of pedagogy, and conducts developmental and educational research in India on efforts at holistic human development and holistic education based on these indigenous ideas.
His recent scholarly articles have focused on mindfulness in education, compassion in human development, and the need for new forms of holistic education to meet pressing global challenges.
I am interested deeply in the art and science of living a life of flourishing.
- Robert W. Roeser
Developmental Period(s)
Early Childhood, Adolescence, Early Adulthood
Level(s) of Analysis
Individuals, Schools
Contact Information
115 Health and Human Development Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-7005
rwr15@psu.edu
he/his
Associated Lab(s)
Mindfulness, Compassion, and Human Development Lab
Robert W. Roeser is the Bennett Pierce Professor of Caring and Compassion, and a Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, in the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State. He received his Ph.D. from the Combined Program in Education and Psychology at the University of Michigan (1996) and holds master’s degrees in religion and psychology (Holy Names College), developmental psychology and clinical social work (University of Michigan). He has held faculty appointments at Stanford University, Portland State University, and Penn State University.
In 2005 and 2016, Dr. Roeser was a United States Fulbright Scholar in India; and from 1999-2004 he was a William T. Grant Faculty Scholar. From 2006 to 2010, he served as the Senior Program Coordinator for the Mind and Life Institute and a coordinator for the Mind and Life Education Research Network (MLERN). Since, that time, Dr. Roeser has served in numerous roles with the Mind and Life Institute and currently is a member of its steering committee.
Dr. Roeser’s main research interests are in the areas of human motivation, identity and learning; adolescence and early adulthood, schooling as a central cultural context affecting students’ academic, social-emotional and identity development; and the implementation and impacts of mindfulness and compassion training programs on parent, teacher and student outcomes with respect to health and wellbeing, teaching and learning, and the creation of compassionate and equitable learning environments in schools. He also has a deep scholarly interest in indigenous Asian Indian psychologies and related forms of pedagogy, and conducts developmental and educational research in India on efforts at holistic human development and holistic education based on these indigenous ideas.
His recent scholarly articles have focused on mindfulness in education, compassion in human development, and the need for new forms of holistic education to meet pressing global challenges.
I am interested deeply in the art and science of living a life of flourishing.
- Robert W. Roeser
Contact Information
115 Health and Human Development Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-7005
rwr15@psu.edu
he/his
Professional Links
Associated Lab(s)
Mindfulness, Compassion, and Human Development Lab
Developmental Period(s) Studied
Early Childhood, Adolescence, Early Adulthood
Levels of Analysis
Individuals, Schools
Program on Empathy, Awareness, and Compassion in Education (PEACE) 
Mindful Yoga to Help Treat Opioid Dependence 
Measuring Teacher Care in Elementary and Middle Schools Classrooms: Positivity, Presence, and Patience 
Testing the Efficacy of Mindfulness Training for Teachers on Improving Classroom Settings for Early Adolescents 
Mindfulness and Compassion Programs and Practices in K-12 Urban Educational Reform: Designing a Sustainable Future 
Optimizing a Mindful Intervention for Urban Minority Youth via Stress Physiology
Cultivating adolescents’ compassion skills for the self and other 
Understanding the life aspirations of urban adolescents in Cambodia 
Compassion training and anti-racism the focus of 2022 Compassion Week - Lecture on Compassion to address how to make compassion training more effective
Reducing stress one pose at a time 
New study shows benefits of mindfulness for middle-school teachers 
New study: Can mindful yoga reduce opioid dependence? 
Teaching mindfulness to help navigate change 
Tips on managing stress and building resilience 
Rob Roeser honored with Mind & Life Service Award 
Gift to strengthen program on mindfulness, empathy and compassion in education 
School-based mindfulness programs show promising impacts for students 
Penn State community invited to join in meditation for Wellness Day 
Mindfulness' on your mind? It has limits, review finds 
Human Flourishing' course to support students during challenging times 
Kind Hearts and Curious Minds: Caring and compassion professor Rob Roeser featured in the Penn Stater 
Bringing mindfulness to the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts 
Penn State researcher receives federal grant to study early learning program 
Educating the heart' is focus of course on living a life of flourishing 
Portland State, Penn State partners on $3.3 million grant to study impact of kindergarten readiness program
- The role of relatedness: Applying a developmental-relational view of compassion in adolescence
Colaianne, B. A., Condon, P., Tumminia, M. J., Galla, B. M., Roeser, R. W. (2023). Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology (88).
- Mindfulness for students in pre-K to secondary school settings: Current findings, future directions
Roeser, R. W., Schussler, D., Baelen, R. N., & Galla, B. M. (2023). Mindfulness.
- Mindfulness in schools: Evidence on the impacts of school-based mindfulness programs on student outcomes in P-12 educational settings
Roeser, R. W., Galla, B. M., & Baelen, R. N. (2022). University Park, PA: Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, The Pennsylvania State University. Updated version with new appendices
- Cultivating compassion for self and others: A School-based pilot study for peer-nominated caring adolescents
Colaianne, B. A., Lavelle, B.D., Small, M. L., & Roeser, R. W. (2002). Journal of Research on Adolescence.
- Can the academic and experiential study of flourishing improve flourishing in college students? A multi-university study
Hirshberg, M.J., Colaianne, B.A., Greenberg, M.T., Inkelas, K. K., Davidson, R. J., Germano, D., Dunne, J. D., & Roeser, R. W. (2022). Mindfulness.
- Mindfulness training improves middle school teachers’ occupational health, well-being, and interactions with students in their most stressful classrooms
Roeser, R. W., Mashburn, A. J., Skinner, E. A., Choles, J. R., Taylor, C., Rickert, N. P., Pinela, C., Robbeloth, J., Saxton, E., Weiss, E., Cullen, M., & Sorenson, J. (2021). Journal of Educational Psychology. Advance online publication.
- Does variability across three universities in the implementation of a college course on human flourishing affect student outcomes?
(2021). Journal of American College Health. Advance online publication.
- The effectiveness of a teacher delivered mindfulness-based curriculum on adolescent social-emotional and executive functioning
Frank, J. L., Broderick, P. C., Oh, Y., Mitra, J., Kohler, K., Schussler, D. L., Geier, C., Roeser, R., Berrena, E., Mahfouz, J., Levitan, J., Greenberg, M. T. (2021). . Mindfulness, 12.
- Kind Hearts & Curious Minds
A feature story in Research|Penn State magazine written Savita Iyer & illustrated by Gracia Lam
- Perceptions of mindful teaching are associated with longitudinal changes in adolescents' mindfulness and compassion
Colaianne, B.A., Galla, B.M., & Roeser, R.W. (2019). International Journal of Behavioral Development, 41(1).
- Embodied teacher mindfulness in the classroom: The Calm, Clear, Kind framework
Taylor, C., Jennings, P.A., Harris, A., Schussler, D.L. & Roeser, R.W. (2019). Embodied teacher mindfulness in the classroom: The Calm, Clear, Kind framework. In P.A. Jennings, A. Demauro, & P. Mischenko (Eds.), Mindfulness in schools: Transforming school cultures through mindful awareness and compassion (pp. 107-134). The Guilford Press.
- Mindfulness-based emotional balance
Cullen, M., Roeser, R. W., & Brito-Pons, G. (2019). Mindfulness-Based emotional balance: History of development, curriculum, and research. In I. Ivtzan (Ed.), Handbook of mindfulness-based programmes (1st ed., pp. 64-76). Routledge.
- On the role of mindfulness and compassion skills in students' coping, well-being, and development across the transition to college: A conceptual analysis
Dvorakova, K., Greenberg, M. T., & Roeser, R. W. (2019). Stress and Health, 35, 146-156.
- Compassion and human development: Current approaches and future directions
Roeser, R., Colaianne, B., & Greenberg, M. (2018). Research in Human Development, (15)3-4, 238-251.
- Cultivating teacher mindfulness: Effects of a randomized controlled trial on work, home, and sleep outcomes
Crain, T. L., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Roeser, R. W. (2016, In Press). Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
- School and community influences on human development
Eccles, J., & Roeser, R. W. (2016). In M. H. Bornstein & M. E. Lamb (Co-Eds.), Developmental psychology: An advanced textbook, 7th ed. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
- Mindfulness in students' motivation and learning in school
Roeser, R. W. (2016).In K. Wentzel & D. B. Miele (Eds.), Handbook on motivation at school. New York: Taylor & Francis.
- Processes of teaching, learning, and transfer in Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) for teachers: A contemplative educational perspective
Roeser, R. W. (2016). In K. Schonert-Reichl & R. W. Roeser (Eds.), The handbook of mindfulness in education: Integrating theory and research into practice (pp. 149-170). New York: Springer. http://http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/9781493935062_10. I
- Mindfulness in education: Introduction and overview of the handbook
Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Roeser, R. W. (2016). In K. Schonert-Reichl & R. W. Roeser (Eds.), Handbook of mindfulness in education: Theory, research, practice, and future directions (pp. 316). New York: Springer.
- The handbook of mindfulness in education: Integrating theory and research into practice
Schonert-Reichl, K., & Roeser, R. W. (Co-Eds.) (2016). New York: Springer.
- Examining ways that a mindfulness-based intervention reduces stress in public school teachers: A mixed-methods study
Taylor, C., Harrison, J., Haimovitz, K., Oberle, E., Thomson, K., Schonert-Reichl, K., & Roeser, R. W. (2016). Mindfulness, 7(1), 115-129. http://http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s1267101504254.
