Rate My Professor Theresa Pauly

Dr. Theresa Pauly is an Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Program Chair in the Department of Gerontology at Simon Fraser University, where she also holds the position of Canada Research Chair in Social Relationships, Health, and Aging. Her research examines how everyday experiences, social interactions, and broader psychosocial contexts influence physical and psychological well-being across the adult lifespan, with particular attention to how social connection or its absence affects physiological functioning, stress responses, and long-term health outcomes. She focuses on supporting healthy aging in marginalized and underrepresented populations through mixed-methods approaches that integrate qualitative tools such as focus groups and photovoice with intensive daily-life data collection, including the use of heart rate monitors and saliva samples for stress hormone assessment, as well as analysis of large-scale longitudinal datasets to identify resources that promote resilience in aging.

Dr. Pauly earned her PhD in Health Psychology from the University of British Columbia and a Diploma equivalent to a Master’s degree in Psychology from Philipps University Marburg. She completed postdoctoral research at the University of Zurich. Her work has received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the New Frontiers in Research Fund, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and other sources. She has been recognized with awards including the APA Division 20 Dissertation Award in the Psychology of Aging, the Vontobel Award for Research on Ageing, and the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship. Selected publications include book chapters on social isolation, loneliness, and solitude in older adulthood as well as everyday salivary cortisol as a biomarker, along with peer-reviewed articles such as “In it together: Relationship transitions and couple concordance in well-being and health” (2024) and multiple studies on daily social events, solitude, and health markers in older adults. Dr. Pauly directs the Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Lab at Simon Fraser University.