The Institutional Flourishing Lab’s research focus from 2023-2028 will be on the following priority areas:

1. Flourishing Religious Institutions
   1. Congregational Responses to the Pandemic: How are religious congregations around the US emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic? How has the pandemic affected mental health and well-being in faith communities, and how are these communities responding to mental health needs? Learn More and visit Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations for more information.
   2. The Catholic Priesthood in a Time of Crisis: Having conducted the National Study of Catholic Priests, we are examining the impact of the sex abuse crisis on US Catholic clergy and bishops and the relationships between them 
   3. Innovations in Religions: What is the meaning of and scope for innovation in the context of religion? What are the conditions of possibility for innovation in the domain of religion/spirituality? How might the study of religions contribute to research on innovation? We aim to develop a new research agenda on these themes through consultations and workshops with scholars and practitioners.
2. Flourishing in science
   1. Work and Well-Being in Science: We conducted an international mixed-methods study of well-being in science, including nationally representative surveys and in-depth interviews examining the role of aesthetic factors (e.g., beauty, awe, wonder) in shaping scientific practice, organizational cultures, and well-being in science and academia (Learn more here)
   2. Meaning and Mystery in Science: We are conducting an international study examining spiritual concerns and experiences among scientists.
3. Beauty and Human Flourishing
   1. Can beauty be a generative concept for understanding flourishing in organizations and institutions? What does “beautiful” work look like in domains such as science, business, hospitality, justice, and so on? How might beauty both enable and impede human flourishing? Learn more
   2. In Dostoevsky’s novel The Idiot, Prince Myshkin famously asks, “Can beauty save the world?” This project explores whether and how beauty—through individual and collective experiences—can serve as a transformative force in a secular age. As traditional religious frameworks wane, a growing demographic identifies as “spiritual but not religious,” seeking new pathways to meaning and transcendence. We seek to address if and how beauty may hold the key to personal and collective transformation among this demographic. This interdisciplinary project, spanning sociology, psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and literature, investigates how aesthetic experiences—individually and through collective acts like choral singing and immersive theater—may shape meaning-making and personal transformation. It includes the first large-scale international study of beauty, with nationally representative surveys and in-depth interviews in the US and UK, and fieldwork in five diverse sites, including small- and large-scale events. Electrophysiological measurements through wearable technology will offer new insights into the relationship between beauty, spirituality, and well-being. Outputs will include three book proposals, journal articles, popular articles, conference presentations, a new survey dataset, and teaching syllabi. Public-facing events, including symposia, conferences, retreats, workshops, and salon dinners, will extend the impact beyond academia, sparking global conversations about the transformative role of beauty in contemporary society. Visit the project website here to learn more.