Sylvie Bernaerts (PhD) is a researcher in the People and Well-being research group, research line Psychology and technology. Her areas of expertise are immersive technology in (mental) health care and ethics committee applications.
Sylvie holds a master's degree in psychology (clinical and health psychology) and obtained her PhD in biomedical sciences from KU Leuven with research on the behavioural and neural effects of oxytocin in adult males with autism spectrum disorder. Sylvie mainly conducts practice-based research on the use and implementation of immersive technology, such as virtual reality, augmented reality and 360° video, in (mental) health care. In recent years, for instance, she worked on the Immersive Care project and currently on the Immersive Mental Health project, both funded by VLAIO (Vlaams Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen). With the knowledge and expertise gained from these projects, she advises the professional field on the implementation of immersive technology in their organisation.