Dr. Michael Rihs

Michael Rihs is a post-doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Psychology at UniDistance Suisse since August 2024. He is interested in the underlying processes of autobiographical memory and how temporary thoughts – such as temporary awareness of mortality or limited time – shape human behavior and memory. Additionally, he is interested in human experiences and behavior in virtual reality, specifically how technical implementations (e.g., locomotion methods) influence perception and interaction in virtual environments.

He graduated in psychology in 2019 from the University of Bern (Switzerland), where he pursued a PhD under the supervision of Prof. Fred Mast. During his PhD, he investigated how thoughts about mortality affect human thinking, behavior, and memory. In 2022, he received his PhD in psychology and continued to teach methodological courses at the University of Bern. From 2023 to 2024, he worked as a researcher in the education and digital technologies research program at the Bern University of Teacher Education, where he gained further experience in research with virtual reality. In his various academic positions, he has gained substantial teaching experience. These teaching experiences include methodological foundation courses, scientific practice, and virtual world creation courses.