The Centre of Excellence for Well-Being Sciences EstWell

EstWell Mini-Conference Well-Being in Space: How to Measure and Understand Spatial Quality in Well-Being Research
2026-01-09 11:00 - 15:15 (Europe/Tallinn)
Registration: Spatial Well-Being Mini-conference – Fill in form
The event will take place in Tartu, at Vanemuise 46, room 327 and online via Zoom
The first part of the conference will be in Estonian and the second part in English.
At the conference, we will:

discuss the Estonian National Spatial Plan “Estonia 2050” currently under development, including what the new national spatial plan means for the well-being of Estonian society, settlement patterns, and people in different places, and how the state will analyse spatial well-being in a data-driven way over the coming decades;
hold a discussion to support preparations for a data use agreement between EstWell researchers and Statistics Estonia on the topic “Health and Contextual Data”;
gain inspiration from the Swedish example of linking geolocation data with register data.

After the conference, the EstWell Council meeting will take place.
Programme
11:00–12:30 The National Spatial Plan “Estonia 2050” and the Monitoring of Spatial Well-Being Changes in Estonia
Within the framework of the national spatial plan “Estonia 2050” currently under development, a data-driven monitoring methodology for spatial planning and spatial well-being has been developed.
The authors of the study, Pille Metspalu and Jürgen Pikk (Hendrikson & Ko; Department of Geography, University of Tartu), will present the indicators and key metrics created to enable the state to monitor changes in spatial well-being over the next 25 years.
This will be followed by a discussion on how to measure changes in well-being in space and which research questions EstWell researchers could address.
Background material:
https://www.riigiplaneering.ee/uleriigiline-planeering/uleriigiline-planeering-eesti-2050/uuringud#andmepohise-seire-ja
12:30–13:15 Lunch
13:15–14:45 Discussion: Preparations for the Data Use Agreement “Health and Contextual Data” with Statistics Estonia
Kadri Leetmaa (Department of Geography, University of Tartu) and Kairi Kreegipuu (Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu) will present the objectives of the Spatial Well-Being Flagship Project (LMP) and provide an overview of the preparation of the data use agreement and ethical approval.
Preparations are underway to link longitudinal (1989+) census- and register-based population data from the Population and Housing Census with health data for EstWell research purposes.
An inclusive brainstorming session will map shared research questions and data needs of well-being and spatial researchers.
14:45–15:15 Inspiration Talk: Using Swedish Geolocation Data in Social Science Research by Qinya Feng (https://qinyafeng.github.io/),
Department of Government, Uppsala University.
Recent applications from the Department of Government, Uppsala University, that combine geolocation data with other Swedish register data.

EstWell seminar E-Health Research Group: AI Applications in Healthcare: From Video to Text Data
2026-01-13 11:00 - 12:00
This lecture presents practical AI applications in healthcare, drawing on our research in rehabilitation and computer vision. From gait analysis and movement assessment to fine motor and handwriting analysis, it highlights how video-based AI can support objective functional evaluation and personalized rehabilitation. The lecture also explores the growing role of large language models (LLMs) in hospitals, including clinical translation, patient communication, and automated documentation, with a focus on real-world potential, integration challenges, and responsible use.
The seminar will be conducted by Elli Valla, a researcher at the e-Health Centre of Tallinn University of Technology.
The seminar can be attended via Zoom or in person at the Tallinn University of Technology Library building (address: Akadeemia tee 1, Tallinn. Room LIB-109B).

EstWell seminar Wellbeing and Social Media: Back to Dumber Algorithms?
2026-01-27 11:00 - 12:00
The lecture focuses on social media platforms and wellbeing, drawing on findings from the TRAVIS research project. It examines algorithms and young adults’ efforts to shape their social media experience in ways that support their wellbeing, using various platform features to provide feedback to algorithms. These practices are considered a form of self-care, aimed at promoting the visibility of content that supports wellbeing and limiting content perceived as harmful. The lecture will also address the challenges and boundaries of these kinds of curation practices.
Jaana Davidjants is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School, focusing on social media, visual culture, and wellbeing-related topics. Her doctoral research examined war-related activism on social media. She has explored digital trust as part of the research project Trust and Visuality: Everyday Digital Practices (TRAVIS).

EstWell seminar Binge eating: from psychometrics to mental health correlates & Objective measurement of physical activity in an ongoing population-based study
2026-02-10 11:00 - 12:00
Kenn Konstabel from the Health Behaviour and Mental Health Research Group at the National Institute for Health Development speaks on the following topics:

Binge eating: from psychometrics to mental health correlates

Objective measurement of physical activity in an ongoing population-based study

EstWell seminar Psychopathology Mechanisms Research Group: Personality-based Dimensional Psychopathology Models
2026-03-10 11:00 - 12:00
In this seminar, Junior Researcher in Personality and Clinical Psychology Helo Liis Soodla will introduce the results of her Doctoral dissertation on dimensional psychopathology models. The dissertation emphasizes how variable- and person-centered analysis methods can be combined to develop comprehensive descriptions and predict well-being and ill-being. During the seminar, we will also discuss the unique opportunities each approach yields in better understanding both clinical and population-based samples.

EstWell seminar Biofunctional Materials Research Lab: Overview of sensors for stress related molecular markers
2026-03-24 11:00 - 12:00
Presenter: Dr. George Ayankojo
Stress is a complex physiological response that triggers the release of numerous biochemical mediators regulating the neuroendocrine and immune systems. The monitoring of stress-related molecular markers has gained increasing attention due to the strong association between prolonged stress and the development of metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and mental health conditions. This lecture will present an overview of key molecular biomarkers involved in both acute and chronic stress responses. Particular focus will be placed on recent advances in non-invasive detection strategies including wearable and point-of-care sensing technologies for real-time health monitoring. In addition, the presentation will highlight the contributions of the TalTech Biofunctional Materials Laboratory to this field, particularly in the development of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based synthetic receptors for stress biomarker detection. Finally, the talk will conclude with a perspective on future directions in stress biomarker sensing, including the integration of robust synthetic receptors into wearable devices for continuous, non-invasive monitoring of human stress physiology.

EstWell seminar Behavior and Genetics Research Group
2026-04-07 11:00 - 12:00

EstWell seminar Affect and Regulation Research Group
2026-04-21 11:00 - 12:00

EstWell seminar Development and Education Research Group
2026-05-05 11:00 - 12:00

EstWell seminar Public Health Research Group
2026-05-19 11:00 - 12:00

EstWell seminar Interaction Design Research Group
2026-06-02 11:00 - 12:00

EstWell seminar Attention, Brain, and Cognition Research Group
2026-06-16 11:00 - 12:00

EstWell Annual Conference
2026-08-17 10:00 - 2026-08-19 17:00
