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The Plasticity of Well-Being (PWB) Network was founded in 2021 by the National Institute of Health (NIH) to help expand research on emotional well-being. Based at the Center for Healthy Minds at UW-Madison, its mission is to identify ways to measure emotional well-being in everyday life and to explore how these dimensions can be strengthened through effective, culturally relevant interventions and training. Along with the PWB Network, there are five other NIH-funded research networks across the country designed to deepen our understanding of emotional well-being. As a whole, these organizations aim to improve both the physical and mental health of people long-term.
Based on the goals of the PWB network, a summer workshop in 2023 gathered emerging scholars from diverse backgrounds at the Center for Healthy Minds to share their research and learn about well-being in different contexts from expert network faculty. Participants were encouraged to discuss conceptualizations, investigative methods, and intervention approaches relating to emotional well-being. What began as a structured academic seminar soon grew into a vibrant community where scholars felt encouraged to show up authentically, collaborate across disciplines, and imagine new possibilities for research and practice.
This impactful experience inspired several attendees to carrying its spirit forward beyond the workshop. From this shared vision, the WeMerge Collective was born. The WeMerge collective continues to grow as a space where researchers can support each other, co-create projects, and explore how to integrate well-being into academic life. Members have come together to create papers and expand upon the research done by the PWB Network.
Mission Statement
The WeMerge Collective supports early-career researchers in advancing emotional well-being through collaborative scholarship, public engagement, and community-rooted impact. We cultivate spaces for learning and growth while grounding our work in the best practices of well-being science. Through interdisciplinary dialogue and public-facing projects, we bridge research with meaningful, real-world change.
The WeMerge Collective supports early-career researchers in advancing emotional well-being through collaborative scholarship, public engagement, and community-rooted impact. We cultivate spaces for learning and growth while grounding our work in the best practices of well-being science. Through interdisciplinary dialogue and public-facing projects, we bridge research with meaningful, real-world change.
Vision
Vision
We envision a world where emerging researchers lead with collaboration, compassion, and creativity—contributing to a more balanced, just, and sustainable future. Through scholarship that connects, heals, and empowers, the WeMerge Collective aspires to redefine what it means to do research in service of collective and ecological well-being.
Values
Values
Community: We prioritize mutual support, trust, and care in all our collaborations.
Equity: We are committed to justice, inclusion, and amplifying underrepresented voices in well-being research.
Reciprocity: We believe in relationships grounded in mutual exchange, shared responsibility, and collective uplift.
Stewardship: We are committed to caring for the knowledge, networks, communities, and lands we engage—ensuring our work supports long-term ecological well-being.
Curiosity: We honor the exploratory nature of early career work and value providing low-stakes spaces for growth and learning.
Impact: We believe research should not only inform but transform—bridging academic insight with community needs.
Transparency: We foster open communication and shared access to opportunities, networks, and resources.
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