Dr. Shpend Voca is a social psychologist with extensive research and teaching experience in the fields of intergroup relations, forgiveness, social norms, and reconciliation in post-conflict societies. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at AAB College, Kosovo, and as a postdoctoral researcher at the Intergroup Processes Laboratory of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Brno.
He earned his PhD in Social Psychology from Masaryk University, with a dissertation focused on intergroup contact and forgiveness between former enemies in post-war societies. He previously completed a Master’s degree in Conflict Transformation at the University of Novi Sad, and undergraduate studies in Psychology at the University of Prishtina. In addition, Dr. Voca has undertaken advanced training in reflective teaching and in psychological treatment of survivors of organized violence.
Since 2015, he has been part of the academic staff at AAB College, where he lectures undergraduate courses such as Social Psychology, Organizational Psychology, and Cultural Psychology. In parallel with teaching, Dr. Voca is involved in significant international research projects under the Czech Academy of Sciences. Between 2022–2024, he contributed to a project investigating the impact of social norms on intergroup relations in conflict settings, and since 2024, he has been part of a new project focusing on digital technologies and well-being.
Dr. Voca has published widely in high-impact international journals, including the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, European Review of Social Psychology, Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, and the European Journal of Social Psychology. His scientific contributions address sensitive topics such as collective victimization, intergroup contact, moral norms, and the influence of emotions on reconciliation processes.
He has been awarded several prestigious research grants, including a collaborative research grant from EASP in 2023, and he received an award for Best Presentation at an international conference in Tirana (2017). Dr. Voca has also collaborated with researchers from leading European universities such as Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary), University of Kent (UK), and Masaryk University (Czech Republic).
He has actively participated as a speaker in international scientific conferences across Europe, presenting his work on social norms, intergroup forgiveness, and post-conflict intergroup contact.
Dr. Voca is a member of the European Association of Social Psychologists (EASP) and the Kosovo Psychologists Association. He is fluent in Albanian and English, and has good knowledge of Turkish and Serbian.