Ava studied Psychology at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany, and at the University of Bern, Switzerland. She completed her PhD at the University of Bern in April 2017 on the efficacy and effectiveness of Internet-based treatments of various anxiety disorders. Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher in the SNF funded OPTIMAX project (Optimising outcomes in psychotherapy for anxiety disorders) in which a transdiagnostic treatment approach is implemented. One principal aim of the project is generating predictive models for treatment response based on various psychological, physiological and biological measures. Ava is also a psychotherapist at an advanced level of training. Other areas of interest of hers include behavioural medicine, emotion regulation, the therapeutic working alliance and, of course, chocolate.