“I help educators, learners, and organizations develop meaningful and resilient learning strategies, in line with cognitive science, motivational dynamics, and AI.”

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The “short” biography:

Sarah Chardonnens Lehmann, PhD, is a professor and researcher in educational sciences at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) and an affiliated research scientist at MIT in Boston. She studies how learning emerges through cognitive and motivational dynamics, particularly metacognition, self-regulation, and the development of autonomy, and how these processes are transformed by AI in education and professional training. She is the author of the SYNAPSE model, a four-phase framework that structures learning processes to enhance cognitive autonomy in AI-supported environments. Her work bridges cognitive science, learning design, and responsible AI adoption, ensuring that AI promotes active engagement, critical judgment, and long-term transfer rather than short-term performance. She is a distinguished fellow of the American Society for AI and collaborates with the MIT Media Lab on human-centered perspectives for AI and learning. She is the author of The Learning Revolution (2025) and is a regular speaker at international conferences. She also advises institutions and companies on AI mastery, ethical integration, and evidence-based educational innovation.

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Biography

Sarah Chardonnens began taking music lessons (clarinet and piano) at the age of two, in a particularly stimulating family and educational environment. At the age of six, she was admitted to the Fribourg Conservatory and, at 14, she won her first prize in a music competition. She then pursued a dual degree in education and music, embarking on a hybrid career that led her to perform in Switzerland and several European countries (Austria, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, France, and Italy). As a soloist, chamber musician, and principal clarinetist with the Camerata Suisse, then for more than ten years with the Orchestre de Chambre Fribourgeois, she has recorded several albums devoted to her instrument's repertoire, from classical to contemporary music, and has received distinctions, competition prizes, and scholarships from renowned foundations.

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Sarah holds a PhD in education and is currently a professor and researcher at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland). Her work lies at the intersection of psychology, cognitive science, and teacher education, with a particular interest in music learning, self-regulation, metacognition, and the dynamics of motivation. She collaborates with the MIT Media Lab on human-centered approaches to artificial intelligence in the field of learning and is a distinguished member of the American Society for AI.

She is the author of several popular science books (including the bestseller “The Learning Revolution, AI's Influence on Intelligence and Education”) and scientific articles, and regularly speaks as a lecturer, consultant, and scientific expert in educational projects in Switzerland and abroad. For several years, she has also been mentoring students at music conservatories in the fields of performance, pedagogy, and research.

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Research

Sarah's research focuses on the development of learner autonomy, in particular through understanding the mechanisms of pedagogical attitude and their effects on self-regulation and engagement in the joint action of teachers and learners. By studying the interaction between language and learning, she demonstrates the crucial role of verbalizing (meta-)cognitive processes for understanding, progress, and knowledge retention.

Her recent work focuses on the impact of artificial intelligence on learning, with particular emphasis on the benefits (feedback, personalization, metacognitive support) and risks (dependence, distortion, excessive automation). She is the author of the SYNAPSE model, a four-phase framework that structures learning processes and aims to strengthen cognitive autonomy in AI-based environments.

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Areas of expertise

• Learning mechanisms and artificial intelligence

• Autonomy/self-regulation development

• Teacher training

• Verbalization and learning management

• Music teacher training

• Musical cognition

• Music and language