Werner started his academic career as a student assistant in the Sociology department in 1996, and is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Social Sciences at the North-West University. Werner obtained his PhD in Sociology in 2005 at the NWU, and completed a Master’s degree in Positive Psychology at the same institution in 2014. His main research field is the study of psycho-social well-being, especially in relation to religion and spirituality, as well as the natural environment. He is particularly interested in the ways in which various aspects of individual and communal  human well-being (such as subjective well-being, hope, meaning in life, etc.) are impacted by and related to religion, spirituality and the environment.