Data from the Researcher Mental Health Observatory STAIRCASE Survey Lasser, Jana Mol, Stefan T. Čontala, Alja Slavec, Ana de Swarte, Andreja Zulim Khachatryan, Anna Eleuteri, Anna Maria Haque, Anupoma Jansone, Baiba Vrenozi, Blerina Cahill, Brian Trenado, Carlos Schwieren, Christiane Iacob, Claudia Iuliana Tejada-Gallardo, Claudia Mairean, Cornelia McCashin, Darragh Chery, Deborah Özel, Dilara Stephen, Dimity Mijakoski, Dragan Ronda, Elena Ricci, Eleonora Ibrahimi, Eliana Vita, Emese Kamberi, Fatjona Benavides, Fernando G. Gonçalves, Francisco Valente Kismihók, Gábor Manich, Gemma Pascual Esnaola, Igor Portoghese, Igor van der Weijden, Inge Canu, Irina Guseva Mehmeti, Irsida Petrovic, Ivana B. Šindelář, Jakub Ferreira, João Miguel Alves Gabrani, Jonila Kovács, Karolina Eszter Pöllänen, Katri Geles, Konstantinos Elkheir, Lamis Yahia Mohamed Cudris-Torres, Lorena Løvseth, Lise T. Ioannidou, Louiza Popovic, Luksa Aljunaidy, Mais M. Saboya, Maria Fatjó Christensen, Marit Santos, Marlene Miklikowska, Marta Paoli, Mateja Erce Schroijen, Mathias Fusi, Mathieu Sundukova, Mayya Kurtoğlu, Mete Vukelić, Milica Anghelache, Mirela Adriana Adi, Mohamad Nadim Barkçin, Mümine Rocha, Nuno Barbosa Pranjic, Nurka Bogolyubova, Olga Moreira, Paulo Alexandre Soares Moreira, Paulo Saugmann, Pil Maria Tuval-Mashiach, Rivka Mendes, Rui Amaral Osmanovic, Sabina Ozdede, Sinem Lackner, Simone Gauttier, Stéphanie Rusu, Szidónia Lagouri, Theodota Yüce-Selvi, Ümran Ziemiańczyk, Urszula Dhamo, Xhilda The data presented here derives from the Sustainable Working Conditions in Academia survey (STAIRCASE) on researcher mental health. The survey addresses the ongoing mental health crisis in academia by providing comprehensive, multilevel data on researcher well-being and its structural determinants. We employed a cross-sectional between-participant study design to collect data from 4,296 researchers between September 15, 2023, and August 26, 2024. The sample, which primarily includes researchers based in European countries, has a mean age of 38.1 years (SD = 10.7) and consists of 63.7% female participants. Participants provided data on key mental health outcomes – including depression, anxiety, stress, burnout, and well-being – alongside detailed assessments of working conditions, leadership behavior, and organizational characteristics. The dataset facilitates a holistic, multilevel investigation of academic mental health beyond individual risk factors by including the individual, leadership, institutional, and national context. By enabling analyses across hierarchical levels this dataset provides the necessary evidence to identify systemic drivers of mental (ill) health and inform the development of effective, system-wide strategies for meaningful change in academic work environments. Ubiquity Press, Ltd. 2026 info:eu-repo/semantics/article doc-type:article text http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 https://www.hsbi.de/publikationsserver/record/6936 https://www.hsbi.de/publikationsserver/download/6936/6937 Lasser J, Mol ST, Čontala A, et al. Data from the Researcher Mental Health Observatory STAIRCASE Survey. <i>Journal of Open Psychology Data</i>. 2026;14(1). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.5334/jopd.136">10.5334/jopd.136</a> eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.5334/jopd.136 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/issn/2050-9863 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess