Elsje van Bergen, Associate Professor of Biological Psychology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Visiting Professor at the University of Oslo, has been elected as a member of the Young Academy of Europe.
The Young Academy of Europe is a pan-European network of excellent mid-career academics with international recognition and leadership experience, dedicated to fostering scientific collaboration and science policy in Europe. Van Bergen previously served as a fellow of the Amsterdam Young Academy (AYA) (2020–2024) and now continues her interdisciplinary work at the international level. Together with other AYA members, she co-authored the Interdisciplinarity Guide.
Elsje van Bergen investigates why behavioural traits and educational skills often run in families. She combines genetic and environmental perspectives to study how learning difficulties and neurodiversity, such as dyslexia and ADHD, are linked to mental health and passed down across generations. Her research is supported by prestigious personal grants, including the ERC Starting Grant and VIDI Talent Grant.
