Biological psychologist Elsje van Bergen has received the 2025 Early Career Award for Contributions to Research from the International Dyslexia Association. This distinction is given to a scientist whose innovative work has had a positive impact on the lives of individuals with dyslexia.
The award was presented at the annual Reading, Literacy and Learning Conference in Atlanta, USA. During the ceremony, Benjamin Power, President of The Dyslexia Foundation, highlighted the impact of Van Bergen’s work: “It is a pleasure to see Dr van Bergen’s work come together over the years. She is a leader in educational genetics, and her research at the intersection of genes and environment is transforming our understanding of why some children find reading easier than others.”
Van Bergen investigates how genetic and environmental factors jointly contribute to individual differences in learning and development. She also studies the causes and consequences of neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia. Her research has important implications for education and society.
In her acceptance speech, delivered to an audience of about a thousand people, Van Bergen said: “Although this award has my name on it, it recognises the teamwork behind every study we do. To answer big scientific questions, we need to cross borders — geographical and disciplinary. Everything I do is team science.”
Van Bergen leads the Educational Genetics Lab in the Department of Biological Psychology at VU Amsterdam, where she studies nature and nurture to understand why learning and developmental disorders often run in families. She is Associate Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Visiting Professor at the University of Oslo. She is actively involved in the Netherlands Twin Register and uses longitudinal studies, twin data, registry data, and DNA data. She previously received prestigious grants such as an ERC Starting Grant and an NWO VIDI Talent Grant.
