I am an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), specializing in Biological Psychology. Additionally, I serve as the Director of the Psychology Bachelor’s Program at VU.
I originally studied Physics and Astronomy in Amsterdam, specializing in Medical Physics, before earning my PhD in Rotterdam, where I focused on EEG recordings related to cognition. Afterward, I returned to Amsterdam to pursue a postdoctoral position at the VU Medical Center, working with magnetoencephalography (MEG). In 2005, I joined the Department of Biological Psychology at the Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences at VU University Amsterdam, where I remain affiliated. My current research lies at the intersection of genetics, neuroimaging, and behavior, with a particular focus on the heritability of brain structure and function, as well as genetic and environmental influences on brain and behavior. At our department, we manage the Netherlands Twin Register (NTR), which enables me to investigate how genetic and environmental factors shape the brain and behavior across the lifespan.
With over 20 years of teaching experience, I have coordinated and taught courses across all three years of the Psychology Bachelor’s program, as well as in multiple master’s programs at VU. In recent years, I have taken on broader responsibilities, including coordinating the third-year bachelor’s track “Genes, Cognition, and Behavior” and overseeing methodology education in the faculty’s bachelor’s programs. A current project under my leadership focuses on transitioning to new statistical software to ensure the curriculum aligns with modern data analysis standards.
Beyond teaching, I have extensive experience in assessment quality assurance. I first served as a member, then chair, of the Psychology Examination Board subcommittee. For over seven years, I have been involved in exam evaluations, thesis assessment reviews, fraud investigations, and accreditation processes. As of January 2025, I have been appointed Director of the Psychology Bachelor’s Program at VU.
