ABOUT
I work as an Assistant Professor at the Developmental Psychopathology group of the Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University in Nijmegen. In November 2012 I received my PhD (Cum Laude) from the Erasmus University Rotterdam. My dissertation was entitled ‘Neurocognitive insights in nicotine addiction’, which still is one of the key topics of my research. More specifically, my program of research lies in neuroscience of substance use and addiction in adults and youth. I conduct (longitudinal) neuroimaging studies to test the validity of influential addiction models. For example, I am interested in high-risk groups and the vulnerability to develop (nicotine) dependence. I am also involved in projects testing addiction models in more real-life settings such as the Bar-lab and through the use of modern technology in daily life. With my fundamental neuroscience research I aim to provide input for intervention and prevention programs. Together with my PhD students and national and international collaborators, I conduct both experimental and neuroimaging studies to achieve this goal. For example, I contribute to the development of games to reduce smoking behaviour in youth and young adults through one of our PhD projects.
I enjoy international collaborations, which is why I spent four months at The University of Melbourne (Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences) during my PhD and five months at the University of Cambridge (Department of Psychiatry) during my post-doc.
My research is funded by collaborative and personal grants from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), the Dutch Cancer Society and a small charity fund.