Assistant Professor
Biography
I am a behavioural neuroscientist. After obtaining my PhD at the UMC Utrecht in 2010 I moved to Switzerland. At the EPFL in Lausanne I investigated the effects of chronic stress in rodents. I also looked into the role that mitochondrial energy metabolism played for behaviour. In 2015 I went to Mainz, Germany to specifically interrogate how stress may affect behavioural outcome through metabolic processes with a particular focus on glucose metabolism. Since 2021, I became a principal investigator on a ongoing project involving the role of social stress on the reward system, funded by the DFG (german equivalent of the NWO). In October 2021 I also joined the UMC Utrecht as assistant professor. At the WKZ I aim the study the role of early life stress and neonatal care on functional outcome and metabolic processes. My overall research goals are to understand the neurobiological- as well as (neuro)metabolic processes underlying the negative consequences of stress.
Research aim
It is our goal to increase fundamental knowledge of maturing synaptic connections that moderate cerebellar interactions with cerebral networks. We contribute to improving the bed-to-bench translation of brain therapies for adverse early life events.
Go to groupResearch aim
Our mission is to unravel the impact of early life adversity, such as perinatal asphyxia and stroke, preterm birth and early life stress on brain development and to design strategies to improve outcome of affected infants, shaping a better future.
Go to groupPrincipal Investigator - onderzoek - Leibniz Institute for Resilience research
