Specialization
Biological aging • Brain age • Epigenetics • Depression & Anxiety • Neuroimaging • Predictive modeling • Longitudinal Cohorts • Personalized Psychiatry • Biomarkers for treatment • ENIGMA Consortium
Focus of research
My research is focused on the complex links between major depression and age-related biology. Using a wide range of neuroscientific methods, my work aims to:
- identify determinants of age-related biology and mental ill-health,
- study their longitudinal dynamics, and
- evaluate prognostic potential and reversibility following treatment.
With a background in neuroscience and specific training in biomarkers of mental ill-health, I completed my PhD in Psychiatry awarded with a cum laude distinction. My thesis revealed that adults with depression appear biologically older than non-depressed peers, and I have extended this work to early-intervention in young people aged 15-25 years (NWO Rubicon). I am currently aggregating high-quality diverse datasets from around the world to assess the consistency of findings across cohorts with the aim to promote the clinical application of age-related biomarkers in major depression (NWO Veni).