Assistant Professor, APH - Mental Health Assistant Professor, Clinical Developmental Psychology Assistant Professor, Clinical Developmental Psychology LEARN! - Educational neuroscience, learning and development

Specialization

Focus of research

Research interests: peer & teacher-student relationships | behavioral problems | elementary school | social-emotional learning |  school-based interventions,

I’m currently developing my personal research line focused on antisocial development & social and emotional learning (SEL) in school: predictors, consequences, and intervention effects from childhood to adolescence. To this end, I’m involved in four empirical longitudinal school-based (intervention) projects in various (inter)national consortia and one literature syntheses and policy recommendations report:

  • Principal investigator of “SCCILLS”. SCCILLS (SEL Coaching Centraal & Integraal in vaardigheden van Leerling, Leerkracht and School) is a five-year longitudinal cluster-randomized intervention project focused on helping teachers to stimulate young elementary schoolchildren’s social-emotional learning (SEL) in order to prevent and decrease antisocial behavior and promote prosocial behavior. Via co-design with academic professionals, elementary school professionals, and teacher-coaches, we develop a teacher-coaching intervention focused on SEL. Within this project, I collaborate with the Hogeschool Rotterdam, education consultants, and schoolboards in the Rotterdam and Amsterdam area. SCCILLS also has an international arm in Israel (Helping Children Under Stress – SCCILLS in Israel, see Acquisition). Role: principal investigator and co-promotor of 1 PHD student.
  • Co-principal investigator of Girls United: Fostering positive friendship dynamics for elementary schoolgirls’ social, emotional and academic flourishing. Girls United is a four-year longitudinal observation and intervention project aimed at investigation the dynamic interplay of daily friendship interactions with well-being and school performance (via ecological momentary assessments and observational studies) as input for developing (via co-design with stakeholders) a blended school-based intervention program. Within this project, I collaborate with the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Radboud University, various business enterprises, schoolboards, the municipalities of Rotterdam and Nijmegen, patient associations, app developers and many more partners. Role: co-principal investigator and co-promotor of 3 PhD students.
  • Co-manager of Happy Friends, Positive Minds! HFPM! is a four-year longitudinal observational and intervention project on stimulating positive communication dynamics between adolescent girls to prevent and decrease (emerging) depression symptoms. Via co-design with academic professionals, secondary school professionals, youth (mental health) professionals (CJGs), teacher-coaches, app developers, and the municipality of Rotterdam, we develop an E-Mental Health App focused on depression prevention for adolescent girls and their school mentors. Role: co-project manager and co-promotor of 3 PhD students.
  • Co-manager of “Inequalities and Youth Development”: Inequalities and Youth Development is a four-year multi-cohort study on socio-economic inequalities between schools and families as a predictor of youth’s social, emotional, behavioral and academic development. Within this project, I collaborate with the Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and the municipality of Rotterdam. Role: co-project manager and co-promotor of 1 PhD-student.
  • Co-lead author of the ISEE Assessment SDM. as a senior research-consultant for UNESCO, I – together with 250 authors from 45 countries from various scientific disciplines including education, neurodevelopment, the humanities, economic and political sciences, psychology, technological sciences, work on the International Science and Evidence-based Education Assessment. The transdisciplinary literature synthesis contributes to re-envisioning the future of education. In this role, I am one of the three lead authors of the Summary for Decision Makers (SDM) for future UN education policies. I will present the report at the United Nations headquarters in Paris, on 26th of March 2022. An international press conference for class A (e.g., Guardian, BBC, CNN, NYT) and class B media (education-focused media) was organized at March 18th. A panel discussion with international education experts will be organized on 25th of March in Dubai. A workshop with VN education ambassadors was organized in July 2022 in Montreal, Canada.

As a researcher, I have a strong national and international focus on longitudinal (intervention) research into social emotional learning and school safety focused on children and adolescents and their parents and teachers. I am a statistical expert in conducting statistical analyses required for this type of studies and statistical consultant for colleagues from varying universities including the Vrije Universiteit. I translate my empirical expertise into national and international policy recommendations via collaboration with UNESCO and various national municipalities.