I’m a tenured assistant professor in the department of biological psychology at the Vrije University in Amsterdam. Here you can find out about my education and work experience, my publications, and my contact. As a little bonus, the bottom of the website has my favorite quotes that I’ve been collecting since college. Enjoy!
My scientific and philosophical interests are vast. Some of these have aligned well with my academic work – and over time, they’ve shaped each other.
Right now, my research focuses on the malleability of cognition. I want to know the impact of certain experiences on the way we think and learn, and how much this depends on our different biological backgrounds. What are these experiences? There are many that could matter! I’ve researched experiences like playing video games, practicing with educational tools, doing physical exercises, going to school, growing up in wealth/poverty, etc. I wholeheartedly believe this research field will change the world – helping people to become smarter (a big deal given the importance of abstract reasoning, literacy, numeracy, attention, and working memory to the engines of modern societies and to the quality of our lives) as well as allowing democracies to correct injustices that emerge from the birth lottery (a big deal given that millions suffer or benefit unfairly from being born with worse/better genes and in worse/better environments; factors that were out of our control and should be a smaller portion of our merit).
I also love teaching. To engage students in discussions, encourage critical thinking, share a passion, and look at something in fresh new ways. And it’s truly meaningful to hear from a student that I made a difference in their lives. I believe in the uncontroversial view that teachers deserve better recognition, and in the controversial view that all academics ought to teach more. It is our reliable way to give back to society. (Because let’s be honest, we academics cannot always rely on getting useful research results.)
I consider myself privileged and lucky for the path I’ve traveled so far in my career, even though some parts were arduous. I’ve had some exceptionally inspiring professors, as well as research advisors who were smart, caring, and gave me lots of freedom. I also worked with amazing colleagues who made everything much, much more fun. I think this is still the beginning of a long journey – wherever it may lead.