From Genes to Generations

We differ remarkably in our social skills and social behaviours. Some of us enjoy being the center of attention, are kind and empathic, and have fulfilling and mutually supportive relationships with friends, family, and partners. Others experience victimisation in school and workplace, feel lonely, and find it difficult to navigate through interpersonal conflict. The search for origins of these differences in social behaviour, social skills, and social development has always fascinated me, and I think that a broad perspective is most promising. For that reason, I integrate genetically-informed, multiple-generation data to elucidate what makes us different and the roles our DNA and the experiences of our parents might play therein.

Since Spring 2025, I hold the chair in Developmental and Pedagogical Psychology at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg. In 2017, I obtained an ERC Starting Grant to study the intergenerational transmission of social development (CAPE) and in 2023, I obtained a ERC Consolidator Grant to study social development in adulthood, especially with respect to parenthood (PAR2). These projects represent my core research interest, namely to understand the genetic and environmental origins of individual differences in social behaviour and social skills.

For details on my work and publications, please see my CV. For more information on specific projects, please see CAPE, FAB, and my OSF profile. To discuss collaborations, please get in touch via email (see CV).

Current PhD students and Postdocs

  • Marie Navarro, Postdoc since 2024
  • Mariëlle Osinga, Postdoc on the PAR2 Project since 2024
  • Shuiqing Huang, PhD student since 2023 (funded by a CSC scholarship)
  • Hamide Avci, PhD student since 2022 (funded by the Turkish Ministry of Education)
  • Marthe de Roo, PhD student since 2021 (funded by a Young Academy Groningen interdisciplinary grant in collaboration with Catharina Hartman at UMCG)
  • Thekla Nemanishvili, PhD student since 2022 at Tbilisi State University
  • Khya Marabel-Whitburn (external supervisor in collaboration with Craig Olsson), PhD student since 2022 at Deakin University

Previous PhD students and Postdocs

  • Mariëlle Osinga (PhD 2024 in the FAB, project, now Postdoc in PAR2)
  • Maria Wiertsema (PhD 2024 in the CAPE project, now lecturer at the University of Groningen)
  • Annita Kobes (PhD 2021, now in a policy role at the University of Groningen)
  • Tessa Kaufman (PhD 2020, now assistant professor at Utrecht University)
  • Chaïm la Roi (PhD 2019, now at Fries Sociaal Planbureau and lecturer at the University of Groningen)
  • Christina Cantave (Postdoc funded by Sectorplan Social Sciences and Humanities, now at the University of Minnesota)
  • Charlotte Vrijen (Postdoc, CAPE project, now assistant professor at the Department of Psychology, University of Groningen and Veni grant holder)
  • Linda van der Zwaan (Postdoc, FAB project)