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My main position is in the department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center. I am also a scientific advisor at Rintveld Eating disorder clinic, Altrecht, Zeist, guest professor at the department of Neuroscience and Physiology of Sahlgrenska Academy of the University of Gothenburg, and expert at EFSA’s working group “Added Sugars”. My research focus is on deconstructing the mechanisms underlying eating behaviour, since this is a natural behaviour ideally suited to dissecting the neural circuits that underlie decision-making, anxiety, impulsivity and reward seeking. I am devoted to unravel mechanisms underlying eating disorders. Besides understanding what circuits underlie obesity, the main topic is to unravel the neurocircuitry that underlies Anorexia Nervosa.

My main task is that the work in the animal facility can continue. Important tasks are the laboratory animal administration, annual reporting to the IvD/NVWA on the number of animals used, supervising compliance with the rules, animal welfare, training of animal workers on new techniques and managing animal care and support staff. In addition, I support researchers in performing operations on rats and/or mice and conducting experiments.

My research aim at identifying neuronal populations that drive symptoms such as decreased feeding and hyperactivity linked to the development of Anorexia Nervosa in a laboratory mouse model.

My research project aims to unravel neuronal alterations in Anorexia Nervosa using the activity-based anorexia mouse model.

My research focus is to unravel the effects of leptin on hyperactivity observed in Anorexia Nervosa. Therefore, I am aiming to identify the neuronal populations mediating leptins effect in observed hyperactivity in the Activity-based Anorexia mode

My research aims to understand the heterogeneity of dopamine signaling in the nucleus accumbens and dorsal striatum, through development and implementation of novel optical methods like tapered photometry and Fluorescent lifetime photometry.

I’m conducting my research at Gothenburg University in Sweden, where Roger A. H. Adan is a guest professor. The aim of my research project in the lab of Suzanne Dickson (under the supervision of Roger) is to target and further unravel which neurons and pathways are engaged by orexigenic stimuli such as the hunger hormone ghrelin and food cues.

How does the diversity of the brain emerge? Can we define molecular basis for the functional diversity of our brain? Is there a molecular signature of time? These curiosity-driven questions have led my path, which started as a molecular biologist and to the fields of developmental neuroscience and adult somatic stem cells. I was fascinated by the world of single cell genomics, which my group employs to study the development and diversity of Brain's reward system.

Generating a single cell RNAseq/ChIC-seq reference atlas of the adult mouse VTA as part of the BRAINSCAPES consortium and determining how histone methylation contributes to the cellular heterogeneity and long term differences in perturbation within the reward system.

Assisting the group primarily with cell culture, molecular biology and genotyping. Master of modified lenti- and AAV viruses. His new hobby is the cell/nuclei sorting.

I am a single cell biologist who wants to understand the cellular heterogeneity of the brain.