I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Dutch Studies, where I coordinate the MA program in Dutch as a Second Language and Multilingualism. Additionally, I hold a position at Amsterdam UMC, within Liesbeth Reneman's Lab and the Alzheimer Centre Amsterdam.
I earned my PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Reading with a doctoral thesis on structural brain changes induced by bilingual experiences, funded by Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie ITN. I was a member of the Bilingualism in the Brain Lab, where I also secured my first posdoctoral position.
Subsequently, I received Fulbright Fellowship and worked as postdoc at Pennsylvania State University in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Creativity Lab. There, my research focused on the influence of bilingualism on the dynamics of brain networks related to creativity.
With my combined expertise in neuroscience and linguistics, I am deeply fascinated by the brain's adaptability in acquiring and utilizing multiple languages, and I am passionate about exploring how this understanding can be applied for societal good. One of my recent pursuits, in collaboration with colleagues from Amsterdam UMC, involves investigating whether bilingualism can rewire our brains to postpone the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, a project for which I received the Amsterdam UMC Career Bridging Grant.