I am a behavioural geneticist with strong interest in the genetic epidemiology of substance use and mental illness. Much of my research focuses on the question why some individuals are more susceptible than others to develop an addiction or mental illness. Increased knowledge of genetic etiology will contribute to early detection and prevention of mental illness and should guide personalised treatment.
I completed my PhD in 2012 at the Genetic Epidemiology laboratory of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Australia, under supervision of Nick Martin and Sarah Medland. I have since worked as geneticist at various universities, both in the Netherlands and abroad (Sweden, Australia). In 2018 I was appointed Professor of ‘Genetics in Psychiatry’ at Amsterdam UMC (University of Amsterdam). Throughout my career I led several large-scale genetics projects. In particular, I am one of the PIs of the International Cannabis Consortium, a project with >20 contributing cohorts, aimed at unravelling the genetic architecture underlying cannabis use.