Curriculum Vitae
Academic Appointments
08/2024 Assistant Professor of Neurobiology (in Psychiatry), Columbia University Medical Center
03/2024 Research Scientist 5, New York State Psychiatric Institute
Education
2018 PhD in Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience specialization, New York University.
2013 MSc in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
2008 BSc in Psychobiology, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
2007 BSc in Physics and Astrophysics with Honors, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Scientific Training
Postdoctoral Scientist ( 2018-present)
Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute
Department of Psychiatry, Division of Translational Epidemiology
Advisors: Dr. Myrna M. Weissman and Dr. Ardesheer Talati
Doctoral Student (2011-2018)
Center for Neural Science, New York University.
Advisor: Dr. André Fenton
Master’s Student Research Internship (2009-2010)
Department of Psychology, New York University.
Advisor Dr. Elizabeth Phelps
Master’s Student Research Internship (2009)
Psychiatry Department, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Advisors: Dr. Damiaan Denys and Dr. Martijn Figee
Research Associate, MRI scanner operator (2009)
Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Advisor: Dr. H. Steven Scholte
Honors and Awards
2026 BBRF Young Investigator Award (“NARSAD”)
2025 Columbia Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Depression
Saks Avenue Transformational Depression Research Award
2023 James Kirk Bernard Foundation Award for Excellence in the Biological Exploration of Suicide
2023 American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Early Career Research Travel Award
2023 International Society for Developmental Psychobiology Travel Award
2023 Most Collaborative Prize at Columbia Psychiatry’s 3rd Annual Science Celebration
2022 American College for Neuropsychopharmacology Travel Award
2022 Glassman Award for Distinguished Scientific Contribution by a Fellow, Columbia University
2022 NIMH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award
2022 Ann Kelley Memorial Travel Fellow, Winter Conference on Brain Research
2022 Society of Biological Psychiatry Travel Award
2021 AFSP Young Investigator Grant
2020 Finalist for Paul Janssen Fellowship in Translational Neuroscience Research
2017 Cosyne 2017 New Attendees Travel Award
2017 Sackler Institute of Biomedical Sciences Travel Award
2017 NYU Neuroscience Institute Travel Award
2017-2018 Graduate School for Arts and Sciences PhD Writers Room in the Dean’s office
2016 Sackler Institute of Biomedical Sciences Travel Award
2015 Dean’s Student Travel Grant Program, NYU
2009 Huygens Talent Scholarship Programme (Netherlands), $20,000 for research at New York University
Funding
08/2026 – 07/2031
Title: Interactions between individual differences in gene expression and adverse experiences underlying susceptibility and resilience to depression
R01MH144672
Role: PI
Summary: Leveraging a unique translational approach integrating transcriptomic data derived from post-mortem brain studies and predicted hippocampal gene expression in two large ongoing longitudinal cohort studies, this proposal will investigate functional brain activity, genetic and childhood environmental and lifestyle factors that distinguish between individuals who are vulnerable or resilient to early life adversity.
01/2026 – 12/2027
Title: Resilience-related Genes by Environmental Mechanisms to Mitigate Adolescent Depression and Anxiety: a Translational Approach
Brain Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator Grant
Summary: This proposal aims to investigate how variation in hippocampal gene expression, found to be causal to resilience in rodent studies, influences resilience to adversity and protects against depression and anxiety in youth. Using data from the longitudinal, large and diverse Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, I will determine how cutting-edge expression-based polygenic scores (ePGS), which measure individual differences in hippocampal gene expression, interact with early adversity to shape mental health outcomes.
09/2025 – 08/2026
Title: Do genetic profiles that promote resilience to stress protect against risk for adolescent suicidality after early adversity exposure?
Columbia Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Depression Saks Avenue Transformational Depression Research Award
Summary: Rates of depression and suicidal ideation and attempts in adolescents are high, and its prevalence has been rising. Early adversity exposure is an important risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). However, only some children, who may be less genetically resilient, develop psychopathology after adversity, suggesting neurobiological and genetic differences. Using key hippocampal genetic pathways that lead to resilience in mice exposed to stress, this proposal will determine whether similar genetic pathways in human adolescents can increase resilience to adversity and thereby mitigate the likelihood that youth will develop STBs.
03/2022 – 08/2027
Title: Hippocampal and Genetic Mechanisms Underlying Development of Depression in Children at High Family Risk
R00MH129611 NIMH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award
Role: PI
Summary: The offspring of parents with major depression have a very high risk of developing mood disorders and other psychopathology themselves. The neurobiological and genetic mechanisms that lead to their vulnerability or resilience remain unclear. Leveraging a unique translational approach with hypotheses generated from rodent studies applied to highly characterized clinical studies and then extended to large diverse population samples, this project will investigate hippocampal, genetic and childhood environmental factors that predict onset of depression in children at high risk for mood disorders.
04/2021 – 06/2023
Title: Frontal‐limbic abnormalities and early life stress in susceptibility and resilience to suicide
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Young Investigator Grant YIG-R-001-19
Role: PI
Summary: The goal of this project is to identify neurobiological and environmental risk factors (and their interplay) that can help determine which at-risk offspring goes on to develop suicidal attempts and ideation (susceptibility) versus who does not (resilience). Previous work using both animal and human post-mortem studies from our collaborators shows a key role for the hippocampus, an important region of the frontal-limbic neural circuit, in susceptibility and resilience to depression and suicide after early life stress. The broad aims of this study are to (1) identify frontal-limbic markers of susceptibility and resilience in individuals at high family risk for suicide; (2) identify early life adversity markers that predispose to subsequent suicide attempts and ideations and whether these are mediated by the frontal-limbic circuitry.