Anita Harrewijn is an assistant professor in Clinical Psychology at Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She studies the development of anxiety and other mental health problems in adolescents. In her work, she combines lab measures (EEG, fMRI, eye-tracking) with real-life data (experience sampling methods, behavioral data). 

Dr. Bert N. Bakker is Associate Professor of Political Communication at the University of Amsterdam and the coordinator of the MSCA Doctoral Network IP-PAD (Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Politics of Adolescence & Democracy, www.ippad.eu). His research examines how (young) people experience and regulate emotions in response to political events, and how this shapes their political engagement and well-being. Through IP-PAD, he leads a European consortium exploring the emotional and neurobiological roots of political polarization and disinterest in adolescence. He is also co-founder of the Hot Politics Lab (www.hotpolitics.eu) an interdisciplinary research lab that studies the role of psychological processes in politics. 

Candice L. Odgers is Associate Dean for Research and a Chancellor’s Professor of Psychology and Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. She co-directs both the Child & Brain Development Program at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and CERES, an international network evaluating the impact of digital technologies for children and adolescents. Her program of research focuses on how both early adversity and daily experiences influence children’s health and development. With over 20 years of experience leading research on adolescent mental health, her team captures the daily lives of adolescents on their smartphones and works with young people, parents, and policy-makers to implement science-based solutions.

Coen is a PhD candidate at the SYNC lab with a strong interest to further bring together neuroscience and behavioral science. Coen’s work focuses on the enhancement of measures for Social Anxiety and on exploring the interplay between social anxiety and prosocial behavior in adolescents. He also aims to integrate Experience Sampling Method (ESM) data with neurophysiological measures (EEG) to find parallels between methods.

Esther is Professor of Digital Resilience at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Erasmus University Rotterdam. She is the co-founder of the Movez Lab, an interdisciplinary team researching current complex social issues around youth, digital media and well-being. In her work, Esther uses participatory research methods that actively involve young people as co-researchers and designers of solutions that enable the next generation to become smart, healthy and happy media users. 

Ethell is a PhD candidate at the Erasmus SYNC lab, working on the GUTS project. Her research focuses on the developmental trajectories of trust in adolescents and the influence of their socio-economic status and ethnic backgrounds. Ethell is particularly interested in fMRI research and is intrigued by the development of youth from diverse socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.

Prof. Eveline Crone is full professor in Developmental Neuroscience in Society and she leads the Society, Youth and Neuroscience Connected (SYNC) Lab. Eveline’s research examines the psychological and neural processes involved in self-regulation and social development. All of her work employs a developmental cognitive neuroscience approach to examine the relation between brain development and changes in psychological processes from birth to adulthood, with a special focus on adolescence. One of her special interests involves enrichment of cognitive and social experiences of children and adolescents using longitudinal, training and intervention designs. Eveline and the members of her research group regularly publish in leading international journals. Besides her mission to do innovative and excellent scientific research, her lab invests in the contribution and translation of scientific findings to society.

Gijs Schumacher is Professor in Political Psychology at the Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. He is also the co-Director of the Hot Politics Lab. He uses psychological concepts such as emotions, identity and personality to analyze large-scale political problems. Examples of such problems are polarization, the rise of authoritarian and populist parties, and the quality of representation. His work is interdisciplinary spanning from neuroscience to computer science to more traditional social scientific work. His most recent work focuses on how emotions weaken and strengthen the quality of democratic decision-making by adults and adolescents.

Ilse van de Groep is a Healthy Start Fellow working in the SYNC lab and the Clinical Psychology department of Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her work focuses on the neurocognitive and social mechanisms underlying antisocial behavior and substance use in youth. Together with youth, she also aims to co-design and evaluate personalized digital and virtual reality (VR) interventions to support behavior change in clinical and forensic populations. For these purposes, she combines several research methods such as fMRI, ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and behavioral experiments. 

Judith is a postdoctoral researcher at the Erasmus SYNC lab. She is interested in how adolescents are affected by and can contribute to societal challenges (e.g., climate change, polarization). Her goal is to contribute to research that recognizes adolescents’ potential to be transformative frontrunners in society. 

Karin Roelofs is Professor of Experimental Psychopathology at Radboud University and Chair of the Affective Neuroscience group at the Donders Institute. Her research examines neural mechanisms of stress vulnerability and resilience, using fMRI, MEG, and neural stimulation to study emotional control and decision-making in both healthy and at-risk populations. She is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Vice-President of the Association of ERC Grantees (AERG), and recipient of multiple prestigious grants, including several ERC awards. In 2020, she received the Evens Science Prize. 

As the president of the DNYC I speak with young people in the Netherlands on a daily basis. Everyday I am confronted with the worries of young people, but also with their strength to change the future. I am looking forward to the conference to talk about the role of young people in societal change. 

Lotte van Rijn is a PhD candidate in the Growing Up Together in Society (GUTS) research program as part of the Rotterdam cohort. She is supervised by Eveline Crone, Lydia Krabbendam, and Anna van Duivenvoorde. Lotte is a member of the team coordinating data collection for the consortium in Rotterdam, collaborating with a team at VU Amsterdam. The project will focus on the impact of social and societal opportunities on individual, academic and social outcomes. The potential mediating or moderating role of self-regulation in these processes will be investigated as part of Lotte’s PhD project.

Lydia Krabbendam is full professor of Developmental Neuropsychology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences. Lydia’s research focuses on the neural and behavioural mechanisms of social cognitive development in adolescents. She studies this using experimental paradigms and methods that chart adolescents’ daily lives, such as ecological momentary assessment, diaries and social network analysis. Her recent work has examined the links between socioeconomic background, social-cognitive development, and mental health and wellbeing during adolescence. Lydia is also registered as a clinical neuropsychologist with the Dutch Health Register BIG and works part-time in an outpatient clinic in Amsterdam.

Lysanne te Brinke is an Assistant Professor at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences of Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her research focuses on understanding how the interplay between inter-personal and inter-societal experiences and expectations may leads to adaptive (i.e., community engagement, contributing to society) and maladaptive outcomes (i.e., displaying antisocial behavior, feeling excluded from society). She is currently working on an individual VENI grant (NWO) to examine how adolescents can become agents of change, by zooming on contributions to close others and contributions to the broader society. 

Maartje Overhaus is a PhD candidate within the Growing Up Together in Society (GUTS) consortium at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She is supervised by Lydia Krabbendam, Eveline Crone, and Mariët van Buuren. Her PhD research investigates how environmental factors shape both social and personal outcomes, including civic engagement and perceived inequality. She also focuses on the role of self-regulation, examining whether this ability mediates or moderates the relationship between societal opportunities and social and personal outcomes. To address these questions, she works closely together with fellow researchers from the GUTS work package at the Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Martijn Janse is currently chair of the Lieve Mark foundation, which aims to involve young people in co-creative and participatory research. Founded during the covid-19 pandemic, the foundation’s research focuses on topics like student wellbeing, substance (ab)use and societal impact. Next to setting up its own research projects, the foundation collaborates closely with other labs, such as Eveline Crone’s Erasmus SYNC lab. Additionally, Martijn is a PhD student at Leiden University in the field of quantum mechanics. Janse earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in (Theoretical) Physics from Leiden University. 

Nagila Koster is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, and senior researcher at a specialized child and youth mental health care facility. Her mission is to bridge the gap between clinical practice and scientific research by translating innovative insights into meaningful therapeutic applications. Her work centers on meaning making and narrative identity as key frameworks for understanding vulnerable youth within their often maladaptive narrative ecologies. She explores how these narratives not only reflect psychological challenges but also offer pathways for transformation and healing. Nagila advocates for redefining mental health in the 21st century—emphasizing personal agency, contextual understanding, and the power of storytelling as a catalyst for change. Her research contributes to a growing movement that sees adolescents not just as recipients of care, but as active agents in shaping healthier futures for themselves and society. 

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec nunc metus, elementum a auctor ac, imperdiet nec metus. Curabitur sodales ultricies semper. Morbi nec risus commodo, suscipit justo sed, maximus felis. Praesent eget pretium urna. Nunc eleifend felis vitae erat lacinia, id imperdiet massa tristique. Integer vitae dolor tempor, dignissim arcu sit amet, consectetur odio. Donec sagittis urna ut ipsum venenatis pellentesque. Phasellus ipsum sapien, convallis vitae varius sed, tincidunt in odio. Nam rhoncus quam a arcu faucibus ornare. Ut nisl metus, dignissim id nisl vitae, volutpat facilisis massa. Nulla facilisi.

Ronald E. Dahl is the Director of the Institute of Human Development at the University of California, Berkeley, where he also serves as a Professor in the School of Public Health and the Joint Medical Program and runs the Adolescent Research Collaborative. He is the Founding Director of the  Center for the Developing Adolescent, where he provides the strategic vision for the Center’s research agenda. His current work focuses on adolescence as a developmental period with unique opportunities for early intervention in relation to a wide range of behavioral and emotional health problems. His research is interdisciplinary and bridges between basic developmental research (emphasizing social and affective neuroscience) and the translation of this work into clinical and social policy relevance.

Ruth is a part-time PhD candidate at the Erasmus SYNC lab. She also teaches Global Politics in a secondary school in the centre of Rotterdam. The title of her research project is ‘Teaching for Purpose: encouraging purpose development in adolescents through an integrated approach in classroom settings‘. Ruth uses principles of design-thinking and co-creation to develop approaches together with students and teachers to ‘teach for purpose’.

Sander is a professor of developmental psychology at Utrecht University. He explores how young people are impacted by and can help address societal challenges including climate change and youth mental health. Sander also is vice-dean for research and impact at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Utrecht University, where he promotes science-society alliance, open science, and healthy workplace culture. 

Using her background in developmental cognitive neuroscience, Sophie wants to make societal impact as a scientific researcher to help young individuals thrive in their social environment. Sophie works on the collaborative project PraatPower with MIND Us – an initiative focused on mental health among young individuals – in which societal dialogues are held aimed to empower youth and mental health. Sophie completed her PhD in September 2025 called ‘The power of prosociality: How adolescents contribute to their social environment’. 

With a background in Strategic Design, I specialize in co-creation and transdisciplinary collaboration to drive societal impact. I create future visions, strategies, and value propositions with diverse stakeholders, and (help) facilitate sessions that tackle complex issues. At the Erasmus University, I aim to reshape research and education by combining design thinking with methods from various disciplines, fostering better collaboration, learning, and impact. 

Suzanne van de Groep is assistant professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam and affiliated with the Erasmus SYNC Lab. Her research focuses on the development of prosocial behavior in adolescence and young adulthood, and how social context and individual differences shape giving, helping, and cooperation. She uses experimental, longitudinal, and neuroimaging methods to study how prosocial behavior contributes to social connection and well-being. Her recent work includes studies on online prosocial behavior, social temporal discounting, and youth engagement in societal issues. Suzanne aims to enrich her fundamental research with interdisciplinary and participatory approaches, to better understand how prosocial behavior can foster resilience in adolescents facing challenges such as loneliness and polarization. 

Yara Toenders is Healthy Start Fellow ‘Mental Wellbeing of Youth’ at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. She researches different aspects of mental welIbeing – from the (neuro)biological level to subjective experience using co-creation techniques.