Current team

Dr. Isabel Schuurmans - postdoctoral researcher

Dr. Isabel Schuurmans started her academic path in Clinical Psychology, earning her BSc and MSc with the aim of supporting mental health. She discovered a passion for research, recognizing its potential to improve mental well-being on a broader scale by targeting entire populations. Isabel completed a PhD in Epidemiology at Erasmus MC, focusing on how early-life factors shape brain health across the lifespan. She then worked as a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School, deepening her expertise in molecular psychiatry, before returning to the Netherlands as a postdoctoral researcher at Erasmus MC. Her research investigates the biological mechanisms underlying mental health and cognitive development, with a focus on DNA methylation, the gut microbiome, and microRNA. By studying how these processes influence brain health from an early age, Isabel aims to identify pathways to support lifelong well-being at a population level.

Fangxiang Mao - PhD student

Fangxiang’s project mainly focuses on maternal sleep problems across pregnancy. Based on the Generation R Next cohort, her project aims to describe the dynamic characteristics of maternal sleep and its relationship with health outcomes in mothers and children.

Tess Sanders - MSc student

Tess Sanders feels motivated to research mental health from a biological perspective, to hopefully contribute to society’s awareness about the interplay between mental and physical wellbeing. She started her academic career with a BSc in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Erasmus University College. Here she focused on the theoretical aspects of human physiology, but also specialized in neuroscience, statistics and even social sciences. For her bachelor’s thesis she tried to bridge these topics by studying the relationship between mindfulness meditation and the immune system. Upon her arrival at the NIHES Health Sciences master, things began to fall into place. She was able to pursue all of her interests due to an internship opportunity at Generation R, where she is now studying the effects of early life stress and DNA methylation on mental health. Under supervision of Dr. Isabel Schuurmans, she hopes to gain further insight into the different pathways connecting environment, body and mind.

Elena Michelle Galeotafiore - MSc student

Elena is currently a Research master student in Health Sciences (Clinical Epidemiology) at Erasmus MC. She intends to also obtain her MD title and work as both a medical doctor and researcher. Elena is an Erasmus University College alumna. There she completed her BSc in Liberal Arts and Sciences with a pre-med major. Since her Bachelor thesis she has been interested in the effects of early stressors on health later in life. She is now investigating how changes in the epigenome, like methylation, are linked to ADHD. In her time as a student researcher, she is looking to learn as much as she can about statistical methods and software.

Fleur de Ruijter - MSc student

Fleur de Ruijter earned her bachelor’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Erasmus University in the summer of 2024. During her studies, she conducted research on the influence of cognitive activity and physical activity on the development of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Her research, combined with her volunteer work at Alzheimer Nederland, deepened her interest in the intersection of clinical and neuropsychology. Currently, Fleur is pursuing a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at Erasmus University. As part of her studies, she is involved in the Generation R study, where she focuses her master’s thesis on the trajectory of smoking and its impact on brain health. Through this research, she aims to identify potential mechanisms linking smoking behavior to neurological outcomes, ultimately contributing to a better understanding of preventable risk factors for cognitive decline.

Luna Brockhoff - MSc student

Luna Brockhoff’s interest in psychology began at a young age when, as a little girl, she had to speak with a psychologist after her parents’ divorce. Though she could not pronounce the word “psychologist,” she was fascinated by the process and the questions being asked, sparking a lifelong curiosity about the human mind. She followed her passion by earning a BSc in Psychology from Erasmus University Rotterdam, and is currently pursuing a MSc in Clinical Psychology there. For her BSc thesis, she studied how narcissism relates to the brain’s pain response to social rejection. Currently, as an intern under Dr. Isabel Schuurmans’ supervision, Luna is investigating the link between depression and subjective memory complaints. After her studies, she aims to integrate research and clinical practice by using her practical experience to enhance research, while translating research findings into more effective treatment strategies.

Togzhan Kanapina - BSc student

Togzhan Kanapina is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Erasmus University Rotterdam, with plans to specialize in Brain and Cognition next year. She is passionate about exploring women’s mental health and understanding the factors that shape well-being at the population level. Currently, under the supervision of Dr. Isabel Schuurmans at Erasmus MC, Togzhan is conducting research on the relationship between maternal prenatal depression and children’s executive functioning and mental health outcomes at age 10, examining maternal victimization as a moderating factor. Additionally, she contributes to the HappyMums Study by analysing the quality of children’s MRI scans of their brain development during pregnancy. Togzhan’s work reflects her commitment to advancing neuropsychological research, focusing on how early-life experiences influence mental health trajectories across the lifespan.

Former team members

  • Sem Wagenaar – BSc student (Biomedical Center, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands)
  • Furkan Kaya – MSc student (Medicine, Erasmus Medical Scenter, Netherlands)
  • Savannah Troost – MSc student (Psychology, Leiden University, Netherlands)
  • Sanne Hoepel – MSc student (Health Sciences, Erasmus Medical Scenter, Netherlands)