About

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Connected Minds Lab in the Department of Developmental Psychology at the University of Amsterdam.

My research investigates young people’s social media use and its links to mood and mental health. I also examine how online experiences shape identity development and the benefits and harms faced by minority groups, such as LGBTQIA+. In addition to a developmental perspective, I am involved in a ManyLabs collaboration, where I lead the Netherlands team to study how these dynamics vary across cultural contexts worldwide.

Methodologically, I combine computational modeling (e.g., reinforcement learning and large language models), machine learning approaches (e.g., random forests and NLP), social network analysis, and experimental designs. Across projects, I integrate longitudinal, real-world behavioral data (e.g., social media trace data), text data and self-report measures.

I earned my PhD in Psychology at the University of Amsterdam, where I studied social learning strategies during adolescence in the context of school-based social networks and social media, with a focus on social norms and feedback. Broadly, my work shows that the influence of social information on belief and intention formation depends on the source, whether it comes from peers or teachers, and that these effects change across development. As social learning increasingly takes place online, my research on social media feedback indicates that adolescents are more sensitive to online feedback than adults, and that their mood is affected more strongly by reductions in social rewards (e.g., likes).

Before my PhD, I worked as a data analyst in a social media agency, specializing in statistical modeling and machine learning. I also hold MSc degrees in Child Development (major: Developmental Psychopathology, University of Amsterdam) and in Educational Sciences (University of Porto).

I am committed to open science: my publications, data, and code are openly available on OSF and GitHub.

Beyond my academic work, I often collaborate with community members and professionals across fields to develop and organize community-based science and art events. I have co-developed projects such as Life from a Different Perspective, Hear All Voices, Treehouse NDSM, Breaking Boundaries, Op de Vlucht, NDSM FUSE, with a focus on community-building, awareness, and public engagement.