Vera Goossens

Vera Goossens is a PhD candidate and researcher at Utrecht University, affiliated with the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences and the Department of Experimental Psychology. She works under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Hilleke Hulshoff Pol and Dr. Jalmar Teeuw.

• Education: MSc in Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences (2019–2023) and BSc from the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences (2016–2019), both at Utrecht University.

Her research focuses on understanding brain development during adolescence at both structural and molecular levels. She utilizes longitudinal MRI and behavioral data from large-scale cohort studies, including the YOUth cohort in Utrecht, to explore how brain plasticity shapes individual developmental trajectories.

Vera is part of the Growing Up Together in Society (GUTS) consortium, a multidisciplinary collaboration investigating the challenges young people face in complex societal contexts. Her work contributes to bridging neuroscience and behavioral science to advance insights into adolescent development.