About
Dr. Vera Heininga is an Assistant Professor of Youth Studies at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences. Her research focuses on psychosocial mechanisms of resilience and mental health in youth, integrating psychology, psychiatry, sociology, and pedagogy. She specializes in Experience Sampling Methods (ESM) to study daily-life contextual factors influencing resilience and anhedonia in depression.
Education:
- PhD in Psychiatry (2017), University Medical Center Groningen
- MSc Sociology (2013), Interuniversity Centre for Social Sciences & Methodology
- BSc Social Work/Psychology (2011), Hanze University of Applied Sciences
Research Interests: Mental health and well-being, emotion dynamics, open science practices, anhedonia mechanisms, and the intergenerational transmission of resilience. She develops tools like the Domains of Pleasure Scale (DOPS) and advocates for Open Science through leadership roles in the Open Science Community Groningen (OSCG) and Open Science Communities NL (OSC-NL).
Publications: Over 20 peer-reviewed articles focusing on anhedonia dynamics, open science methodologies, and ESM applications. Recent work includes multiverse analyses of memory suppression and randomized controlled trials of lifestyle interventions for anhedonia.
Awards:
- Veracity Award 2020 (Open Science recognition)
- KNAW Ter Meulen Grant (2017)
- Postdoctoral Mandate KU Leuven (2018–2019)
Teaching & Grants: Co-developed courses on research methods and statistics. Evaluated 8 master's theses. Secured €32,350 in postdoctoral funding from KU Leuven and €21,900 via KNAW grants. Leads projects like the national crowdsourcing study Ieder Kind Is Anders (Child/Adolescent Mental Health).
Labs/Teams: Member of the Center of Expertise Social Sciences Health and Well-being. Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on mental health interventions and open science infrastructure.
