Elsje van Bergen

Elsje van Bergen is an Associate Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) and a visiting professor at the University of Oslo. She holds affiliations with the Department of Biological Psychology (host of the Netherlands Twin Register), LEARN! (Educational Neuroscience), and Amsterdam Public Health. Her research focuses on the genetic and environmental influences on learning difficulties, neurodevelopmental disorders (ADHD, dyslexia, autism), and educational outcomes. She has received grants including NWO Veni, ERC Starting Grant, and Jacobs Foundation Fellowship.

Van Bergen completed her PhD at the University of Amsterdam (2013) and held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oxford (NWO Rubicon, Oriel College). She teaches courses on research methods, twin studies, and grant writing. Key awards include the Early Career Outstanding Paper Award (2017) and multiple prestigious fellowships.

Her work explores intergenerational transmission of educational achievement, causal relationships between psychiatric conditions and learning disabilities, and the role of genetic factors in familial educational disadvantage. Recent research highlights the significant genetic contribution to educational inequality and the co-occurrence of neurodevelopmental disorders.

• Research Interests: Genetics of learning, neurodevelopmental disorders, causal inference, twin studies, Mendelian randomization
• Awards: ERC Starting Grant, VIDI, Veni, Jacobs Fellowship, 2017 Society for the Scientific Study of Reading Award
• Grants: Over €4M in funding for projects on educational genetics and science communication