Nicoline Hemager

Nicoline Hemager is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Copenhagen. Her research focuses on understanding mental health vulnerabilities in children and families, particularly those at risk for severe psychiatric conditions. She maintains an active research program with current publications appearing through 2025.

Dr. Hemager's research interests center on early identification and intervention for mental health disorders. Her work primarily investigates:

• Familial risk factors for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in children
• Neurocognitive markers of psychosis risk in preadolescent populations
• Social and emotional functioning in families with mental health conditions
• Language and motor development as potential early indicators of psychiatric vulnerability
• Preventive interventions for at-risk youth

Her research program is largely connected to "The Danish High Risk and Resilience Study" (VIA 7 and VIA 11), which examines children at familial high risk of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Dr. Hemager's publications demonstrate a strong focus on translational research that bridges neuroscience, clinical psychology, and preventive psychiatry. Her recent work has explored brain activation patterns, social perception, and the clinical significance of early symptoms in at-risk populations, with findings published in high-impact journals including Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging and Schizophrenia Bulletin.

Dr. Hemager maintains an extensive collaborative network with researchers across multiple Danish institutions, particularly working with Thorup, Nordentoft, and Mors in the Copenhagen mental health research community. Her methodological approach combines neuroimaging, clinical assessments, longitudinal designs, and large-scale register studies, as evidenced by her 2024 publication analyzing data from over 1.4 million children.