Nienke van Atteveldt

Prof. Nienke van Atteveldt is a Full Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam’s Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, with affiliations to IBBA and LEARN! (Educational Neuroscience). Her research focuses on understanding neurobiological, motivational, and social factors influencing learning in school settings. She combines methodologies like fMRI, EEG, and behavioral experiments to study mindset, effort, feedback processing, and peer dynamics. Key projects include growth mindset interventions, neurophysiological correlates of learning, and optimizing educational strategies.

• Teaches courses like Mind, Brain, and Education (Bachelor/Master) and Neuroscience and Education (Research Master).
• Leads interdisciplinary research teams exploring motivation-achievement cycles, developmental neuroscience, and educational equity.

Her work bridges cognitive neuroscience and education to address challenges like declining student motivation and academic resilience, leveraging tools like portable EEG in classrooms. She contributes to global initiatives like the International Science and Evidence-Based Education Assessment.