Ryan Muetzel

Ryan Muetzel is an Assistant Professor at Erasmus MC, jointly affiliated with the Department of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry / Psychology. His research bridges neuroscience, neuroimaging, and developmental psychology, with a focus on brain development in children and adolescents.

His research interests center on brain development, neuroimaging, and environmental and maternal influences on neurodevelopment. Key areas include functional connectivity, structural MRI, psychopathology, and the impact of air pollution and maternal health on brain structure and cognition. He employs advanced techniques such as fMRI and polygenic scoring in large population cohorts.

His recent publications (extending into 2025) show a strong trend in studying how prenatal and early-life exposures—such as traffic-related air pollution, maternal thyroid function, and inflammatory markers—affect brain connectivity, morphology, and cognitive outcomes in youth. These works are highly collaborative and interdisciplinary, often involving large-scale epidemiological data.

While no specific awards are listed in the provided text, his research has been recognized through broad dissemination, including coverage by numerous news outlets and academic platforms.

Ryan Muetzel has contributed to the supervision of research, with two supervised works documented. His research is deeply embedded in major collaborative networks across immunology, endocrinology, and psychiatry, and is frequently published in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals such as Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience and Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.