NL
DE
27 February 2020
Where do you live and with whom?
I live in the ‘professorenbuurt’ in Nijmegen with my wife and two kids
When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? Can you tell us something about your child years.
I wanted to be a scientist for as long as I can remember.
What was your previous academic training, where did you study and why did you choose that study/those studies?
After finishing my undergraduate training in computer science and psychology I took an opportunity to pay off my student loan and started working in the finance sector, implementing market data systems. Before long I was earning more money than I will probably ever earn again, but you pay a high price for it because in that environment, money is the only incentive there is. I always thought I would come back to academia, but it took me a lot longer than I thought to cut the umbilical cord! I chose neuroscience, machine learning and artificial intelligence after that for a number of reasons. I have always been interested in how we think, behave and make decisions, why some of it goes wrong sometimes and what we can do about it. Also, most of the methods we have to study the brain produce data that are very complex, which means that we need advanced analysis techniques to make sense of it.
Of which of your research discoveries, you are most proud of?
I would choose one of two things: when I was a PhD candidate, we were studying the mechanisms of action of some drugs used to treat ADHD. We found activity in brainstem nuclei that were not supposed to be visible to human neuroimaging techniques. Or, a couple of years ago we demonstrated the existence of some gradients of connectivity in brain regions that are important for nearly all goal-directed behaviors in humans. Up until that point, such gradients had only been hypothesized to exist in non-human primates based on very invasive tracing studies but there was no direct evidence in animals and nothing at all in humans.
What is your most important scientific challenge in the coming 5 years?
Sustaining and growing a research group whilst (hopefully) continuing to inspire people. I would also like to see some of the technologies we develop moved into clinical practice to help patients.
If you could choose any mentor, who would this be?
I would not choose one, I would choose many. I have learned something different from all the different mentors I have had. I also learn a lot from the students and postdocs I supervise.
What is your favorite topic: molecules - patients - population?
I work mostly at the population level but really all of it is fascinating.
What should be changed / improved in the scientific community?
There should be more focus on supporting the careers of young researchers. Currently too much investment goes to supporting those who are already established and it is often very difficult for bright young scientists to establish themselves because there is a lot of pressure to produce output that is measured very narrowly. The research environment in many countries also very inflexible so it is hard for people to come back into science after having career breaks, a family or an unusual career path. I think the best thing we can to build a brighter future for science is to invest in the people who could be leading it in a few years time.
Is there anything we can wake you up for in the middle of the night?
No.
What is the thing that irritates you most?
Bad coffee
Who would you like to have dinner with, if you had the chance?
I would like to have dinner with Richard Feynman. I think he would be quite interesting company.
How do you relax from the demanding job being a scientist?
Science is my relaxation!
Do you have a tip for our most junior scientists?
Create your own niche and believe in yourself. Learn to be resilient. Science is not an easy career path and everyone has rough periods when nothing is working out.
Please make a selection:
o Crisper-Cas9 or AI
o Pipette or Biostatistics
o RT-PCR or Proteomics
o Big data or Clinical trial
Please add a photo which represents a remarkable event or experience you were part of? Please explain.
This photo was taken at about 5am on a beach in Oman, where we had just watched lots of baby turtles making a dash for the sea (while we were chasing away the seagulls).
Where do you live and with whom?
I live in the ‘professorenbuurt’ in Nijmegen with my wife and two kids
When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? Can you tell us something about your child years.
I wanted to be a scientist for as long as I can remember.
What was your previous academic training, where did you study and why did you choose that study/those studies?
After finishing my undergraduate training in computer science and psychology I took an opportunity to pay off my student loan and started working in the finance sector, implementing market data systems. Before long I was earning more money than I will probably ever earn again, but you pay a high price for it because in that environment, money is the only incentive there is. I always thought I would come back to academia, but it took me a lot longer than I thought to cut the umbilical cord! I chose neuroscience, machine learning and artificial intelligence after that for a number of reasons. I have always been interested in how we think, behave and make decisions, why some of it goes wrong sometimes and what we can do about it. Also, most of the methods we have to study the brain produce data that are very complex, which means that we need advanced analysis techniques to make sense of it.
Of which of your research discoveries, you are most proud of?
I would choose one of two things: when I was a PhD candidate, we were studying the mechanisms of action of some drugs used to treat ADHD. We found activity in brainstem nuclei that were not supposed to be visible to human neuroimaging techniques. Or, a couple of years ago we demonstrated the existence of some gradients of connectivity in brain regions that are important for nearly all goal-directed behaviors in humans. Up until that point, such gradients had only been hypothesized to exist in non-human primates based on very invasive tracing studies but there was no direct evidence in animals and nothing at all in humans.
What is your most important scientific challenge in the coming 5 years?
Sustaining and growing a research group whilst (hopefully) continuing to inspire people. I would also like to see some of the technologies we develop moved into clinical practice to help patients.
If you could choose any mentor, who would this be?
I would not choose one, I would choose many. I have learned something different from all the different mentors I have had. I also learn a lot from the students and postdocs I supervise.
What is your favorite topic: molecules - patients - population?
I work mostly at the population level but really all of it is fascinating.
What should be changed / improved in the scientific community?
There should be more focus on supporting the careers of young researchers. Currently too much investment goes to supporting those who are already established and it is often very difficult for bright young scientists to establish themselves because there is a lot of pressure to produce output that is measured very narrowly. The research environment in many countries also very inflexible so it is hard for people to come back into science after having career breaks, a family or an unusual career path. I think the best thing we can to build a brighter future for science is to invest in the people who could be leading it in a few years time.
Is there anything we can wake you up for in the middle of the night?
No.
What is the thing that irritates you most?
Bad coffee
Who would you like to have dinner with, if you had the chance?
I would like to have dinner with Richard Feynman. I think he would be quite interesting company.
How do you relax from the demanding job being a scientist?
Science is my relaxation!
Do you have a tip for our most junior scientists?
Create your own niche and believe in yourself. Learn to be resilient. Science is not an easy career path and everyone has rough periods when nothing is working out.
Please make a selection:
o Crisper-Cas9 or AI
o Pipette or Biostatistics
o RT-PCR or Proteomics
o Big data or Clinical trial
Please add a photo which represents a remarkable event or experience you were part of? Please explain.
This photo was taken at about 5am on a beach in Oman, where we had just watched lots of baby turtles making a dash for the sea (while we were chasing away the seagulls).
