Stephan Huijbregts studied Psychology at Leiden University (specialization in Cognitive Psychology). He performed his research internship at the University of Oxford, UK. In 2002, he obtained his PhD from the Department of Clinical Neuropsychology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

After two years of postdoctoral research at the University of Montreal (Canada) and two years as a Lecturer at the Department of Psychology of the University of Southampton (UK), he started working as an Assistant Professor at the programme group of Clinical Neurodevelopmental Sciences of Leiden University. Since 2010 he is also a senior researcher at the Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition.                                                                                                 

Curriculum Vitae (English)

See Dutch profile Stephan Huijbregts

Research

Stephan’s research focuses on (the interrelations between) cognition, social functioning and neurobiological processes in typically developing children; in children, adolescents and young adults characterized by different forms of psychopathology (especially aggression/antisocial behavior and substance use); in children that have been exposed perinatally to different risk factors; and in genetic syndromes such as Neurofibromatosis Type 1, Phenylketonuria and Tyrosinemia Type 1.

Awards

• Teva/Aventis Young Investigator Award for Multiple Sclerosis Research (2004). Awarded at European Charcot Foundation Symposium, Taormina, Sicily, Italy
   

Antisocial behavior/(exposure to) substance use

• Leiden University Fund/Gratama Foundation: Prenatal Tobacco Exposure, Regional Brain Development, and Social Cognition: A Study with Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (with Dr. S. Biro en Prof. Dr. C. Levelt): 2013-2016.
• Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Interdisciplinary start-up projects within Research Profile Area Brain Function and Dysfunction over the Lifespan: Prenatal Tobacco Exposure and Infant Cognition: A Study with Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (with Dr. S. Biro en Prof. Dr. C. Levelt): 2011-2015
• Leids University Fund/Gratama Foundation: Stress and problem behavior in children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy: 2008-2011.

Genetic syndromes:

• University Medical Center Groningen: MD/PhD-grant for Wiggert van Ginkel (project: “Understanding brain dysfunction in Tyrosinemia Type 1”). (with Prof. Dr. F.J. van Spronsen en Prof. Dr. E.A. van der Zee, UMCG): 2015-2020.
• Dutch Neurofibromatosis Association: Cognitive and social functioning of individuals with NF1 (consolidation grant): 2014-2016.
• Erwin Schrödinger Fellowship for Dr. Marisa Loitfelder  (post-doc grant). Structural and functional brain connectivity in Neurofibromatosis Type 1: Associations with executive and social functioning. (with Prof. Dr. S. A. Rombouts): 2014-2015.
• Joris foundation. Clouds over Tyrosinemia type I: Outcome can be improved. (with Prof. Dr. F.J. van Spronsen, UMCG): 2011-2016.
• NutsOhra Research Funding and Dutch Phenylketonuria Association: PhD-grant for Rianne Jahja (project: “Executive function in adolescents and young adults with PKU: A follow-up study after 10 years”). (with Prof. Dr. F.J. van Spronsen): 2011-2014.
• Dutch Neurofibromatosis Association: Structural and functional connectivity in relation to cognitive and social functioning of children and adolescents with Neurofibromatosis Type I: 2009-2012.
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) (UK): PhD-grant for Iris Rowbotham. Neurocognitive and psychosocial aspects of Neurofibromatosis Type I (with Prof. Dr. E.J.S. Sonuga-Barke): 2005-2009.

Current professional activities

• Member of Executive Committee of the Society for the Study of Behavioural Phenotypes  (SSBP).
• Member of Departmental and Institutional Board, Education and Child Studies, Leiden University
• Member of Executive Committee of Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), NIHC Baby Brain & Cognition-network.
• City of Leiden Congress Ambassador, incl. organization of BB&C-symposium “Perinatal risk factors for abnormal cognitive and social development” (Leiden, 2015) and 20th annual international SSBP-conference (Leiden, 2017).
• Member of Dutch Society for Neuropsychology
• Member of the Institute for the Study of Education and Child Studies (ISED)
• Member of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD)
• Senior-researcher Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC, incl. hotspots LIBC-Junior and LIBC-Social)
• Member of the European Society for PKU, incl. European Treatment Guidelines-committee
• Member of Medical Advisory Board of the Dutch Neurofibromatosis Association
• Reviewer for international scientific journals
• Editorial Board-member Social Development
• Reviewer for The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMW)

Registrations

• Basic Teaching Qualification Higher Education, Leiden University
• Coaching PhD-students, Aletta Wubben -foundation, Leiden University
• Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice in Higher Education, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
• Training programme for PhD-candidates at the Graduate Research Institute for Experimental Psychology (1997-2002)

Relevant links

• https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stephan_Huijbregts/publications
• http://www.libc-leiden.nl/
• http://www.eengoedbegin-leiden.nl/
• Mindsleiden.com

PhD candidates

• Iris Rowbotham (University of Southampton): Friendship in children with Neurofibromatosis Type 1: An exploratory study of deficit and possible underlying causes  (graduation: 31-7-2012)
• Merel Griffith-Lendering (Leiden University): Cannabis use, cognition and behavior (graduation: 28-3-2013)
• Neely-Anne Davidse (Leiden University): Links between executive functions and early literacy and numeracy (graduation: 25-6-2014)
• Rianne Jahja (University Medical Center Groningen): Executive and social functioning in adolescents and young adults with PKU: A follow-up study after 10 years (graduation: 27-6-2017)
• Jill Suurland (Leiden University): Psychophysiological risk factors for early aggressive behavior (graduation: 4-7-2017)
• Hanneke Smaling (Leiden University): Maternal reflective functioning and the development of aggressive behavior in infancy and early childhood (graduation: 14-3-2017)
• Malou Noten (Leiden University): The relationship between the development of empathy and aggressive behavior in young children (expected graduation in 2018)
• Dide van Adrichem (Leiden University): Executive functioning and Theory of Mind during infancy and early childhood: Associations with neurobiological and social development (expected graduation in 2019)
• Wiggert van Ginkel (University Medical Center Groningen, MD-PhD): “Understanding brain dysfunction in Tyrosinemia Type 1” (expected graduation in 2020)

Publications