Louise van der Veen

As both a researcher and a poet, I am fascinated by how the brain makes sense of an inherently ambiguous world. How do we decide between competing alternatives? And how do our past experiences shape what we perceive or deem important? In my thesis project, supervised by PhD candidate Paulo Ortiz, I investigate how familiarity influences the way the brain processes naturalistic ambiguous stimuli, and how firmly it clings to its expectations.

I am currently working towards a research master’s degree in Cognitive Neuroscience at Radboud University, specializing in Natural Computing and Neurotechnology. Alongside my studies, I serve as a Student Representative on the NeurotechEU Student Council.

Before coming to Nijmegen, I completed a double bachelor's degree in Clinical Technology (TU Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Leiden University), writing my thesis on music perception in people with hearing loss, and in Philosophy of Medicine (Erasmus University Rotterdam), writing my thesis on the Geel model of psychiatric foster care. I also completed a minor in Creative Writing (University of Amsterdam).

With my poetry and poetry band Wildgroei, I explore similar questions through writing and performing.