Marieke van Vugt

She obtained her PhD in neuroscience focusing on the role of brain oscillations in recognition memory with Dr Michael Kahana at the University of Pennsylvania in 2008. She then went on to do postdoctoral research on the neural correlates of decision making with Dr Jonathan Cohen at Princeton University before starting her own group as a tenure track assistant professor in Groningen in 2010. The research in Dr van Vugt’s lab focuses on how, when and why we mind-wander, and what the fundamental cognitive operations are that underlie meditation and mindfulness. She investigates these questions using a combination of computational modelling, neuroscience and experimental psychology tools. In addition, she ventures into social neuroscience, investigating inter-brain sycnrhony in challenging situations such as dance performances and debating Tibetan monks.