Every day we are faced with a bewildering number and complexity of decisions. So how do we decide what actions are best?
Hanneke den Ouden’s research lab studies how our brain makes decisions – and what influences them. Den Ouden is especially interested in how our choices are shaped not just by past experiences, but also by our expectations, environment, and current needs.
Unique to this lab is that they do not just measure what people decide: They also intervene in the neural processes underlying these decisions. Using techniques like brain stimulation and psychopharmacology, they test how specific neural circuits and neurochemicals drive our behaviour. Recently, the research team expanded their approach, linking what they learn in the lab to real life, using mobile apps to track people’s moods and activities in real time.
Beyond her research, den Ouden is devoting herself to launching a new bachelor programme in Human Neuroscience, together with the Faculty of Sciences.
I am really excited about this new bachelor programme! It brings together biology, psychology, technology and data science, embedded within the research at the Donders Institute, to train fully-rounded neuroscientists ready to tackle real-world challenges.
About Hanneke den Ouden
Prof. Dr. Hanneke den Ouden (1980, Zevenaar) began her academic career at Utrecht University, where she obtained her BSc in Life Sciences in 2002 (class valedictorian) and her MSc in Neuroscience & Cognition (summa cum laude) in 2004. She started her Wellcome-Trust PhD in Neuroscience at University College London and obtained her PhD in 2009 with her thesis “Prediction error dependent changes in brain connectivity during associative learning.”
After obtaining her PhD, den Ouden worked as a postdoc at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (2009-2011) and at New York University (2011-2013). In 2013, she returned to the Donders Centre for Neuroimaging as a research fellow with a Veni grant. She started the Learning & Decision-Making lab at the Donders Centre for Cognition in 2015, where she became assistant professor in 2016. In 2018, she was promoted to associate professor and received a Vidi grant. In addition to her teaching and research, she has been working as co-program leader for the Recognition & Rewards program at the Faculty of Social Sciences since 2022.