Photo of the Maria Montessori building
Photo of the Maria Montessori building

Behavioural Science Institute

We believe that the challenges of tomorrow require an interdisciplinary and collaborative effort today. Our mission is to join forces in interdisciplinary research on the theme: Empowering the Young. We study young people's challenges in our current society and are dedicated to contributing to their empowerment by providing the knowledge, tools, and confidence to shape their future.

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Highlights

Picture of a man eating a burger against a blue background.

This website makes vegan food irresistibly delicious

Research news item

'Plant-based eating is essential to stabilise the climate and protect our existence on earth,' says Esther Papies. With her website getplanty.org, she hopes to help the food industry get people to opt for sustainable solutions.

Robot

Can you feel sorry for a robot?

Research news item

A pitiful sound from tinny speakers, sad virtual eyes, trembling robot arms: it doesn’t take much to feel sorry for a robot. This is the conclusion of a study by Marieke Wieringa, who will be defending her PhD thesis on 5 November.

friends on a staircase all smiling

Do detracked classes increase equity in education?

Research news item

Educational anthropologist Floris Burgers examines the effectiveness of detracked classes to identify their success factors.

Research projects

Woman working from home with baby

Hybrid work and women’s employment

Research

This project investigates how hybrid work impacts women’s participation, retention, and advancement in the labour market. It aims to advance theory and inform organisational and policy efforts towards building gender-equitable workplaces.

Kinderen in klaslokaal

Van Breder Naar Beter

Research

This project investigates how Dutch secondary schools organise heterogeneous first years. It looks at the effects of different organisational variants on the development of pupils and equal opportunities.

Logo van Steps

STEPS: Storytelling's Transformative effects on Empathy and Prosocial Skills

Research

This innovative project investigates the effects of storytelling on empathy and prosocial behaviour in children aged 3 to 6 years.

More projects

News

Help wanted: Recruitment HSL survey study 2025 has started

News item

Healthy Student Life: Your wellbeing? Let yourself be heard!

News item

Empowering young gamblers at risk

Research news item

Boys perform less well in secondary school than girls because of 'bad friends'

Research news item
More news

Events

Symposium 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life'

Friday 16 May 2025, 10:30 am - 5 pm Conference / symposium

Young Adults in Motion: Understanding the Impact of the School-to-Work Transition on Sports and Physical Activity

Wednesday 28 May 2025, 12:30 pm PhD defence

BSI Day 2025

Thursday 12 June 2025, 9:15 am - 5 pm Conference / symposium

EXTERNAL PhD Quarterly meeting June, 2025

Thursday 26 June 2025, 3 pm - 5 pm Meet-up
More events

Visiting address

The Behavioural Science Institute is located in the Maria Montessori building in Nijmegen.

Thomas van Aquinostraat 4
6525 GD Nijmegen

Contact

Get in touch with the research institute by contacting the BSI office.

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