UAntwerpen team
Kristien Hens, Primary Investigator
Kristien Hens is the PI and Grant Holder of NeuroEpigenEthics. She is a research professor at the University of Antwerp and a guest professor at KULeuven. She holds PhDs in Biomedical Sciences (Bioethics, KUL 2010) and Philosophy (UA, 2018). She is interested in the philosophy and ethics of psychiatry and in the philosophy and ethics of genes.
Leni Van Goidsenhoven, Postdoctoral Researcher
Leni Van Goidsenhoven, trained in Cultural and Literary Studies, works on the intersection of disability studies, crip theory, new feminist materialism, cultural studies and literary theory. Her main focus for the NeuroEpigenEthics project is on integrating life experiences of people with disabilities and the value of imagination in working with people with disabilities
Jo Bervoets, Doctoral Researcher
Jo Bervoets is a doctoral researcher focusing on the ethical implications of epigenetics in the specific case of Tourette Syndrome. Jo previously obtained Masters in Engineering Science, Cognitive Science and Philosophy. His research interest lies at a crossroads between ethics, philosophy of mind and philosophy of language/hermeneutics. Jo was diagnosed with autism as an adult.
Emma Moormann, Doctoral Researcher
Emma Moormann is a doctoral researcher looking to apply models of individual and collective responsibility to discussions on epigenetics and neurodevelopmental disorders. She completed a Research Master in philosophy, and she holds a teaching degree. Her research interests include (but are certainly not limited to) ethics, philosophy of mind, and political philosophy. She is also fond of philosophy of education, because it allows her to combine various interests.
Lisanne Meinen, Doctoral Researcher
Lisanne Meinen is working on an interdisciplinary PhD project that studies the depiction of psychiatric diagnoses (autism, depression, psychosis) in video games. She is combining a cultural studies approach with qualitative methodology to integrate life experiences of game designers and players with a psychiatric diagnosis in her research. Lisanne obtained a Research Master in comparative literary studies before joining the team in October 2020. Her theoretical interests include queer, crip, and neurodiversity studies, and all the ways they speak to each other.
Elisabeth De Schauwer, expert consultant
Elisabeth De Schauwer has a background in Educational Studies. She is working as a Guest Professor at the Department of Special Needs Education (Faculty of Psychology and Pedagogical Sciences) at Ghent University. As a researcher her field of interest is situated in Disability Studies and Inclusive Education. She is intrigued by the role of difference/disability in (pedagogical) relations.
Scandinavian team
Daniela Cutas, Senior Team Member
Daniela Cutas is Associate Professor of Practical Philosophy at Umeå University and the University of Gothenburg. She holds a PhD in Political Science. She is a co-editor of the volumes ‘Families – Beyond the Nuclear Ideal’ (2012) and ‘Parental Responsibility in the Context of Neuroscience and Genetics’ (2017). She is particularly interested in the ethics of the legal regulation of human reproduction and parenthood.
KU Leuven team
Former members
Laura Mattys, Postdoctoral Researcher
Laura Mattys is working on a multi-method PhD project, in which she explored identity processes during young adulthood, and experiences of young adults with autism. She likes thinking about big questions, playing with theoretical concepts, and using whatever methodology is most helpful for the questions at hand. As a part of the NeuroEpigenEthics project, she enjoys our animated discussions on new ideas, provides input on concepts and designs of studies, and offers a steady hand in qualitative and quantitative methods.
Delphine Jacobs, Postdoctoral Researcher
Delphine Jacobs obtained a degree as child and adolescent psychiatrist and therapist at KU Leuven in 2005, and has been working clinically since 2000. From 2016 until 2019, she was a doctoral researcher at the Centre for Biomedical Ethics and Law (KU Leuven) working on the project “Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis in young children: Views and experiences of parents and physicians. A clinical-ethical study.”. Within NeuroEpigenEthics (UAntwerpen), she is working as a post-doctoral researcher as of the 1st of January 2020.