Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA), Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs 
Theme: Resilience in Youth 

Olga Bogolyubova is an Assistant Professor at Leiden University’s Institute of Security and Global Affairs. Trained in psychology, her research examines how experiences of violence, trauma, and adversity affect mental health and well-being, with a particular focus on how these real-life experiences shape exposure to risks in online environments.

Her work combines perspectives from psychology, security studies, and digital society research to understand how individuals experience and navigate online risks in complex social and digital contexts. By examining the interplay between real-world adversity and digital risk exposure, Olga Bogolyubova contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of vulnerability and safety in digital spaces.

Within the Sector Plan theme Resilience in Youth, Olga Bogolyubova investigates the psychological and social mechanisms underlying online risk, aiming to inform policies and interventions that enhance digital safety and well-being.

Olga Bogolyubova teaches in the Crisis and Security Management MSc programme, where she integrates psychological insights into discussions of violence and its prevention, digital safety, personal cybersecurity, and crisis response. Through her interdisciplinary approach, she bridges the gap between mental health research and the study of societal resilience in an increasingly connected, digital world.

Developmental and Educational Psychology, Institute of Psychology 
Theme: Resilience in Youth 

Evelien Broekhof is an Assistant Professor in the unit of Developmental and Educational Psychology at Leiden University’s Institute of Psychology. Her research focuses on the emotional and social development of children and adolescents, particularly those who are autistic or have hearing loss. She studies how moral emotions — such as guilt, shame, and empathy — contribute to social competence and mental health. 

Within the Sector Plan theme Resilience in Youth, Broekhof’s work deepens our understanding of how emotional awareness and moral development shape young people’s ability to navigate social challenges. By examining diverse groups, including deaf and hard-of-hearing children and adolescents with autism, her research sheds light on both universal and specific pathways to resilience. 

Broekhof collaborates with colleagues in clinical and developmental psychology, as well as educators and speech and hearing specialists, to translate scientific insights into practice. Her work contributes to the broader goal of promoting mental well-being and inclusion among children and adolescents facing social or communicative barriers. 

Education and Child Studies, Leiden University 
Theme: Resilience in Youth 

Elizabeth Buimer is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Education and Child Studies at Leiden University. Trained in neurobiology, she investigates how early life experiences shape brain development and influence mental health and resilience during adolescence. Her research focuses on understanding why some young people develop anxiety and depression after childhood adversity, while others show resilient functioning, and how gender differences emerge in these trajectories.

Using advanced neuroimaging and longitudinal data, Buimer examines how brain structure and function interact with social experiences to shape psychosocial outcomes. She co-leads the THRIVE study, which investigates the neurobiological and social mechanisms that foster resilience. She is also principal investigator of the SUP study, a mixed-method project on gender differences in the meaning and mechanisms of social support.

Buimer is a core member of the Resilience Center Leiden and contributes to the Sector Plan theme “Resilience in Youth”, identifying protective factors at both individual and environmental levels. She is also involved in the interdisciplinary Leiden program Social Resilience and Security, which connects fundamental research on resilience with societal applications.

Committed to making science accessible, Buimer engages young people and the public through participatory and creative science communication—for example, co-creating a youth-friendly illustrated summary of her PhD thesis with a youth panel. She also gives lectures for children at museums and integrates perspectives of young people with childhood adversity to improve study designs. In 2025 she was selected as a member of the Young Academy Leiden (2025–2030) where she will focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, academic leadership, and outreach.

Institute of Political Science, Leiden University
Theme: Resilience in Youth

Manuel Cabal López is an Assistant Professor at Leiden University’s Institute of Political Science. His research focuses on comparative politics, education policy, and the historical development of state institutions, with an emphasis on Latin America. He studies how governments have addressed inequality and how state capacity and governance shape access to education and social mobility.

His research follows two main strands. The first explores the politics of primary education reform in Latin America, particularly the role of civil society activists in transforming education systems. The second investigates how regional power structures have influenced national education reforms and, in turn, affected opportunities for youth and local communities. Using historical and comparative methods, his research illuminates the long-term political conditions that foster—or constrain—resilient and inclusive education systems.

Within the Sector Plan theme Resilience in Youth, Cabal contributes a political-science perspective on how institutions and public policies can strengthen youth resilience through education and civic participation. His work highlights how state governance, regional inequalities, and policy design intersect to determine young people’s opportunities to thrive and participate fully in society.

At Leiden University, Cabal teaches courses on comparative politics and research methods. Drawing on his academic research and prior experience as a policy analyst for the Mexican federal government, he encourages students to engage critically with how political institutions can promote equity, education, and resilience.

• Manuel Cabal's website

Institute of Public Administration, Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs  
Theme: Resilience in Youth 

Friso Selten is a researcher and lecturer at Leiden University’s Institute of Public Administration, where he explores the intersection of public governance and emerging digital technologies. His research primarily investigates how public organizations adopt and implement new digital tools and instruments, as well as the broader societal consequences of digital transformation. 

A key focus of his work is understanding how artificial intelligence (AI) can be responsibly integrated into public sector operations. He examines strategies to ensure that technological adoption supports core values such as trust, fairness, transparency, and organizational resilience. He is also interested in the implications of government digitalization for children and adolescents, studying how these groups are affected by the increasing digitization of public services. 

As part of the interdisciplinary SAILS (Society, Artificial Intelligence, and Life Sciences) programme, Selten collaborates with computer scientists from LIACS and legal scholars from eLaw to investigate the ethical, legal, and governance challenges posed by AI in public administration. His research contributes to the Resilience in Youth theme by exploring how digital transformation influences social inclusion, youth rights, and the creation of public value. 

Methodology and Statistics, Institute of Psychology 
Theme: Resilience in Youth 

Jacqueline Zadelaar is an Assistant Professor at the Methodology and Statistics unit of Leiden University’s Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. Her research focuses on understanding how cognitive and emotional processes shape decision-making, and how these processes develop and differ between individuals. By applying mathematical and computational models—particularly Bayesian hierarchical models—she examines the mechanisms that underlie adaptive and maladaptive patterns of behaviour in young people. 

Within the Sector Plan theme Resilience in Youth, Zadelaar contributes methodological expertise that helps researchers better understand how young people respond to stress, social influence, and complex choices. Her work supports interdisciplinary collaborations by offering advanced statistical tools that clarify how individual differences contribute to resilience and vulnerability. 

She works closely with researchers in developmental and clinical psychology, education, and economics to apply these modelling approaches to real-world questions such as decision-making under risk, peer influence, and youth engagement with societal challenges. Zadelaar also coordinates and teaches courses in psychometrics, mediation and moderation analysis, and is developing a winter course to make Bayesian statistics more accessible to social scientists. 

Developmental and Educational Psychology, Institute of Psychology 
Theme: Resilience in Youth 

Kelly Ziemer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology at Leiden University. Her research explores how self-views, emotions, and social context influence mental health, recovery, and resilience—particularly among young people. She examines how self-love and self-care are discussed on social media, in lay communities, and amongst clinicians. She has developed a video series for Masters in Psychology students to increase their self-care and coping skills.

Within the Sector Plan theme Resilience in Youth, Ziemer’s work connects psychological theory with lived experience. Drawing on her background as a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist, she investigates how emotional awareness, self-love, and mindfulness can support recovery and social connection. Her projects span multiple levels of analysis—from individual emotion regulation to structural inequalities in educational settings. 

Ziemer also contributes to the international Schools2030 initiative in Kyrgyzstan, supported by the Jacobs Foundation, which examines how teachers can reduce classroom inequalities. Her research and teaching integrate clinical and developmental perspectives, focusing on how young people develop the emotional, somatic, and cognitive resources needed to thrive. 

In addition to her academic role, Ziemer regularly lectures and trains professionals on self-care, mindfulness, and emotion awareness. Through her interdisciplinary and practice-oriented approach, she helps bridge the gap between psychological science, social justice, and applied well-being.