"By performing longitudinal research in a group of adolescents with internalizing disorders, we hope to acquire more in-depth information about the onset and possible neurobiological markers of internalizing disorders"

Short CV

Bianca van den Bulk is a researcher at the Developmental and Educational Psychology unit of the Institute of Psychology at Leiden University. Research project: Leiden Consortium on Individual development: Why some children thrive, and others don’t. (2014-present).

She received her master's degree from Leiden University, where she followed the two-year research master in Psychology, specialisation Developmental Psychology. For her master thesis she investigated feedback-based learning in children, adolescents and adults.

As a PhD candidate, Bianca was involved in the EPISCA project. EPISCA stands for Emotional Pathways Imaging Study in Clinical Adolescents, a longitudinal MRI study that includes three groups of adolescents: healthy control group adolescents, adolescents with internalizing disorders (anxiety/depression), and adolescents who experienced multiple sexual abuses. Within the project, Bianca investigated how adolescents process emotional faces, how this relates to treatment or changes in symptomatology in the group of adolescents with internalizing disorders, and how the brain of the control group adolescents and the adolescents with internalizing disorders function during rest. Bianca’s PhD project was supervised by Prof. Dr. Eveline Crone en Prof. Dr. Robert Vermeiren.

Academic career

• Postdoctoral researcher, Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University. Research project: Leiden Consortium on Individual development: Why some children thrive, and others don’t. (2014-present).
• PhD candidate, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Curium-LUMC, Leiden University, the Netherlands and Brain and Development Laboratory, Department of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Social Science, Leiden University, the Netherlands. Research project: longitudinal fMRI study investigating emotional face processing in depressed and anxious adolescents and healthy controls. Supervisors: prof. E.A. Crone and prof. R.R.J.M. Vermeiren. (2011-2014).
• fMRI task design and data analysis consultant, Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Social Science, Leiden University, the Netherlands. Research projects: Family project and Borderline Personality Disorder project. Supervisor: prof. B.M. Elzinga. (2013-2014)
• Research assistant, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Curium-LUMC, Leiden University, the Netherlands. Research project: Emotional Pathways’ Imaging Study in Clinical Adolescents (EPISCA). Supervisor: prof. R.R.J.M. Vermeiren. (2009-2011).
• Student assistant, Brain and Development Laboratory, Department of Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Social Science, Leiden University, the Netherlands. (summer 2008)
• Research Master, Developmental Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands. (2009).
• Bachelor of Science, Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands. (2007).

Teaching activities

• Course coordinator and lecturer Pre-University College, Leiden University. (2014)
• Supervision of several bachelor, master and research master students during their thesis or research internship, Leiden University. (2011-present)
• Lecturer within various child and adolescents psychiatry courses at Leiden University Medical School, Leiden University. (2011-2014)

• Course Coordinator, “Forensic child and adolescent psychiatry”, Leiden University Medical School, Leiden University. (2011)

Invited lectures and conference posters

• van den Bulk, B.G., van Lang, N.D.J. (June 2012). Hersenonderzoek bij jongeren: Werken de hersenen bij jongeren met emotionele stoornissen andere dan bij leeftijdgenoten? Workshop presentation at Pleegzorg symposium: Ede-Wageningen, The Netherlands.
• van den Bulk, B.G., Koolschijn, P.C.M.P, Meens, P.H.F., Lang, N.D.J., van der Wee, N.J.A., Rombouts, S.A.R.B., Vermeiren, R.R.J.M. & Crone, E.A (May 2012). Emotion regulation in adolescents with internalizing disorders. Symposium talk in, “The neurodevelopmental trajectory of psychiatric traits”. Dutch Endo-Neuro-Psycho meeting: Lunteren, the Netherlands.
• van den Bulk, B.G., Cousijn, J., van Lang, N.D.J., van der Wee, N.J.A., Rombouts, S.A.R.B., Crone, E.A., Vermeiren, R.R.J.M. (November 2013). Emotional face-processing in depressed and anxious adolescents: A longitudinal fMRI study investigating time and treatment related changes in brain activation. 43rd meeting of the Society For Neuroscience: San Diego, CA, USA.
• van den Bulk, B.G., Cousijn, J., van Lang, N.D.J., van der Wee, N.J.A., Rombouts, S.A.R.B., Crone, E.A., Vermeiren, R.R.J.M. (November 2013). Emotional face-processing in depressed and anxious adolescents: A longitudinal fMRI study investigating time and treatment related changes in brain activation. Pre-meeting of the Society For Social Neuroscience (satellite event): San Diego, CA, USA.
• van den Bulk, B.G., Meens, P.H.F., Lang, N.D.J., de Voogd, E.L., van der Wee, N.J.A., Rombouts, S.A.R.B., Crone, E.A., & Vermeiren, R.R.J.M. (June 2013). Emotional face processing in adolescents with clinical anxiety and depression. Can anxiety and/or depressive symptoms predict amygdala activation? University of Maryland summer institute on developmental cognitive neuroscience: College Park, MD, USA.
• van den Bulk, B.G., Meens, P.H.F., Lang, N.D.J., de Voogd, E.L., van der Wee, N.J.A., Rombouts, S.A.R.B., Crone, E.A., & Vermeiren, R.R.J.M. (April 2013). Emotional face processing in adolescents with clinical anxiety and depression. Can anxiety and/or depressive symptoms predict amygdala activation? Symposium ‘In control’: Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
• van den Bulk, B.G., Koolschijn, P.C.M.P, Meens, P.H.F., Lang, N.D.J., van der Wee, N.J.A., Rombouts, S.A.R.B., Vermeiren, R.R.J.M. & Crone, E.A (October 2012). Adolescence and emotional face processing: How consistent are activation patterns in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex over time? 42nd meeting of the Society For Neuroscience: New Orleans, LA, USA.

See Dutch profile Bianca van den Bulk

Publications