Hannah Dorsman is a PhD candidate in the Forensic Family and Youth Care program group. Her research focuses on the impact of childhood trauma on the development of resilience in children and adolescents. She examines how social, cognitive, and neurobiological processes jointly contribute to individual differences in vulnerability and recovery.

More information about Hannah Dorsman

Short CV

Hannah Dorsman obtained her bachelor’s degree in Psychobiology at the University of Amsterdam in 2020. She subsequently completed a research master’s degree in Cognitive Neuroscience at Radboud University and a master’s degree in Health Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 2022. In the same year, she joined the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Amsterdam UMC as a research assistant, contributing to the DREAMS project. In 2024, she started her current position as a PhD candidate.

Research

Hannah Dorsman is a cognitive neuroscientist investigating resilience in adolescents and young adults who have experienced significant adversity. Her doctoral research examines how different types of childhood trauma shape social information processing, emotional reactivity, and stress responses, and how friendships and broader social contexts may buffer or amplify these effects. Her work is part of the THRIVE project and aims to advance our understanding of the social and neurocognitive mechanisms underlying vulnerability and recovery, ultimately contributing to healthier and safer developmental outcomes for young people.