Semiha Denktaș
Semiha Denktaș is professor in Psychology. She studies human behaviour determinants and designs and evaluates interventions to change behaviour. Her vision is that scientific knowledge on human experiences and behaviours can contribute to achieving and maintaining positive and healthy behaviour of individuals and groups from birth to old age. With her interdisciplinairy approach and special focus on underrepresented groups, she aims to have a positive and lasting impact on education, science and society. In mutually beneficial partnerships with students, colleagues, societal stakeholders and citizens, she aims to practice meaningful and innovative research, which she translates into her teaching materials and lectures.
Rutger Engels
Rutger Engels is professor in Developmental Psychopathology at Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences. His fundamental and applied research focuses on mental health and substance use in children, adolescents and adults. In the last 10+ years, he has coordinated programmes to develop, test, and implement (technology-enabled) interventions for mental health and addictions. He has co-designed a series of applied games, e-learning and digital solutions focusing on prevention and care for anxiety, depression, suicide prevention, and addictions. He is passionate about taking science to the frontline where it matters most and developing state-of-the-art prevention and treatment programmes that will have a far-reaching, international impact on policy and practice.
Marilisa Boffo
Marilisa Boffo is associate professor in Clinical Psychology and Digital Behavioural Health at Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, where she drives innovation at the intersection of behavioral science, design, and technology. Trained as a clinical psychologist and expert research methodologist, she designs and rigorously evaluates scalable digital solutions - from mobile apps and wearable sensors to immersive virtual environments - to support well-being, and prevent and treat addictions, anxiety, and other behavioural health challenges. Her work is built on strategic partnerships with industry and clinical teams to implement interventions ethically and ensure they reach the people who need them. As coordinator of the master’s track in “Health Psychology”, Marilisa has developed a forward-thinking curriculum and mentors students to translate evidence-based theory into real-world impact. She coordinates and teaches the courses Design of Digital Interventions and Professional and Scientific Skills.
Paul Kocken
Paul Kocken is associate professor in Behaviour Change at Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences. He is a public health expert specialising in health promotion, epidemiology, health policy and management. He has a longstanding professional career as researcher and intervention developer in health and youth care practice. Paul is passionate about sharing his knowledge and skills to bring about breakthroughs in improved citizens’ health and well-being. He brings together education, practice, policy making, and research to accelerate behaviour change and reduce health disparities. Paul coordinates and teaches the courses Health Psychology & Behaviour Change and Community Health Psychology.
Inge Merkelbach
Inge Merkelbach is assistant professor in behaviour change at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences. She works as a behavioural scientist on research projects with societal impact, mainly within the city of Rotterdam. Topics she is interested in include health, poverty, and sustainability. Additionally, she likes working with different stakeholders, like the municipality of Rotterdam and people living in the city. In her research, she often combines different research methods, both qualitative and quantitative. Inge coordinates and teaches the courses in Health Psychology & Behaviour Change and Community Health Psychology.
Marta Marciniak
Marta Marciniak is assistant professor in Digital Health Interventions at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences. Trained as a psychologist and cognitive scientist, she focuses on developing and evaluating digital tools - especially mobile app-based interventions - to prevent and reduce stress-related disorders in vulnerable populations. Her research integrates cognitive-behavioural approaches and emotion regulation techniques, with a strong emphasis on real-world application. Marta is particularly interested in advancing methods that can increase the effectiveness of digital mental health interventions, including the use of ecological momentary tools, methodological advances and co-creation approaches. With a commitment to innovation, she aims to bridge science and practice by creating interventions that are both evidence-based and accessible to those who need them most.
Marta coordinates and teaches the course in Design of Digital Interventions.
Tajda Laure
Tajda Laure is a behavioural scientist and postdoc researcher at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences. Her research focuses on developing and evaluating digital interventions to support students' well-being and academic performance. She is interested in the digitalisation of mental health interventions, emotional and behavioural regulation, biological stress factors, and ethics in eHealth. Tajda coordinates and teaches in the courses in Design of Digital Interventions, Professional and Scientific Skills, and the elective course in Qualitative Research in Psychology.