From May 12 to May 14, 2025, more than 110 researchers will gather at Hotel Zuiderduin in Egbmond aan Zee for the 16th European Meeting on Human Fear Conditioning (EMHFC 2025). This conference is bringing together leading scientists, early-career researchers, and science-practitioners from across Europe and beyond to discuss recent developments in the field of experimental research on anxiety and its underlying mechanisms and the implications for clinical practice.
The conference is organized under the lead of Prof. Dr. Matthias Wieser from Erasmus University Rotterdam, together with his colleagues Dr. Anita Harrewijn, Dr. Alex Wong, and Asimina Aslanidou. Co-organizers from Tilburg University, Utrecht University, and Maastricht University further underline the collaborative spirit driving this meeting. This broad co-organization by four Dutch universities also reflects the highly international character of Dutch psychology programs, which fosters strong ties both within the Netherlands and across Europe, and which is threatened by recent decisions of the universities in the Netherlands to abolish international BA programs of psychology.
A special highlight of the meeting is the keynote address by Prof. Dr. Alfons Hamm, emeritus professor at the University of Greifswald and a pioneer of psychophysiological fear conditioning research in Europe. Prof. Hamm’s work has been crucial in connecting fundamental discoveries with clinical practice, providing new insights into the treatment of anxiety disorders. His keynote, "Fear Conditioning: Learning Adaptive Behavior to Environments Predicting Threat," will set the tone for dynamic discussions throughout the event.
The EMHFC 2025 program emphasizes the importance of fundamental research in guiding clinical advancements, featuring symposia, poster sessions, and panel discussions that tackle current debates and challenges in the field. At a time when populists views of science threaten particularly curiosity-driven fundamental science, EMHFC reaffirms the enduring value of causal theory development and experimental science for the advancement of clinical practice.
For more information, visit https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/events/european-meeting-human-fear-conditioning-emhfc
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Marjolein Kooistra, communicatie ESSB, kooistra@essb.eur.nl | 0683676038
