Projects
The emancipatory elasticity of islam: the relation between divine authority, cultural authenticity, and human emancipation in the political discourse of Egyptian muslim intellectuals Ghent University
My doctoral dissertation encompasses an inquiry into the current politicization of Islam, through the study of the role of authority, authenticity, and emancipation in the contemporary discourse of Muslim intellectuals in Egypt. I disclose theh political-semiotic process, a phenomenon which turns traditional, religious signs into vehicles for modern meanings, such as human rights, secularisation, democracy, and emancipation.
Human rights and EU development policy. The reasons for sanctioning ACP countries Ghent University
This research project envisages to identify the most important reasons for the suspension of EU development aid in ACP countries in cases of violations of political conditions defined by the EU. On the basis of quantitative and qualitative indicators from 10 case studies, it will investigate whether economic interests, political-historic interests or the nature of the violation are most determinant.
Functional imaging (MRI) of starlings brains to unravel the neural basis of vocal communication in songbirds as a model for human communication. University of Antwerp
Analysing fish behavior with machine learning for automatic welfare assessment KU Leuven
M3-BIORES is currently doing exciting research on computational ethology, focusing on the real-time monitoring of animal behaviours using sensors and state-of-the-art real-time algorithms. We want to understand better the animals mental state, health and welfare, and translate this knowledge in innovative ICT technologies to support farmers, zoo keepers and sports professionals. We develop novel sensor-based methods that reveal insight into ...
The efficacy of interventions that target automatic inferences Ghent University
Understanding harmful or maladaptive behaviour such as addictive, prejudiced, or environmental unfriendly behaviour is a key challenge for psychological science. A highly influential idea is that harmful behaviour is the outcome of implicit, associative processes rather than explicit, belief-based processes that drive more controlled or thoughtful behaviour. For instance, much prejudice, addiction, and behaviour modification research has ...
Unraveling the black box of how leaders affect employee wellbeing Ghent University
This project examines how positive leader behavior influences employee wellbeing and employee engagement specifically. The relationship between leadership styles and engagement is examined, the mediating and moderating processes are mapped out and a new questionnaire regarding leader attentive communication is developed. Based on this information, a leadership training course is constructed and tested longitudinally.
The integrative neuroscience of behavioral control (Neuroscience) Ghent University
The Institute for Neurosciences studies behavioural control in the field of cognition and emotion, from a perspective of health and pathology and in terms of behaviour-based, neuro-atomic and neurochemical aspects.
Can non-invasive brain stimulation combined with oxytocin-based pharmacotherapy enhance brain function in autism? Investigating the neural and behavioral effects of two promising intervention approaches KU Leuven
The last decade, neuroscience research provided increasing insights in how different brain regions work together to constitute the neural networks that underlie human social behavior. Targeting these networks to improve or restore social function would be of high relevance for neuropsychiatric conditions that have specific implications in social and communicative domains, such as autism spectrum disorders. At present, neuro-modulating ...