My current research projects relate to the theme of “adaptability in work organizations”. More specific I look into individual differences of the following behaviors by using survey studies: intrapreneurship (the entrepreneurial actions of people within an organization), self leadership (the way people set their goals and regulate actions to achieve them), and the role of preferences like purpose (goal-oriented orientations in work on career growth, personal growth and contributing to the growth of others) and experiences like meaningfulness (the importance of one's own tasks, in relation to the organization and society). By doing so I aim to contribute to the wellbeing of employees in and the performance of organizations.

My research focuses on the various ways in which disadvantaged groups in society can maintain a positive social identity. I am specifically interested in which social identity managements strategies lead to inaction versus action to improve one’s disadvantaged position. I examine these processes the context of precarious work, job insecurity, and career outcomes, but also among first generation students and political activists.

My research focuses on the career development of young workers. What personal and contextual factors promote and hinder a successful transition from studies to work? In particular, my research focuses on the role of personal demands and the experience of Fear of Missing Out and Joy of Missing Out, in the context of work. In addition, my research focuses on how individuals can create a better work environment for themselves and coworkers. More specifically, my research explores the extent to which job crafting and organizational crafting may enhance employee well-being, motivation and performance.

As a researcher, lecturer, and trainer at Utrecht University, my mission is to explore the principles of leadership, educate students about leadership, and train others in key leadership competencies. My focus lies especially on the essential conditions for effective leadership: emotional intelligence, the creation and reinforcement of a shared social identity, and the use of inspiring communication.

My research explores why people often fail to act on their good intentions, with a central focus on how emotions and emotion regulation disrupt attempts at self-regulation. While much of my work has centered on health-related behaviors, I also investigate challenges in sustainability, education, and work. I am particularly interested in how emotion regulation contributes to self-regulation, behavior change, and burnout. By combining experimental and real-life methods, I aim to uncover mechanisms that help people align their actions with long-term goals.

In my work, I am a resilience expert, educational innovator, and bridgebuilder. It is my mission to empower people and make them more ResilienceWise in particular. To this purpose, I develop highly valued, university-wide, blended educational programmes, e.g. on career crafting, psychological resilience, and intervision. In addition, I translate science into practice by providing lectures, training, and consultancy services to external clients, and by writing professional publications, mainly about resilience, but also about intervision, and my educational vision and -approach.

My research focuses on understanding how employees can sustainably navigate the demands of modern work. I examine both external drivers of change (such as emerging technological innovations) and internal, personal factors (such as hormonal health transitions related to menstruation, motherhood, and menopause) that shape employees' motivation, well-being, and performance. With this knowledge, I aim to contribute to more human-centered work design and organizational practices that recognize the complexity of individual experiences in a rapidly evolving work environment.

I am a full professor in work and organizational psychology and chair of WORKlab. Contact me if you are interested in topics like occupational health psychology, burnout, work addiction, stress, work engagement, authenticity at work, and work performance.

It is highly important that persons with a chronic health condition or work disability participate in paid labour. To promote this, I examine factors that contribute to labour participation, wellbeing and productivity of persons with a disability is needed. This includes factors at the level of the employer (e.g., organisational culture, discrimination, inclusive leadership, HR policies), factors at the individual level (e.g., nature of the disability, skills and knowledge, motivation), and factors of the work (e.g., nature of the job, job demands, job resources). A main focus of the research is the extent to which persons with a disability are enabled to adjust these work factors to fit their abilities and needs, and how this affects their wellbeing, motivation and productivity.

My research explores how hormonal health—particularly the menstrual cycle—affects work performance and employee well-being. I investigate how symptoms like pain and fatigue influence mechanisms such as self-regulation, attention, pain perception, and presenteeism, and how hormonal fluctuations across different cycle phases (e.g., follicular vs. luteal) shape workplace behavior and outcomes. In my work I also examine how organizational culture and modern technologies—including digital self-tracking and organization culture—can buffer or amplify these effects. Using mixed methods such as daily diaries, experience sampling, vignette studies, and focus groups, my aim is to uncover the nuanced interplay between biology, behavior, and the work environment to inform more inclusive workplace policies. (Break the taboo 😉)