Alexandre Heeren, PhD

Principal Investigator

Hometown: Thorembais-Saint-Trond, Belgium

Alexandre Heeren, Ph.D., is a Research Professor and FNRS Research Associate (tenured research fellowship from the F.R.S.-FNRS Belgian National Science Foundation) at the Psychological Science Research Institute of UCLouvain, Belgium. He earned his Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences in 2012 at UCLouvain (with Prof. P. Philippot). He is also trained as a CBT therapist through a three-year postgraduate certification training. Before founding his lab, he also received postdoctoral training at Ghent University (with Prof. R. De Raedt), and at Harvard University (with Prof. R.J. McNally).

Dr. Heeren's research focuses on the cognitive and affective processes involved in anxiety and related psychopathology. He has (co)authored over 100 publications in international peer-review journals, including several first-author papers in top-tier journals in the field (e.g., Clinical Psychology Review; Behaviour Research and Therapy; Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience). His track record also includes books, book chapters, and articles specifically dedicated to CBT practitioners.

Dr. Heeren has been the recipient of several research grants, fellowships, and awards. In recognition of his early career contributions to the study of stress and anxiety, he received the 2020 STAR Early Career Award from the Stress, Trauma, Anxiety, and Resilience Society (STAR). He is currently associate editor of Journal of Anxiety Disorders.

Alexandre Heeren, Ph.D.

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Ph.D Students (by alphabetical order)

Marie-Annelise Blanchard

Hometowns: New Orleans, LA, USA & Soignies, Belgium

Annelise is a Ph.D. student in Psychological Sciences (2020-2024). After a BS in Psychology & Gender Studies at Tulane University (New Orleans, LA, USA), she graduated from KU Leuven in 2019 with an MA in Research Psychology. She is interested in investigating how early social and environmental factors influence child development, as well as the etiological mechanisms of psychopathology that involve childhood stressors. Her current research involves applying network analysis and intensive time-series methods to disentangle the temporal dynamics of parental burnout, occurring when parents chronically lack the resources needed to cope with their specific parenting-related stressors. She received the 2020 Student Development Award from the Stress, Trauma, Anxiety, and Resilience Society (STAR) for her first publication on parental burnout. Her work is supported by a Research Fellowship from the F.R.S-FNRS Belgian National Science Foundation. She can be reached at marie.blanchard@uclouvain.be.

Charlotte Coussement

Hometown: Grez-Doiceau, Belgium

Charlotte is a Ph.D. student in Psychological Sciences (2017-2021). She graduated from UCLouvain in 2014 with an MA in Clinical Neuropsychology. She is particularly interested in the intersection of neuropsychology and clinical psychology, and her research focuses on the role of executive processes in the co-occurrence of major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. She is also interested in the use of brain stimulation techniques (i.e., tDCS) and neuropsychological training in anxiety and related-psychopathology. In addition to research, Charlotte is working as a CBT therapist among patients with anxiety and mood disorders. She received the 2018 Best Poster Award at the GREPACO.

Her work is supported by a Doctoral Fellowship from the "Beau-Vallon Psychiatric Hospital" (Namur, Belgium). She can be reached at charlotte.coussement@uclouvain.be

Yorgo Hoebeke

Hometown: Bonheiden, Belgium

Yorgo is a Ph.D. student in Psychological Sciences (2018-2022). He graduated from UCLouvain in 2018 with an MA in Clinical Psychology. His research focuses on the application of network analysis to capture the complex dynamic interplay between transdiagnostic processes that are assumed to be involved in the maintenance of anxiety and related psychopathology, and especially top-down attention control and rumination. He is also interested in the use of transcranial Direct Current stimulation as a tool to target the neurocognitive processes assumedly involved in anxiety and related psychopathology. His work is supported by a Doctoral Fellowship from UCLouvain. He can be reached at yorgo.hoebeke@uclouvain.be

Camille Mouguiama-Daouda

Hometown: Libreville, Gabon

Camille is a Ph.D. student in Psychological Sciences (2020-2024). He graduated from the University of Poitiers, France, in 2019 with an MSc in both Clinical and Research Psychology. His main research agenda focuses on understanding the psychological mechanisms of climate change anxiety. He is particularly interested in studying the potential roles of intolerance of uncertainty, attentional bias, and top-down attention control in the onset and maintenance of climate change anxiety. Camille is also interested in psychological research methods, and especially in measurement tools adaptation and development. His work is supported by a Doctoral Fellowship from the Gabonese National Research Agency. He can be reached at camille.mouguiama@uclouvain.be

Research Assistants and Interns

Rana Begum Kalkan

Hometown: Istanbul, Turkey

Rana is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey. She is broadly interested in the role of emotion regulation strategies in psychopathology and the etiology of mental disorders. Before joining the lab, she was a research assistant at the Center for Anxiety Related Disorders at Boston University, USA and at Stanford Psychophysiology Lab, Standford University, USA. During her internship, she focuses on the features of parental burnout using a network approach. She can be reached at ranabegumkalkan@gmail.com.

Emmanuelle Schoonjans

Hometown: Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

Emmanuelle is a master student in both Biomedical Sciences (Research Focus – Neurosciences) and Philosophy, from UCLouvain. She is interested in neuromodulation, affective science, attention control, and interdisciplinary questions at the interplay between neurosciences, psychology, and philosophy. In the lab, she focuses on a meta-scientific approach to the impact of neuromodulation on attention networks. She can be reached at emmanuelle.schoonjans@student.uclouvain.be.