Dr. Eliana Vassena

Associate Professor

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Biography

Eliana Vassena is an Associate Professor at Radboud University in the Netherlands, where she is affiliated with the Behavioural Science Institute and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour. Her research focuses on the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders, particularly motivation and effortful behavior. Vassena employs various methodologies, including functional MRI, computational modeling, and neurostimulation, to investigate how brain circuits influence motivated behavior and how alterations in these circuits can lead to pathologies such as depression and anxiety. She is a Marie Curie Fellow and has received several awards, including the Bertelson Award for significant contributions as an early career scientist and an ERC Starting Grant for her project on effortful persistence. Vassena is also active in promoting academic culture and interdisciplinary collaborations within the Radboud Young Academy and has served as an associate editor for various academic publications. Her work aims to develop novel interventions for understanding motivational impairments in psychopathology.

Research Interests

Experience

Associate Professor

2015-01-01 — Present

Radboud University • Nijmegen

Conducting research on the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders.

Guest Investigator

2015-01-01 — Present

Donders Institute • Nijmegen

Investigating the role of neuroscience in understanding motivational behaviors.

Awards

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Marie Curie Fellowship

2016-01-01
#

Bertelson Award

2023-01-01
#

ERC Starting Grant

2024-01-01

Requirements for Radboud University

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
IELTS
Listening
Required:6.5
Reading
Required:6.5
Writing
Required:6.5
Speaking
Required:6.5
Overall
Required:7
TOEFL
Listening
Required:5
Reading
Required:4.5
Writing
Required:4.5
Speaking
Required:4.5
Total
Required:100
PTE
Listening
Required:61
Reading
Required:61
Writing
Required:61
Speaking
Required:61
Overall
Required:67
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in relevant field (Linguistics, Communication, or related) Bachelor's thesis grade of at least 8.0/10 (US 3.5+ equivalent)
Application Checklist
  • Passport or ID
  • Official Bachelor's degree certificate (or proof of graduation)
  • Academic transcript of records
  • Description of grading scale
  • Personal statement/Motivation letter
  • CV/Resume
  • Course list/Course descriptions
  • Research proposal or Bachelor thesis
Specialization Notes

Applies to Research Master's in Linguistics and Communication Sciences (Centre for Language Studies/Department of Language and Communication).