Dr. Tessa Beinema

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Tessa Beinema works as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Communication Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, focusing on the ROBOT-BOND project, which investigates human-robot bonding in the context of adolescents with mood disorders, such as depression, within mental healthcare settings. She is particularly interested in the applications of conversational agents and robots in facilitating support processes in coaching, counselling, and decision-making, adopting a multidisciplinary approach in healthcare. Tessa has a background in Artificial Intelligence, having completed both her bachelor's and master's degrees at Radboud University, specializing in Web Language Interaction. Following her graduation, she held the position of junior researcher at Roessingh Research Development and was an external PhD candidate at the University of Twente. Her PhD research centered on knowledge behavior change in coaching, incorporating artificial intelligence to select appropriate conversational topics for coaching conversations with users of embodied conversational agents. She has contributed to open-source projects including the WOOL Dialogue Platform. After her PhD, she engaged with the Personalized eHealth Technology program at the University of Twente. Her extensive experience includes working with virtual coaching in digital therapeutics across various European projects.

Research Interests

Experience

Postdoctoral Researcher

2025-01-01 — Present

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam • Amsterdam, Netherlands

Postdoctoral Researcher

2022-03-01 — 2024-09-30

University of Twente • Enschede, Netherlands

Researcher Virtual Coaching & AI

2022-03-01 — 2023-09-30

Innovation Sprint • Netherlands

Researcher

2020-09-01 — 2022-03-01

University of Twente, Biomedical Signals Systems group • Enschede, Netherlands

PhD Candidate

2017-09-01 — 2021-12-31

University of Twente, Biomedical Signals Systems group • Enschede, Netherlands

Junior Researcher

2017-09-01 — 2020-09-30

Roessingh Research Development, eHealth group • Enschede, Netherlands

Requirements for Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

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:6.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:22
Reading
Required:24
Writing
Required:24
Speaking
Required:25
Total
Required:100
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in Psychology or related field 12 ECTS in Research Methods/Statistics 12 ECTS in Clinical Diagnosis/Assessment
Application Checklist
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Official Transcripts
  • Motivation Letter
  • Proof of English Proficiency
Specialization Notes

Administered under the Department of Clinical Psychology for Master's in Clinical and Developmental Psychopathology.