Dynamics of Youth appoints ten interdisciplinary domain chairs

Dynamics of Youth is appointing ten interdisciplinary domain chairs, enthusiastic and renowned child and youth scientists from the UU and UMCU who will manage four thematic research domains. Together with a wide range of researchers, these domain chairs will give substance to these domains of Dynamics of Youth. On 23 June, the ‘Dynamics of Youth Launch Event‘ will form the kick-off. This event for Utrecht child and youth researchers prioritises encounters and the exchange of ideas.

Domain chairs from different faculties

'It’s fantastic that the domain chairs come from various different faculties of Utrecht University and UMCU. We were also pleasantly surprised by the high level of interest shown in this university position. This offers great opportunities for interdisciplinary academic collaboration and the broadening of expertise that we wish to boost with Dynamics of Youth', emphasises academic director Catrin Finkenauer. In the coming years, this cooperation will take shape within the four research domains of Early Childhood, Thriving & Healthy Youth, Becoming adults in a changing world and Youth Education & Life Skills.

Domain chairs for Early Childhood

The domain chairs for the ‘Early Childhood’ research domain are Jeroen Dudink, neonatologist and associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Pauline Slot, assistant professor at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences and Aoju Chen, professor at the Faculty of Humanities. In the Early Childhood domain, the focus lies on early development from conception to about the fourth year of life.

Domain chairs for Thriving & Healthy Youth

For ‘Thriving & Healthy Youth’, the following domain chairs have been appointed: associate professor Heidi Lesscher at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Sanne Nijhof, associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine and paediatrician at the UMCU. Odilia Laceulle, associate professor at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, has been appointed as the third chair. The Thriving & Healthy Youth domain focuses on boosting health and resilience in children and young people.

Domain chairs for Becoming adults in a changing world

Jaap Denissen, professor of developmental psychology at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences and Marije van Braak, assistant professor at the Language and Communication department of the Faculty of Humanities, have been appointed as domain chairs for the research domain ‘Becoming adults in a changing world’. In this domain, the focus lies on navigating from adolescence to young adulthood.

Domain chairs for Youth Education & Life Skills

The ‘Youth Education & Life Skills’ research domain will be managed by the domain chairs Veronique Schutjens, associate professor at the Faculty of Geosciences, and Janneke van de Pol, associate professor at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. The Youth Education & Life Skills domain focuses on the broader role of education and learning, whereby children and young people acquire not just knowledge but also the skills required to find their feet in the adult world.

From selection to appointment

The domain chairs were selected by the DoY programme committee, discussed with the coordinating dean and coordinated with all the other deans. The number of applications varied widely between the domains. For the programme committee, these figures were indicative of the UU-wide interest in a particular domain. ‘Early Childhood’ and ‘Thriving & Healthy Youth’ were popular. The programme committee therefore felt that we would not only need the best domain chairs for these domains, but that we should also look at a broad representation of domain chairs across the faculties. A decision was therefore made to appoint three domain chairs for these two domains instead of two. This makes it possible to represent both the exact sciences/life sciences and the humanities/social sciences. The chairs will be appointed with effect from June 2022 for a period of four years. All the domain chairs will present themselves in detail later on by means of personal interviews.

Dynamics of Youth Launch Event on 23 June

On the afternoon of Thursday, 23 June, Dynamics of Youth will host the ‘Dynamics of Youth Launch Event’ at Paushuize in Utrecht from 12.30 to 17.00. We would like to invite Utrecht-based child and youth researchers to join the domain chairs in making an inspiring start to four new research domains at Dynamics of Youth.

During the event, we will opt for an open, creative approach so that all the participants are given ample scope to talk to each other and share their thoughts and ideas. Commitment, connection and the creation of team spirit are paramount during this event. In this way, we wish to get the substantive focus of these four research domains off to a flying start. This will build on the impactful research projects of hubs and cohort studies that have already been realised within Dynamics of Youth in recent years.