Iris Engelhard
Iris Engelhard was Full Professor of Clinical Psychology at Utrecht University from 2008 until June 2026. Since June 2026, she has been Full Professor of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology at Maastricht University. She will remain affiliated with Utrecht University until mid-2031 to supervise PhD candidates.
Engelhard leads an innovative research program that addresses both academic and clinical questions relating to post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorders. Her work bridges fundamental research and clinical practice and has contributed to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying anxiety and trauma, as well as to the improvement of psychological treatments.
From 2015 to 2026, Engelhard directed the Experimental Psychopathology Lab Utrecht. Together with Marcel van den Hout, she developed the lab into an internationally recognized research group in the field of experimental psychopathology. She supervised a large number of early-career researchers, many of whom now hold positions in academia and clinical practice.
She is a registered cognitive behavioural therapist (VGCt®) and a licensed healthcare psychologist (GZ-psycholoog). Between 2008 and 2025, she was also affiliated with Altrecht, including the Altrecht Academic Anxiety Centre. She taught in the Clinical Psychology programme and the Research Master's programme in Social and Health Psychology. In addition, she served for 6 years as Scientific Integrity Confidential Counsellor at Utrecht University and was a member of the Open Science Community Utrecht.
Engelhard obtained her PhD from Maastricht University in 2002 and was a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard University. She is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and a member of the Research School Experimental Psychopathology. She serves on the Board of Directors of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. She has received numerous honors and prestigious research grants, including the VENI, VIDI and VICI grants from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and a TOP grant from ZonMw.