My main interest is to study the relationship between the so called human gut microbiota and (mental) health. Human microbiota refer to microorganisms that live in and on our bodies. There are, e.g., bacteria, fungi, and viruses in your gut, mouth or on your skin. These organisms can have an influence on your health and vice versa.
I contribute to this research by analysing data that we collect in the many studies of the Developmental Psychobiology Lab and beyond. My goal is to develop expertise in the field of statistics and causal inference. That means that I want to become better at answering questions such as: “Are changes in the human gut microbiota cause or consequence of health complaints of an individual?”.