Marieke Van Vugt
University of Groningen
Marieke van Vugt is an assistant professor in the Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Groningen. Her research aims to understand how, when, and why we mind-wander. She is also fascinated by how this mind-wandering process is adaptive – as in the case of creativity – and when it becomes maladaptive, as is the case for depressive rumination. She uses a multimodal approach that combines computational modeling, scalp and intracranial EEG, behavioral studies, and eye-tracking. In addition, she is interested in how meditation practice affects our cognitive system, and she investigates meditation in both Western practitioners and Tibetan monks.