Overview
Background
I obtained my first degree in Psychology (Experimental & Theoretical) from Ghent University in Belgium and completed a Ph.D. in Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of Groningen. Following a postdoc at NeuRa in Sydney and a few years lecturing on psychology at the Australian Catholic University, I chose to shift my research focus to environmental issues, and how they affect individual and collective human health and wellbeing. I gained experience with grassroots commmunity conservation projects as a volunteer and completed the interdisciplinary MSc in Conservation Science at Imperial College London in 2016. I was a researcher at Imperial's Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College from 2017-2021. My research is now broadly focused on the human dimensions of environmental change, with a particular interest in how people (emotionally) connect with nature, determinants of pro-environmental behaviour, the health and wellbeing benefits of nature exposure and the mental health impacts of climate change.
Availability
- Dr Ans Vercammen is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Psychology, Ghent University
- Masters (Research) of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University
- Doctor of Philosophy of Behavioural Science, University of Groningen
- Masters (Research) of Conservation Science, Imperial College London
- Collaboration / Affiliation, Climate Cares, Climate Cares
- Journal Editorial Board Member, Conservation Biology, Conservation Biology
- Honorary Fellow, Imperial College London, Imperial College London
- Member, Society for Conservation Biology, Society for Conservation Biology
- Journal Editorial Board Member, Sustainability, Sustainability
Research interests
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Nature connectedness
I am interested in people's connectedness with nature, how this is expressed, and how it links to pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours.
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Mental health impacts of environmental change / climate change
Environmental change has many direct and indirect impacts on human lives. Apart from presenting a physical danger, environmental change may impact our mental health, experiences that are variably labeled as eco-anxiety, solastalgia, and ecological grief (among others). I am interested in understanding who is most affected by this, the conditions under which it may be adaptive (or not), how it's linked to agency and action-taking, and to what extent these experiences can be shaped to build greater resilience. I am involved with Climate Cares, a program of research led by the Institute for Global Health Innovation and the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London. We have collected data on young people's feelings about climate change in the UK, and we are working with a range of partners to expand this work globally.
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Health and wellbeing benefits of engaging with nature
I have previously collaborated with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in the UK to assess the human wellbeing benefits of urban wetland environments. Next, I will be working with Zoos Victoria to develop a field experiment to test the physical and mental wellbeing effects of zoo visits and, in particular, immersive animal exhibits. I am also interested in what motivates people to visit urban green and blue spaces and how these spaces could be designed for maximal benefit, while also considering biodiversity values.
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Metascience
I am committed to supporting open science practices, both in my own work and by encouraging others. I also have an interest in improving peer review and critical appraisal of research for policy and practice.
Works
Search Professor Ans Vercammen’s works on UQ eSpace
2025
Journal Article
Predicting the replicability of social and behavioural science claims in COVID-19 preprints
Marcoci, Alexandru, Wilkinson, David P., Vercammen, Ans, Wintle, Bonnie C., Abatayo, Anna Lou, Baskin, Ernest, Berkman, Henk, Buchanan, Erin M., Capitán, Sara, Capitán, Tabaré, Chan, Ginny, Cheng, Kent Jason G., Coupé, Tom, Dryhurst, Sarah, Duan, Jianhua, Edlund, John E., Errington, Timothy M., Fedor, Anna, Fidler, Fiona, Field, James G., Fox, Nicholas, Fraser, Hannah, Freeman, Alexandra L. J., Hanea, Anca, Holzmeister, Felix, Hong, Sanghyun, Huggins, Raquel, Huntington-Klein, Nick, Johannesson, Magnus ... van der Linden, Sander (2025). Predicting the replicability of social and behavioural science claims in COVID-19 preprints. Nature Human Behaviour, 9 (2), 287-304. doi: 10.1038/s41562-024-01961-1
2024
Other Outputs
Oceania research and action agenda
Ali, Suhailah, Vercammen, Ans, Pizzino, Stacey, Tiatia-Siau, Jemaima, Patrick, Rebecca, Sarnyai, Zoltán, Panazzolo, Jessie and Charlson, Fiona (2024). Oceania research and action agenda. London, United Kingdom: Connecting Climate Minds.
2024
Journal Article
Exploratory empirical model of combined effects of COVID-19 and climate change on youth mental health
Seon, Quinta, Greaves, Natalie, Campbell, Michael, Anderson, Simon, Henry, Paula, Augustus, Eden, Cummings, Emanuel, Kendall, Leann, Wheeler, Erica, Vercammen, Ans, Lawrance, Emma, Simeon, Donald, Seemungal, Terence, Gold, Ian and Maharaj, Sandeep B. (2024). Exploratory empirical model of combined effects of COVID-19 and climate change on youth mental health. Nature Mental Health, 2 (2) 88, 218-227. doi: 10.1038/s44220-023-00197-8
2023
Journal Article
Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents
Vercammen, Ans, Oswald, Tassia and Lawrance, Emma (2023). Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents. PLoS Global Public Health, 3 (8) e0001938, 1-24. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0001938
2023
Journal Article
Investigating the Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change in Youth: Design and Implementation of the International Changing Worlds Study
Vercammen, Ans, Yatirajula, Sandhya Kanaka, Daniel, Mercian, Maharaj, Sandeep, Campbell, Michael H., Greaves, Natalie, Guinto, Renzo, Aruta, John Jamir Benzon, Peñamante, Criselle Angeline, Wray, Britt and Lawrance, Emma L. (2023). Investigating the Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change in Youth: Design and Implementation of the International Changing Worlds Study. Challenges, 14 (3), 34. doi: 10.3390/challe14030034
2023
Journal Article
Climate anxiety, coping strategies and planning for the future in environmental degree students in the UK
Daeninck, Cami, Kioupi, Vasiliki and Vercammen, Ans (2023). Climate anxiety, coping strategies and planning for the future in environmental degree students in the UK. Frontiers in Psychology, 14 1126031, 1-13. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1126031
2023
Journal Article
Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents
Vercammen, Ans, Oswald, Tassia and Lawrance, Emma (2023). Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents.
2023
Journal Article
Predicting reliability through structured expert elicitation with the repliCATS (Collaborative Assessments for Trustworthy Science) process
Fraser, Hannah, Bush, Martin, Wintle, Bonnie C., Mody, Fallon, Smith, Eden T., Hanea, Anca M., Gould, Elliot, Hemming, Victoria, Hamilton, Daniel G., Rumpff, Libby, Wilkinson, David P., Pearson, Ross, Singleton Thorn, Felix, Ashton, Raquel, Willcox, Aaron, Gray, Charles T., Head, Andrew, Ross, Melissa, Groenewegen, Rebecca, Marcoci, Alexandru, Vercammen, Ans, Parker, Timothy H., Hoekstra, Rink, Nakagawa, Shinichi, Mandel, David R., van Ravenzwaaij, Don, McBride, Marissa, Sinnott, Richard O., Vesk, Peter ... Fidler, Fiona (2023). Predicting reliability through structured expert elicitation with the repliCATS (Collaborative Assessments for Trustworthy Science) process. PLoS One, 18 (1) e0274429, 1-16. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274429
2022
Journal Article
Reimagining peer review as an expert elicitation process
Marcoci, Alexandru, Vercammen, Ans, Bush, Martin, Hamilton, Daniel G., Hanea, Anca, Hemming, Victoria, Wintle, Bonnie C., Burgman, Mark and Fidler, Fiona (2022). Reimagining peer review as an expert elicitation process. BMC Research Notes, 15 (1) 127, 127. doi: 10.1186/s13104-022-06016-0
2022
Journal Article
A toolkit for open and pluralistic conservation science
Burgman, Mark, Chiaravalloti, Rafael, Fidler, Fiona, Huan, Yizhong, McBride, Marissa, Marcoci, Alexandru, Norman, Juliet, Vercammen, Ans, Wintle, Bonnie and Yu, Yurong (2022). A toolkit for open and pluralistic conservation science. Conservation Letters, 16 (1) e12919. doi: 10.1111/conl.12919
2022
Journal Article
Current understanding of the impact of climate change on mental health within UK parliament
Pirkle, Lucy T., Jennings, Neil, Vercammen, Ans and Lawrance, Emma L. (2022). Current understanding of the impact of climate change on mental health within UK parliament. Frontiers in Public Health, 10 913857, 1-13. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.913857
2022
Journal Article
Psychological responses, mental health, and sense of agency for the dual challenges of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic in young people in the UK: an online survey study
Lawrance, Emma L., Jennings, Neil, Kioupi, Vasiliki, Thompson, Rhiannon, Diffey, James and Vercammen, Ans (2022). Psychological responses, mental health, and sense of agency for the dual challenges of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic in young people in the UK: an online survey study. The Lancet Planetary Health, 6 (9), e726-e738. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00172-3
2022
Journal Article
Understanding citizen scientists’ willingness to invest in, and advocate for, conservation
Agnello, Gaia, Vercammen, Ans and Knight, Andrew T. (2022). Understanding citizen scientists’ willingness to invest in, and advocate for, conservation. Biological Conservation, 265 109422, 109422. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109422
2021
Journal Article
Pre-screening workers to overcome bias amplification in online labour markets
Vercammen, Ans, Marcoci, Alexandru and Burgman, Mark (2021). Pre-screening workers to overcome bias amplification in online labour markets. PLoS One, 16 (3) e0249051, e0249051. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249051
2021
Journal Article
Young Persons’ Psychological Responses, Mental Health and Sense of Agency for the Dual Challenges of Climate Change and a Global Pandemic
Lawrance, Emma, Jennings, Neil, Kioupi, Vasiliki, Thompson, Rhiannon, Diffey, James and Vercammen, Ans (2021). Young Persons’ Psychological Responses, Mental Health and Sense of Agency for the Dual Challenges of Climate Change and a Global Pandemic. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.3847782
2020
Journal Article
Practice matters: pro-environmental motivations and diet-related impact vary with meditation experience
Thiermann, Ute B., Sheate, William R. and Vercammen, Ans (2020). Practice matters: pro-environmental motivations and diet-related impact vary with meditation experience. Frontiers in Psychology, 11 584353. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.584353
2020
Journal Article
Introduction: New directions in conservation psychology at a critical time
Dietsch, A. M., Wallen, K. E., Clayton, S., Kretser, H. E., Kyle, G. T., Ma, Z. and Vercammen, A. (2020). Introduction: New directions in conservation psychology at a critical time. Conservation Biology, 34 (6), 1335-1338. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13629
2020
Journal Article
A Reflection on the Fair Use of Unpaid Work in Conservation
Vercammen, Ans, Park, Caroline, Goddard, Robyn, Lyons-White, Joss and Knight, Andrew (2020). A Reflection on the Fair Use of Unpaid Work in Conservation. Conservation & Society, 18 (4), 399-404. doi: 10.4103/cs.cs_19_163
2019
Journal Article
Untapped potential of collective intelligence in conservation and environmental decision making
Vercammen, Ans and Burgman, Mark (2019). Untapped potential of collective intelligence in conservation and environmental decision making. Conservation Biology, 33 (6), 1247-1255. doi: 10.1111/cobi.13335
2019
Journal Article
Preliminary findings of four-week, task-based anodal prefrontal cortex transcranial direct current stimulation transferring to other cognitive improvements in schizophrenia
Weickert, T. W., Salimuddin, H., Lenroot, R. K., Bruggemann, J., Loo, C., Vercammen, A., Kindler, J. and Weickert, C. S. (2019). Preliminary findings of four-week, task-based anodal prefrontal cortex transcranial direct current stimulation transferring to other cognitive improvements in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Research, 280 112487, 1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.112487
Funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Ans Vercammen is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
The household as a site of deliberation and resilience: Understanding psycho-social responses of children and families towards a changing marine environment in the Great Barrier Reef
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Claudia Benham
Media
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