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
2019
Journal Article
Better Together: Reliable Application of the Post-9/11 and Post-Iraq US Intelligence Tradecraft Standards Requires Collective Analysis
Marcoci, Alexandru, Burgman, Mark, Kruger, Ariel, Silver, Elizabeth, McBride, Marissa, Thorn, Felix Singleton, Fraser, Hannah, Wintle, Bonnie C., Fidler, Fiona and Vercammen, Ans (2019). Better Together: Reliable Application of the Post-9/11 and Post-Iraq US Intelligence Tradecraft Standards Requires Collective Analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 9 (JAN) 2634. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02634
2019
Journal Article
ODNI as an analytic ombudsman: is Intelligence Community Directive 203 up to the task?
Marcoci, Alexandru, Vercammen, Ans and Burgman, Mark (2019). ODNI as an analytic ombudsman: is Intelligence Community Directive 203 up to the task?. Intelligence and National Security, 34 (2), 205-224. doi: 10.1080/02684527.2018.1546265
2019
Journal Article
The collective intelligence of random small crowds: A partial replication of Kosinski et al. (2012)
Vercammen, Ans, Ji, Yan and Burgman, Mark (2019). The collective intelligence of random small crowds: A partial replication of Kosinski et al. (2012). Judgment and Decision Making, 14 (1), 91-98. doi: 10.1017/s1930297500002941
2018
Journal Article
The use, and usefulness, of spatial conservation prioritizations
Sinclair, Samuel P., Milner-Gulland, E. J., Smith, Robert J., McIntosh, Emma J., Possingham, Hugh P., Vercammen, Ans and Knight, Andrew T. (2018). The use, and usefulness, of spatial conservation prioritizations. Conservation Letters, 11 (6) e12459, e12459. doi: 10.1111/conl.12459
2017
Journal Article
Effects of low frequency rTMS treatment on brain networks for inner speech in patients with schizophrenia and auditory verbal hallucinations
Bais, Leonie, Liemburg, Edith, Vercammen, Ans, Bruggeman, Richard, Knegtering, Henderikus and Aleman, André (2017). Effects of low frequency rTMS treatment on brain networks for inner speech in patients with schizophrenia and auditory verbal hallucinations. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 78, 105-113. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.04.017
2016
Journal Article
Adjunctive selective estrogen receptor modulator increases neural activity in the hippocampus and inferior frontal gyrus during emotional face recognition in schizophrenia
Ji, E., Weickert, C. S., Lenroot, R., Kindler, J., Skilleter, A. J., Vercammen, A., White, C., Gur, R. E. and Weickert, T. W. (2016). Adjunctive selective estrogen receptor modulator increases neural activity in the hippocampus and inferior frontal gyrus during emotional face recognition in schizophrenia. Translational Psychiatry, 6 (5) e795, 1-9. doi: 10.1038/tp.2016.59
2015
Journal Article
Anodal tDCS targeting the right orbitofrontal cortex enhances facial expression recognition
Willis, Megan L., Murphy, Jillian M., Ridley, Nicole J. and Vercammen, Ans (2015). Anodal tDCS targeting the right orbitofrontal cortex enhances facial expression recognition. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 10 (12), 1677-1683. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsv057
2015
Journal Article
Corrigendum to "Effects of bilateral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on treatment resistant auditory-verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia: A randomized controlled trial" [Schizophr. Res. 114 (1-3) (October 2009) 172-179]
Vercammen, Ans, Knegtering, Henderikus, Bruggeman, Richard, Westenbroek, Hanneke M., Jenner, Jack A., Slooff, Cees J., Wunderink, Lex and Aleman, André (2015). Corrigendum to "Effects of bilateral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on treatment resistant auditory-verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia: A randomized controlled trial" [Schizophr. Res. 114 (1-3) (October 2009) 172-179]. Schizophrenia Research, 168 (1-2) 6496, 599-600. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2015.06.024
2015
Journal Article
Endogenous testosterone levels are associated with neural activity in men with schizophrenia during facial emotion processing
Ji, Ellen, Weickert, Cynthia Shannon, Lenroot, Rhoshel, Catts, Stanley V, Vercammen, Ans, White, Christopher, Gur, Raquel E and Weickert, Thomas W (2015). Endogenous testosterone levels are associated with neural activity in men with schizophrenia during facial emotion processing. Behavioural Brain Research, 286, 338-346. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.03.020
2015
Journal Article
Adjunctive raloxifene treatment improves attention and memory in men and women with schizophrenia
Weickert, T. W., Weinberg, D., Lenroot, R., Catts, S. V., Wells, R., Vercammen, A., O'Donnell, M., Galletly, C., Liu, D., Balzan, R., Short, B., Pellen, D., Curtis, J., Carr, V. J., Kulkarni, J., Schofield, P. R. and Weickert, C. S. (2015). Adjunctive raloxifene treatment improves attention and memory in men and women with schizophrenia. Molecular Psychiatry, 20 (6), 685-694. doi: 10.1038/mp.2015.11
2015
Journal Article
Peripheral BDNF: A candidate biomarker of healthy neural activity during learning is disrupted in schizophrenia
Skilleter, A. J., Weickert, C. S., Vercammen, A., Lenroot, R. and Weickert, T. W. (2015). Peripheral BDNF: A candidate biomarker of healthy neural activity during learning is disrupted in schizophrenia. Psychological Medicine, 45 (4), 841-854. doi: 10.1017/S0033291714001925
2015
Conference Publication
Effects of adjunctive raloxifene treatment on brain activity during facial emotion processing in schizophrenia
Ji, E., Weickert, C., Lenroot, R., Catts, S., Vercammen, A., White, C., Gur, R. and Weickert, T. (2015). Effects of adjunctive raloxifene treatment on brain activity during facial emotion processing in schizophrenia. 25th Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Neurochemistry Jointly with the 13th Meeting of the Asian Pacific Society for Neurochemistry in Conjunction with the 35th Meeting of the Australasian Neuroscience Society, Cairns, QLD Australia, 23-27 August 2015. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. doi: 10.1111/jnc.13188
2015
Conference Publication
Adjunctive Raloxifene Treatment Improves Attention and Memory in Men and Women with Schizophrenia
Weickert, Thomas, Weinberg, D., Lenroot, R., Catts, S. V., Wells, R., Vercammen, A., O'Donnell, M., Galletly, C., Liu, D., Balzan, R., Short, B., Pellen, D., Curtis, J., Carr, V. J., Kulkarni, J., Schofield, P. R. and Weickert, Cyndi Shannon (2015). Adjunctive Raloxifene Treatment Improves Attention and Memory in Men and Women with Schizophrenia. 15th International Congress on Schizophrenia Research (ICOSR), Colorado Springs, CO United States, 28 Mar-01 April 2015. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbv010
2014
Journal Article
Short and long term effects of left and bilateral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations: A randomized controlled trial
Bais, Leonie, Vercammen, Ans, Stewart, Roy, Van Es, Frank, Visser, Bert, Aleman, André and Knegtering, Henderikus (2014). Short and long term effects of left and bilateral repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations: A randomized controlled trial. PLoS ONE, 9 (10) e108828. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108828
2014
Journal Article
Common polymorphisms in dopamine-related genes combine to produce a 'schizophrenia-like' prefrontal hypoactivity
Vercammen, A., Weickert, C. S., Skilleter, A. J., Lenroot, R., Schofield, P. R. and Weickert, T. W. (2014). Common polymorphisms in dopamine-related genes combine to produce a 'schizophrenia-like' prefrontal hypoactivity. Translational Psychiatry, 4 (2) 2013125, e356-e356. doi: 10.1038/tp.2013.125
2013
Journal Article
Testosterone is inversely related to brain activity during emotional inhibition in schizophrenia
Vercammen, Ans, Skilleter, Ashley J., Lenroot, Rhoshel, Catts, Stanley V., Weickert, Cynthia Shannon and Weickert, Thomas W. (2013). Testosterone is inversely related to brain activity during emotional inhibition in schizophrenia. PLoS One, 8 (10) e77496, e77496.1-e77496.10. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077496
2013
Journal Article
Serum testosterone levels are related to cognitive function in men with schizophrenia
Moore, L., Kyaw, M., Vercammen, A., Lenroot, R., Kulkarni, J., Curtis, J., O'Donnell, M., Carr, V. J., Shannon Weickert, C. and Weickert, T. W. (2013). Serum testosterone levels are related to cognitive function in men with schizophrenia. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 38 (9), 1717-1728. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.02.007
2013
Journal Article
When Broca goes uninformed: Reduced information flow to Broca's area in schizophrenia patients with auditory hallucinations
Ćurčić-Blake, Branislava, Liemburg, Edith, Vercammen, Ans, Swart, Marte, Knegtering, Henderikus, Bruggeman, Richard and Aleman, André (2013). When Broca goes uninformed: Reduced information flow to Broca's area in schizophrenia patients with auditory hallucinations. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 39 (5), 1087-1095. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbs107
2013
Journal Article
Rethinking schizophrenia in the context of normal neurodevelopment
Catts, Vibeke S., Fung, Samantha J., Long, Leonora E., Joshi, Dipesh, Vercammen, Ans, Allen, Katherine M., Fillman, Stu G., Rothmond, Debora A., Sinclair, Duncan, Tiwari, Yash, Tsai, Shan-Yuan, Weickert, Thomas W. and Weickert, Cynthia Shannon (2013). Rethinking schizophrenia in the context of normal neurodevelopment. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience (MAY). doi: 10.3389/fncel.2013.00060
2013
Book Chapter
The “bottom-up” and “top-down” components of the hallucinatory phenomenon
Aleman, André and Vercammen, Ans (2013). The “bottom-up” and “top-down” components of the hallucinatory phenomenon. The neuroscience of hallucinations. (pp. 107-121) edited by Renaud Jardri, Arnaud Cachia, Pierre Thomas and Delphine Pins. New York, NY, United States: Springer New York. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4614-4121-2_6
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Ans Vercammen is:
- Available for supervision
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Media
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