Marcella Woud Biography
Short Biography
Since October 2023, I am a full professor at the University of Göttingen, where I lead the Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology. My research focuses on measuring and modifying cognitive biases, especially in the area of interpretational processing biases. I am interested not only in developing improved measurement methods to measure cognitive biases in a more robust and valid way, but also in translational research, developing computerized, cognitive trainings in order to improve and expand our therapeutic interventions in a mechanism-specific manner. Across both the measurement and modification of cognitive biases, I am particularly interested in disorders in the context of emotional psychopathology, e.g., anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, trauma and depression. In addition, I study possible mechanisms underlying cognitive biases, including neural, psychophysical, and biological mechanisms.
I am also a licensed psychological psychotherapist (specialization: behavioral therapy).
Academic and Professional Qualifications
| 2020 | Clinical training as a licensed psychological psychotherapist Research and Treatment Center for Mental Health, Ruhr University Bochum, Specialization: Behavioral Therapy |
| 2014 |
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (cum laude, highest possible distinction in The Netherlands, awarded to 5% of all doctorates across all disciplines) Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen (NL) |
| 2013 | Basic Teaching Qualification Dutch qualification for teaching at academic institutes, Radboud University Nijmegen (NL) |
| 2008 | Master of Sciences (cum laude) Radboud University Nijmegen (NL) |
| 2006 | Bachelor of Science Psychology (cum laude) Radboud Universität Nijmegenn (NL) |
| 2003 | Bachelor Social Work (cum laude) Arnhem & Nijmegen University of Applied Sciences (NL) |
Scientific and clinical experience*
| 2023 - present | Full professor „Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology“, Georg-Elias-Müller-Institute of Psychology, Georg-August-University of Göttingen |
| 2021 - 2023 | Junior Professor „Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology“, Faculty of Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Ruhr University Bochum |
| 2017 - 2023 | Psychologist/Psychological Psychotherapist Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Ruhr University Bochum |
| 2015 - 2017 | Psychologist LWL University Hospital Bochum of the Ruhr University Bochum |
| 2013 - 2021 | PostDoc With Humboldt-Professor Jürgen Margraf, Faculty of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Ruhr University Bochum |
| 2008 - 2013 | PhD With Prof. Dr. Eni S. Becker and Prof. Dr. Mike Rinck, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen (NL) |
| 2008 - 2013 | Docent Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen (NL) |
| 2013 | Visiting Ph.D. student Harvard University (Cambridge, USA) with Prof. Dr. Richard McNally |
| 2010 | Visiting Ph.D. student University of Western Australia (Perth, AU) with Prof. Dr. Colin MacLeod |
| 2007 - 2008 | Visiting researcher University of Oxford (Oxford, UK) and University of East Anglia (Norwich, UK) with Prof. Dr. Emily A. Holmes and Dr. Bundy Mackintosh |
| 2006 - 2007 | Research assistant Prof. Dr. Eni S. Becker and Prof. Dr. Mike Rinck, Radboud University Nijmegen (NL) |
| 2005 - 2006 | Tutor Dr. Jules Ellis, Statistics and Methods, Radboud University Nijmegen (NL) |
* Parental leave:
24.12.2015 – 31.09.2016
19.10.2017 – 21.09.2019
Prizes and Awards
| 2023 | Heinz-Maier-Leibnitz-Preis, German Research Foundation (DFG), a prize awarded to outstanding and promising researchers who are at an early stage of their scientific career supporting them to further develop their career |
| 2018 | APS Rising Star (Association for Psychological Sciences), an award given to internationally outstanding young scientists whose innovative work shows great potential for future research |
| 2017, 2014 | Travel scholarships from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) |
| 2015 | Global Young Faculty, awarded by the Stiftung Mercator in cooperation with the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) for interdisciplinary cooperation and the promotion of promising researchers, incl. travel grant |
| 2012 | Elisabeth Frye Scholarship, an annual award from Radboud University Nijmegen (NL) awarded to the most promising and talented female doctoral students to enable them to attend an international university |
| 2012 | Travel scholarship from the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA) |
| 2011 |
Travel scholarship from the European Foundation for Alcohol Research (ERAP) |
| 2010 |
Travel scholarship from the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds |
| 2008 | Award for the best Master's thesis of the Behavioural Science Research Master of the Radboud University Nijmegen |
| 2007 |
Huygens Scholarship Program (HSP) scholarship from the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science |
Third Party Funding
| 2021 - present |
Principal Investigator Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 1280 Extinction Learning, German Research Foundation (DFG) |
| 2021 – present |
Emmy Noether Fellow and head of an Emmy Noether Research Group, German Research Foundation (DFG) |
| 2017 – 2022 |
Research grant, German Research Foundation (DFG) |
| 2015 – 2019 |
Postdoctoral Scholarship, Daimler and Benz Foundation |