MEET OUR FPN ALUMNI

 

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Martin Frost 

Martin Frost was born in Australia and studied at Sydney University (B.A. B.Sc.). In 2004, to complete his undergraduate studies, he participated in an exchange program at Maastricht University. He stayed on to obtain his master's degree, graduating from the first Research Master Program (specialization in cognitive neuroscience) in 2007. He then completed a PhD at UM focusing on the relationship between the structure and function of the human brain.

Since 2017 Martin has been working at Medtronic, a large international medical device company. He initially worked in clinical research and is now a Senior Principal Medical Science Advisor in the field of vascular medicine. In his current global role Martin is responsible for evidence strategy and has a passion for scientific communication and data visualisation. The role involves extensive collaboration with internal partners and talented physicians from around the world, allowing him to engage with diverse perspectives and cutting-edge research from various regions.

Martin enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, and they love travelling around Europe and further afield.

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Romain Hollands

Romain Hollands was born and raised in the south of Limburg. He obtained his Research Master in Drug Development and Neurohealth at the University of Maastricht in 2018 after gaining his BSc in Psychology and Neuroscience also in Maastricht. During his internship at Hoffman -    La Roche in Basel he investigated a novel target for human autism spectrum disorder in mouse and rat models. Afterwards, he started working as a teacher and project leader at the University of Maastricht. Instead of working as a researcher himself, Romain chose to work for and with researchers. Currently he is a team lead and scientific consultant at Noldus IT.

Noldus IT is the world leader in scientific hard- and software solutions for behavorial (neuro)scientific research in animals and humans. Founded 35 years ago in Wagening, the Netherlands, it currently services 10.000s of researchers in over 100 countries worldwide. In his position, Romain trains and coaches colleagues in Europe, visits research institutes throughout the world, providing insights and assistance for their current and future research needs.

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Saara Martinmäki

Saara Martinmäki completed her BSc in Psychology at the University of Glasgow, including a transformative year abroad at the University of California San Diego. Inspired by her experiences there, in particular working as a research assistant in various posttraumatic stress disorder projects, she discovered her passion for applied research.

Her academic pursuit led her to attend the Research Master in Psychopathology (now called Clinical Psychology) in Maastricht (2015-2017). Post-graduation, she delved into the world of trauma research, starting as a junior researcher and policy advisor at ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre in the Netherlands. There, her work took a strong focus on the mental health and wellbeing of individuals in high-risk occupational groups. Her PhD project focused on the mental health of humanitarian aid workers, and she also worked on creating guidelines for supporting first responders in the aftermath of a terrorist attack or other violent incidents. She currently still works at ARQ, now as a researcher and policy advisor focusing on mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of people affected by war, disasters, and the aftermath of traumatic events in low- and middle-income countries.

Whilst seemingly straight-forward on paper, her career journey has taken some unexpected turns. In her presentation, Saara will share her journey, the challenges she encountered, the fulfilling work that she gets to do today, and her plans for what comes next.

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Marilien Marzolla

Marilien Marzolla grew up in a small town in the south of the Netherlands. She completed her BSc in Psychology at Maastricht University in 2017, where after she completed the Research Master in Neuropsychology. She did her research internship at Oxford University, working on neurofeedback for stroke rehabilitation at the Wellcome Centre fo Integrative Neuroimaging. Her internship led her to a full-time research assistant position in the same research group, where she worked until 2020. She applied for PhD positions back in the Netherlands and got a job as junior researcher in the Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology Department at Maastricht University. With a new grant, she was able to turn this into a 4-year PhD position working on sensory hypersensitivity after brain injury within the Limburg Brain Injury Center. During her PhD, she also contributed to teaching initiatives at UM, clinical practice and was actively involved in UMPride. Her PhD defence took place on the 26th of February. Marilien is currently employed as a teacher at FPN, mainly involved in the neuropsychology education and is in the process of writing grants for future post-doc positions.

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