Martien Kas

Martien J. H. Kas (born 27 November 1966, Uithoorn) is professor at the Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands, where he leads a research group entitled "Behavioural Neuroscience". His research aims to develop a quantitative, transdiagnostic and translational neurobiological approach to the understanding of neuropsychiatric disorders in order to accelerate the discovery and development of better treatments for patients with those disorders. The ability to precisely link neuropsychiatric symptoms to underlying neurobiology will not only facilitate the development of better treatments, it will also allow physicians to provide patients with a better understanding of the complexities and management of their illness.

He is currently President of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), the largest European organization for neuroscience applied research. ECNP provides a platform for interactions between scientists, patients and their families, pharmaceutical industry and regulators for optimizing the treatment of brain disorders, and organizes many activities, including an annual congress with 4500-6000 participants.