Marleen de Waal new Chair AIAR

We are pleased to share that Marleen de Waal has started as Chair of the Amsterdam Institute for Addiction Research (AIAR). In this role, she will guide the institute’s scientific direction and further development of research within Jellinek, working closely with Amsterdam UMC and various national and international universities and research institutions. Alongside her chairmanship, Marleen will continue to work part-time as a healthcare psychologist at the Sinai Centrum in Amersfoort.

Marleen has over seven years of experience as a senior researcher and licensed healthcare psychologist. In her role as senior researcher, she has supervised multiple research projects. For example, she served as principal investigator of the TOPA study, a large clinical trial examining the effectiveness of PTSD treatment in individuals with substance use disorders. Her strength lies in translating clinical questions into robust scientific research and bringing that knowledge back into clinical practice.

Ambitions
Marleen aims to build on the important work prof. Anneke Goudriaan carried out over the past twelve years within AIAR. Her ambition is to further strengthen this solid foundation by continuing to build bridges between innovative research methods and clinical practice. She promotes high-quality research that achieves international scientific impact while also contributing to treatment guidelines and daily clinical care.

Connecting, deepening, and strengthening
The role of Chair suits her both personally and professionally. She finds great fulfillment in the methodological aspects of research: developing study designs, analyzing data, and mentoring junior researchers. Because this work takes place in a context where research directly contributes to improving addiction care, she experiences the role as particularly meaningful.

Vision for colleagues and clients
For colleagues, Marleen envisions a workplace where researchers can develop both professionally and personally, and where collaboration and enjoyment in research are central. At the same time, she aims to continue inspiring clinicians about the added value of scientific research for their profession.