Stephan Huijbregts | Senior Researcher Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

‘The SSBP likes to hold its meetings in ancient student cities around the world’

  Stephan Huijbregts is Assistant Professor at Leiden University and Senior Researcher at the Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition. He is one of the driving forces behind the 20th International Congress of the Society for the Study of Behavioural Phenotypes (SSBP) that will take place in the historic city of Leiden in October 2017. The conference will attract around 200 participants: scientists and clinicians who specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of genetic disorders. “All kinds of characteristics are transmitted via the genes, which together, if unfavourable, can form the basis of a non-optimal development in the field of cognition and behaviour. The members of the SSBP delve into disorders whereby the genetic abnormalities ‘directly’ lead to cognitive and social problems. The theme of the conference is therefore ‘Cognitive and social implications of genetic disorders’. Leiden has a great deal of expertise in this field. That is reason enough to organise the conference there. In addition, the SSBP likes to hold its meetings in ancient student cities around the world, such as Leuven, Cambridge, Pavia and Stellenbosch. Leiden fits very nicely in this list and has many beautiful, stately locations where a group of about 200 people can easily meet.”