Marinus van IJzendoorn studies the social, psychological and neurobiological determinants of parenting and child development, with special emphasis on attachment, emotion regulation, differential susceptibility, and child maltreatment. Central question is whether and how parents and other caregivers shape children’s development in the current era of the genome and the brain.

In 1976, van IJzendoorn graduated cum laude at the University of Amsterdam. Two years later he obtained his PhD magna cum laude at the Free University of Berlin/Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Education. After this he continued his work at Leiden University, at age 29, he became full profesor. In 2004 Van IJzendoorn received the Spinoza Prize. In 2008 he received an honorary doctorate at the University of Haifa. Van IJzendoorn is an ISI Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher placing him in the top 1% most cited scientists in the psychology/psychiatry world.

Marinus Van IJzendoorn, teaches in the PhD program in Psychology and Mental Health, specifically in a Meta-analysis course.