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uva.nl
Data Science Centre Data Science Centre

Dr T.F. (Tessa) Blanken

Assistant Professor
Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
Programme group Psychological Methods
Visiting address
  • Nieuwe Achtergracht 129
Postal address
  • Postbus 15906
    1001 NK Amsterdam
Contact details
Social media
  • Profile

    Tessa Blanken is a postdoctoral researcher at the Psychological Methods department at the University of Amsterdam.

    In her research, Tessa uses network analyses, complexity science, and other data scientific techniques to investigate research questions that are societally relevant. During her PhD she focused on the interplay between insomnia and depression, among the most prevalent mental disorders today. After completing her PhD in early 2020, she co-founded the interdisciplinary platform Science versus Corona, including a data consultancy desk, to unite scientists across disciplines to understand and combat the coronavirus. She led the work on behavioral contact networks with the goal to identify behavioural interventions to mitigate the virus spread.

    Currently, she focuses on two research lines: one on the role of sleep in the development, prevention, and intervention of depression; and another on human behaviour simulation to measure, explain, and model human behaviour with the goal to find substantiated and practical solutions to societal questions

    Expertise and research fields

    • Research Methods
    • Network analysis
    • Data Science
    • Psychopathology
    • Insomnia
    • Depression

    Other affiliations

  • Research

    Research methods 

    • Network analysis
    • Computational models
    • Data science
    • Experimental research design
    • Survey

    Current research projects

    • Network Intervention Analysis: we aim to combine network analysis with experimental RCT data to investigate the symptom-specific and sequential effects of treatments.
    • Science versus Corona: in the beginning of 2020 we started this multidischiplinary initiative. Today, we still work on projects related to that first initiative (see HUBS and RTLS). 
    • Human Behaviour Simulation (HUBS): we aim to develop realistic human behaviour simulation models to model behaviour in complex and social situations. 
    • Real Time Locating System (RTLS): this mobile set-up allows to collect movement data (xy-coordinates) realtime in different contexts. The data is used to inform our simulation models (see HUBS). 

    Research grants & honours

    • PI Bial €40k (project: “The whole is more than the sum of its parts: Elucidating the link between sleep quality and well-being by integrating cross-modal networks”)
    • Co-PI abc €280k (project: “More than the sum of parts: Exploiting the synergy between psychological and brain networks”)
    • Hilbert Kamphuisen award for best dissertation 2019-2020
    • VU University Research Fellowship (2016-2017)
    • Co-applicant Innovation Grant Personalised Medicine, APH (€28k): “Linking symptom and brain network structure to understand heterogeneity in treatment response in ADHD” 
    • Co-applicant eScience center open call for SSI in Software Performance Optimization (0.33 PYR): “Minds for mobile agents” 

    Current cooperation with organisations and/or persons

    Official external collaborations - supported by funding

    • Collaboration with Anouk Schrantee (AMC)
    • Collaboration with Robert Belleman, Visualisation Lab, Informatics Institute
    • Collaboration with Frank Lobbezoo (ACTA), Ghislane Aarab (ACTA), Eus van Someren (Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience) as supervisor team for Thiprawee Chattrattrai

    Official internal collaborations

    • Denny Borsboom, Dora Matzke, Andrew Heathcote, Charlotte Tanis (Psychological Methods department) 
    • Maarten Marsman (Psychological Methods department, abc grant)
    • Merel Kindt and Arnoud Arntz (Clinical Psychology, supervisor-team for Güldehan Durman)
    • Jaap Lancee and Tim Schoenmakers (Clinical Psychology, supervisor-team Mathilde Looman)

    Unofficial collaborations

    • (external) Collaboration with Linda Douw (Amsterdam UMC)  
    • (external) Collaboration with Sophie Boerman (WUR)
    • (internal) Collaboration with Esmée Verwijk (Brain & Cognition, UvA)  
    • Collaboration with Marijn Meijers
  • Teaching & PhD supervision

    Overview courses

    Ancillary activities

  • Publications

    2024

    2023

    • Burger, J., Isvoranu, A. M., Lunansky, G., Haslbeck, J. M. B., Epskamp, S., Hoekstra, R. H. A., Fried, E. I., Borsboom, D., & Blanken, T. F. (2023). Reporting Standards for Psychological Network Analyses in Cross-Sectional Data. Psychological Methods, 28(4), 806–824. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/4y9nz, https://doi.org/10.1037/met0000471
    • Chattrattrai, T., Aarab, G., Blanken, T. F., Pires, G. N., Herrero Babiloni, A., Dal Fabbro, C., van Someren, E., Lavigne, G., Maluly, M., Andersen, M. L., Tufik, S., & Lobbezoo, F. (2023). Network analysis of sleep bruxism in the EPISONO adult general population. Journal of Sleep Research, Article e13957. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13957
    • Chattrattrai, T., Aarab, G., Su, N., Blanken, T. F., Mitrirattanakul, S., & Lobbezoo, F. (2023). The association of self-reported awake bruxism and sleep bruxism with temporomandibular pain and dysfunction in adult patients with temporomandibular disorders. Clinical Oral Investigations, 27(12), 7501-7511. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-023-05338-y
    • Kuang, B., Aarab, G., Wei, Y., Blanken, T. F., Lobbezoo, F., Someren, E. J. W. V., Ramautar, J. R., & Wassing, R. (2023). Associations between signs of sleep bruxism and insomnia: A polysomnographic study. Journal of Sleep Research, 32(4), Article e13827. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13827
    • Lancee, J., Morin, C. M., Edinger, J. D., Ivers, H., van der Zweerde, T., & Blanken, T. F. (2023). Symptom-specific effects of zolpidem and behavioral treatment for insomnia: a network intervention analysis. Sleep, 46(11), Article zsad240. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsad240
    • Lunansky, G., Hoekstra, R. H. A., & Blanken, T. F. (2023). Disentangling the Role of Affect in the Evolution of Depressive Complaints Using Complex Dynamical Networks. Collabra: Psychology, 9, Article 74841. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.74841

    2022

    • Blanken, T. F., Isvoranu, A. M., & Epskamp, S. (2022). Estimating Network Structures using Model Selection. In A.-M. Isvoranu, S. Epskamp, L. Waldorp, & D. Borsboom (Eds.), Network Psychometrics with R: A Guide for Behavioral and Social Scientists (pp. 111-132). (Research methods and statistics). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003111238-9
    • Chattrattrai, T., Blanken, T. F., Lobbezoo, F., Su, N., Aarab, G., & Van Someren, E. J. W. (2022). A network analysis of self-reported sleep bruxism in the Netherlands sleep registry: its associations with insomnia and several demographic, psychological, and life-style factors. Sleep Medicine, 93, 63-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2022.03.018 [details]
    • Dekker, M. M., Blanken, T. F., Dablander, F., Ou, J., Borsboom, D., & Panja, D. (2022). Quantifying agent impacts on contact sequences in social interactions. Scientific Reports, 12, Article 3483. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07384-0 [details]
    • Deserno, M. K., Isvoranu, A. M., Epskamp, S., & Blanken, T. F. (2022). Descriptive Analysis of Network Structures. In A.-M. Isvoranu, S. Epskamp, L. Waldorp, & D. Borsboom (Eds.), Network Psychometrics with R: A Guide for Behavioral and Social Scientists (pp. 1-66). (Research methods and statistics). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003111238-4
    • Lancee, J., Harvey, A. G., Morin, C. M., Ivers, H., van der Zweerde, T., & Blanken, T. F. (2022). Network Intervention Analyses of cognitive therapy and behavior therapy for insomnia: Symptom specific effects and process measures. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 153, Article 104100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2022.104100 [details]
    • Leerssen, J., Lakbila-Kamal, O., Dekkers, L. M. S., Ikelaar, S. L. C., Albers, A. C. W., Blanken, T. F., Lancee, J., van der Lande, G. J. M., Maksimovic, T., Mastenbroek, S. E., Reesen, J. E., van de Ven, S., van der Zweerde, T., Foster-Dingley, J. C., & Van Someren, E. J. W. (2022). Treating Insomnia with High Risk of Depression Using Therapist-Guided Digital Cognitive, Behavioral, and Circadian Rhythm Support Interventions to Prevent Worsening of Depressive Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 91(3), 168–179. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1159/000520282 [details]
      • Related datasets
        • Leerssen, J., Lakbila-Kamal, O., Dekkers, L. M. S., Ikelaar, S., Albers, A. C. W., Blanken, T., Lancee, J., Maksimovic, T., Mastenbroek, S. E., Reesen, J. E., Foster-Dingley, J. C., van der Lande, G., van de Ven, S., van der Zweerde, T. & van Someren, E. J. W. (2021). Supplementary Material for: Treating Insomnia with High Risk of Depression Using Therapist-Guided Digital Cognitive, Behavioral, and Circadian Rhythm Support Interventions to Prevent Worsening of Depressive Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Karger Publishers. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.17128790.v1
        • Leerssen, J., Lakbila-Kamal, O., Dekkers, L. M. S., Ikelaar, S., Albers, A. C. W., Blanken, T., Lancee, J., Maksimovic, T., Mastenbroek, S. E., Reesen, J. E., Foster-Dingley, J. C., van der Lande, G., van de Ven, S., van der Zweerde, T. & van Someren, E. J. W. (2021). Supplementary Material for: Treating Insomnia with High Risk of Depression Using Therapist-Guided Digital Cognitive, Behavioral, and Circadian Rhythm Support Interventions to Prevent Worsening of Depressive Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Karger Publishers. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.17128790.v1
    • Pröpper, H. Y. L., Geiger, S., Blanken, T. F., & Brick, C. (2022). Truth over identity? Cultural cognition weakly replicates across 23 countries. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 83, Article 101865. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101865 [details]
    • Riemann, D., Benz, F., Dressle, R. J., Espie, C. A., Johann, A. F., Blanken, T. F., Leerssen, J., Wassing, R., Henry, A. L., Kyle, S. D., Spiegelhalder, K., & Van Someren, E. J. W. (2022). Insomnia disorder: State of the science and challenges for the future. Journal of Sleep Research, 31(4), Article e13604. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13604 [details]
    • Tanis, C. C., Nauta, F. H., Boersma, M. J., Van der Steenhoven, M. V., Borsboom, D., & Blanken, T. F. (2022). Practical behavioural solutions to COVID-19: Changing the role of behavioural science in crises. PLoS ONE, 17(10), Article e0272994. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272994 [details]
    • de Feijter, M., Kocevska, D., Blanken, T. F., van der Velpen, I. F., Ikram, M. A., & Luik, A. I. (2022). The network of psychosocial health in middle-aged and older adults during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 57(12), 2469–2479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-022-02308-9 [details]
    • van der Wal, J., van Borkulo, C. D., Haslbeck, J. M. B., Slofstra, C., Klein, N. S., Blanken, T. F., Deserno, M. K., Lok, A., Nauta, M. H., & Bockting, C. L. H. (2022). Effects of various relapse prevention strategies on affect dynamics and its impact on depressive relapse using network analysis: a randomized controlled trial.. Manuscript submitted for publication.

    2021

    2020

    2019

    • Blanken, T. F., Benjamins, J. S., Borsboom, D., Vermunt, J. K., Paquola, C., Ramautar, J., Dekker, K., Stoffers, D., Wassing, R., Wei, Y., & Van Someren, E. J. W. (2019). Insomnia disorder subtypes derived from life history and traits of affect and personality. The Lancet Psychiatry, 6(2), 151-163. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30464-4 [details]
    • Letina, S., Blanken, T. F., Deserno, M. K., & Borsboom, D. (2019). Expanding Network Analysis Tools in Psychological Networks: Minimal Spanning Trees, Participation Coefficients, and Motif Analysis Applied to a Network of 26 Psychological Attributes. Complexity, 2019, Article 9424605. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/9424605 [details]

    2018

    2017

    • Benjamins, J. S., Migliorati, F., Dekker, K., Wassing, R., Moens, S., Blanken, T. F., te Lindert, B. H. W., Sjauw Mook, J., & Van Someren, E. J. W. (2017). Insomnia heterogeneity: Characteristics to consider for data-driven multivariate subtyping. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 36, 71-81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2016.10.005
    • Dekker, K., Blanken, T. F., & Van Someren, E. J. W. (2017). Insomnia and personality—a network approach. Brain Sciences, 7(3), Article 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci7030028
    • Hammerschlag, A. R., Stringer, S., De Leeuw, C. A., Sniekers, S., Taskesen, E., Watanabe, K., Blanken, T. F., Dekker, K., Te Lindert, B. H. W., Wassing, R., Jonsdottir, I., Thorleifsson, G., Stefansson, H., Gislason, T., Berger, K., Schormair, B., Wellmann, J., Winkelmann, J., Stefansson, K., ... Posthuma, D. (2017). Genome-wide association analysis of insomnia complaints identifies risk genes and genetic overlap with psychiatric and metabolic traits. Nature genetics, 49(11), 1584-1592. https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.3888
    • Krypotos, A-M., Blanken, T. F., Arnaudova, I., Matzke, D., & Beckers, T. (2017). A Primer on Bayesian Analysis for Experimental Psychopathologists. Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, 8(2), 140-157. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.5127/jep.057316 [details]
    • Wei, Y., Colombo, M. A., Ramautar, J. R., Blanken, T. F., van der Werf, Y. D., Spiegelhalder, K., Feige, B., Riemann, D., & Van Someren, E. J. W. (2017). Sleep stage transition dynamics reveal specific stage 2 vulnerability in insomnia. Sleep, 40(9), Article zsx117. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsx117

    2014

    2019

    • Blanken, T. F., & van Someren, E. J. W. (2019). Subtyping insomnia disorder – Authors' reply. The Lancet Psychiatry, 6(4), 285-286. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30079-3
    • Blanken, T. F., Van Der Zweerde, T., Van Straten, A., Van Someren, E. J. W., Borsboom, D., & Lancee, J. (2019). Introducing Network Intervention Analysis to Investigate Sequential, Symptom-Specific Treatment Effects: A Demonstration in Co-Occurring Insomnia and Depression. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 88(1), 52-54. https://doi.org/10.1159/000495045 [details]
      • Related datasets
        • Blanken, T. F., van der Zweerde, T., van Straten, A., van Someren, E. J. W., Borsboom, D. & Lancee, J. (2019). Supplementary Material for: Introducing Network Intervention Analysis to Investigate Sequential, Symptom-Specific Treatment Effects: A Demonstration in Co-Occurring Insomnia and Depression. Karger Publishers. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.7564673.v1
        • Blanken, T. F., van der Zweerde, T., van Straten, A., van Someren, E. J. W., Borsboom, D. & Lancee, J. (2019). Supplementary Material for: Introducing Network Intervention Analysis to Investigate Sequential, Symptom-Specific Treatment Effects: A Demonstration in Co-Occurring Insomnia and Depression. Karger Publishers. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.7564673.v1

    Prize / grant

    • Matzke, D., Heathcote, A., Blanken, T. & Tanis, C. (2021). Small-Scale Initiatives in Software Performance Optimization.
    • Blanken, T. (2020). The whole is more than the sum of its parts: Elucidating the link between sleep quality and well-being by integrating cross-modal networks.

    Media appearance

    2024

    2022

    2021

    • Leerssen, J., Lakbila-Kamal, O., Dekkers, L. M. S., Ikelaar, S., Albers, A. C. W., Blanken, T., Lancee, J., Maksimovic, T., Mastenbroek, S. E., Reesen, J. E., Foster-Dingley, J. C., van der Lande, G., van de Ven, S., van der Zweerde, T. & van Someren, E. J. W. (2021). Supplementary Material for: Treating Insomnia with High Risk of Depression Using Therapist-Guided Digital Cognitive, Behavioral, and Circadian Rhythm Support Interventions to Prevent Worsening of Depressive Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Karger Publishers. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.17128790.v1
    • Tanis, C. C., Leach, N. M., Geiger, S., Nauta, F. H., Dablander, F., van Harreveld, F., de Wit, S., Kanters, G., Knoppers, J., Markus, D. A. W., Bouten, R. R. M., Oostvogel, Q. H., Boersma, M. J., van der Steenhoven, M. V., Borsboom, D. & Blanken, T. F. (2021). Metadata record for: Smart Distance Lab's art fair, experimental data on social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Figshare. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.14312180.v1

    2019

    • Blanken, T. F., van der Zweerde, T., van Straten, A., van Someren, E. J. W., Borsboom, D. & Lancee, J. (2019). Supplementary Material for: Introducing Network Intervention Analysis to Investigate Sequential, Symptom-Specific Treatment Effects: A Demonstration in Co-Occurring Insomnia and Depression. Karger Publishers. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.7564673.v1
    This list of publications is extracted from the UvA-Current Research Information System. Questions? Ask the library or the Pure staff of your faculty / institute. Log in to Pure to edit your publications. Log in to Personal Page Publication Selection tool to manage the visibility of your publications on this list.
  • Ancillary activities
    • Nederlands Herseninstituut
      50% postdoc aanstelling;
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