Climate Change and Youth Development

Short Bio

Sander Thomaes, PhD, is professor of developmental psychology at Utrecht University. He examines the social, emotional, and identity processes underlying major societal challenges involving youth. He considers the most exciting opportunities for scientific progress to sit at the intersection of disciplines. Accordingly, his research bridges developmental psychology and other psychological subdisciplines and neighboring fields (e.g., social policy, education). He is principal investigator of the ERC-funded GREENTEENS project, which examines the psychological processes that drive the efforts of young people to help mitigate climate change. Sander chairs the ‘youth and education’ branch of the Dutch National Science Agenda, where he aims to facilitate collaboration between scientists and societal partners, including youth panels, policymakers, and educators.