Dr Svenja Kretzer is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London, where she first joined in 2021 as a doctoral researcher. She conducted her PhD in collaboration with A*STAR Singapore, harmonising data from large longitudinal cohorts in the UK and Singapore. Her research focuses on adolescent psychiatry and neurodevelopment, exploring how puberty, brain structure development, and early life adversity interact to increase the risk for mental health problems during adolescence.

Alongside her research, she has taught across psychology and neuroscience programmes at King’s, the University of Cologne, and Maastricht University. She holds an M.Sc. in Psychology (Distinction) from the University of Cologne and a B.Sc. (Hons) in Psychology from Maastricht University.

Research Interests

• Adolescent mental health
• Neuroimaging and brain structure development
• Puberty and hormonal changes
• Sex differences
• Early life adversity