Lab Director
Matteo Giletta founded the Phase Lab in 2020 after taking up his position as an associate professor at the Department of Developmental, Personality, and Social Psychology at Ghent University. Matteo's broader research interests centre around the study of peer relations during adolescence, with a particular focus on the role of biological processes (e.g., inflammation) in the interplay between peer experiences (dyadic and social networks) and youth mental and physical health. In 2017, Matteo was awarded the APS Rising Star Award - a research recognition for outstanding early-career scientists. He currently holds an ERC Starting Grant (Outside-In) for a longitudinal project aimed at identifying the psychological and biological mechanisms underlying the consequences of bullying victimisation.
To connect with Prof. Dr. Matteo Giletta via his LinkedIn account, click here.
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Nathalie Michels joined the Phase Lab in 2021 as a senior researcher. Due to her background in biomedical medicine, her main research interests lie in the link between psychosocial and biological factors. During her PhD at Ghent University's Public Health Nutrition unit in 2009-2013, she examined the longitudinal relation between stress and obesity in children, hypothesising about possible behavioural (emotional eating) as well as physiological (cortisol, heart rate variability, appetite) pathways. During her postdoc, Nathalie continued exploring this stress-health relation by probing the influence of emotion regulation, inflammation, gut microbiota, metabolomics and green/blue nature. She has published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles. At the Phase Lab, Nathalie worked on the Outside-In project with a focus on physiological and biological health (cortisol levels, heart rate variability, inflammation) and is copromotor of the projects on breathing.
To connect with Dr. Nathalie Michels via her LinkedIn account, click here.
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Jolien Braet joined the Phase Lab in the fall of 2020 as a PhD student and obtained her PhD in May 2025. She is currently working as a postdoctoral researcher on the Breathe to Thrive FWO project. Her research focuses on emotion regulation and mental well-being in adolescents, examining how everyday strategies such as rumination and distraction influence mood and psychological functioning. Building on this work, she now investigates how slow breathing can support mental health through physiological and emotional mechanisms, including heart rate variability, brain activity, and emotional dynamics in daily life. She has contributed to several projects, including a BOF-funded PhD project and the Outside-In project, both centered on emotion regulation. Methodologically, she has a strong interest in psychophysiology and experience sampling methods to study emotional processes in real-world contexts, and she aims to translate her findings into tools applicable in clinical practice.
PhD Student
Emmelien joined the Phase lab team in 2025 after she completed her studies in Experimental Psychology at KULeuven. She works on the JEZ!-funded project BREATHE to develop an easily accessible app to aid adolescents with stress regulation. To this extent, she is conducting a slow-paced breathing intervention to assess its influence on both physiological (heart rate variability) and psychological stress-related outcomes (subjective measures). Fluctuations in daily affect are measured through ecological momentary assessments. She also conducts focus groups together with the adolescents to gain proper insight into what motivates them to complete the intervention at home.
PhD Student
Tong Lin joined the Phase Lab as a PhD student in the fall of 2025. She holds a master's degree in School Counseling from Beijing Normal University, where she developed a strong interest in adolescent psychology. Her research focuses on the links between peer dynamics and adolescent well-being. Specifically, she is exploring how different levels of the peer context shape the development of adolescents' growth mindsets. Ultimately, her work aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of adolescents' social worlds and their implications for youth potential and resilience.
PhD Student
2020-2025
PhD Student
2020-2025
Intern
Research Assistant
Intern
Intern
Intern