Joël is a PhD candidate at the Amsterdam University Medical Center. His research is focused on personalizing depression treatment through the framework of immuno-metabolic depression. This research is both epidemiological, using data from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), as well as experimental, by testing the effects of an anti-inflammatory intervention in people with immuno-metabolic depression (INFLAMED). He has a background in medical psychology and experience in mental health care within primary and specialized settings.