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Hire Emma B.

Belgium

USD 80 /hr

Health Psychologist | Behavioral Neuroscientist

Profile Summary

With over a decade in psychological and cognitive neuroscience research, I have had opportunities to work with exciting multi-modal datasets to better understand human behavior and health. My journey has led me through strong experimental and imaging training at KU Leuven (Belgium) and Maastricht University (The Netherlands), to more clinically focused research at Stanford University (USA). Throughout these experiences, I have enjoyed working with, and leading, multi-disciplinary teams. These experiences have taught me the value of rigorous, data-driven science. As my career progresses I strive to combine these methods with an open and collaborative approach, ensuring that valuable health data is used to the full, so we can continue to improve the quality of life for individuals living with chronic conditions.

Subject Matter Expertise

• ★ Human Behavior & Psychology
• ★ Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• ☆ Neuroscience
• ☆ Neurophysiology
• ☆ Data Analysis
• ☆ Data Processing
• ☆ Medical Imaging/Radiology
• ☆ Pain Management
• ☆ Technical & Scientific Writing
• ☆ Experimental Protocols

Services

• Writing
• Research
• Consulting
• Data & AI

Writing Technical Writing, General Proofreading & Editing

Research Systematic Literature Review

Consulting Healthcare Consulting, Scientific and Technical Consulting

Data & AI Statistical Analysis, Data Visualization, Data Cleaning, Data Insights

Work Experience

Assistant Professor

Tilburg University

September 2023 - April 2024

Postdoctoral researcher & Life Sciences Research Expert

Stanford University School of Medicine

July 2021 - April 2024

Researcher

KU Leuven

January 2018 - July 2021

PhD Fellow

Maastricht University

October 2013 - January 2018

PhD Fellow

KU Leuven

October 2013 - January 2018

Education

PhD

KU Leuven

October 2013 - March 2021

MSc

Maastricht University

September 2011 - August 2012

BSc

University of Exeter

September 2008 - July 2011

Certifications

• Certification details not provided.

Publications

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Emma E. Biggs, Inge Timmers, Lauren C. Heathcote, Alexandra G. Tremblay-McGaw, Melanie Noel, David Borsook, Laura E. Simons (2025). Emotional memory bias in adolescents with chronic pain: examining the relationship with neural, stress, and psychological factors . Pain.

I. Timmers, E.E. Biggs, L. Bruckert, A.G. Tremblay0McGaw, H. Zhang, D. Borsook, L.E. Simons(2024). Probing white matter microstructure in youth with chronic pain and its relation to catastrophizing using neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging . Pain. 165. (11). p. 2494--2506. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins

Emma Biggs, Laura Simons, Massieh Moayedi, Robert C Coghill, Jennifer Stinson, Martin S Angst, Nima Aghaeepour, Brice Gaudilliere, Christopher D King, Marina López-Solà, et al.(2022). Signature for Pain Recovery IN Teens (SPRINT): protocol for a multisite prospective signature study in chronic musculoskeletal pain . BMJ open. 12. (6). p. e061548.

Emma E. Biggs and Inge Timmers and Ann Meulders and Johan W.S. Vlaeyen and Rainer Goebel and Amanda L. Kaas(2020). The neural correlates of pain-related fear: A meta-analysis comparing fear conditioning studies using painful and non-painful stimuli . Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 119. p. 52--65. Elsevier {BV}

Emma E. Biggs and Ann Meulders and Amanda L. Kaas and Rainer Goebel and Johan W. S. Vlaeyen(2020). The acquisition and generalization of fear of touch . Scandinavian Journal of Pain. 20. (4). p. 809--819. Walter de Gruyter {GmbH}

Biggs, Emma, Meulders, Ann, Kaas, Amanda, Goebel, Rainer, Vlaeyen, Johan(2020). The acquisition and generalization of fear of touch . SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF PAIN. 20. (4). p. 809–819. WALTER DE GRUYTER GMBH

Emma E Biggs, Inge Timmers, Ann Meulders, Johan W Vlaeyen, Rainer Goebel, Amanda L Kaas(2020). THE NEURAL CORRELATES OF PAIN-RELATED FEAR: A META-ANALYSIS COMPARING FEAR CONDITIONING STUDIES USING PAINFUL AND NON-PAINFUL STIMULI . Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews.

Fear of pain and cortisol reactivity predict the strength of stress-induced hypoalgesia @article{timmers_kaas_quaedflieg_biggs_smeets_de jong_2018, title={Fear of pain and cortisol reactivity predict the strength of stress-induced hypoalgesia}, volume={22}, number={7}, journal={EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PAIN}, publisher={WILEY}, author={Timmers, I. and Kaas, A. L. and Quaedflieg, C. W. E. M. and Biggs, E. E. and Smeets, T. and de Jong, J. R.}, year={2018}, pages={1291–1303}}. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PAIN.

I. Timmers and A.L. Kaas and C.W.E.M. Quaedflieg and E.E. Biggs and T. Smeets and J.R. de Jong(2018). Fear of pain and cortisol reactivity predict the strength of stress-induced hypoalgesia . European Journal of Pain. 22. (7). p. 1291--1303. Wiley

Biggs, Emma E., Meulders, Ann, Kaas, Amanda L., Goebel, Rainer, Vlaeyen, Johan W. S.(2017). The Acquisition and Extinction of Fear of Painful Touch: A Novel Tactile Fear Conditioning Paradigm . JOURNAL OF PAIN. 18. (12). p. 1505–1516. CHURCHILL LIVINGSTONE

Emma E. Biggs, Ann Meulders, Amanda L. Kaas, Rainer Goebel, Johan W.S. Vlaeyen (2017). The Acquisition and Extinction of Fear of Painful Touch: A Novel Tactile Fear Conditioning Paradigm . The Journal of Pain.

Emma E. Biggs and Ann Meulders and Amanda L. Kaas and Rainer Goebel and Johan W.S. Vlaeyen(2017). The Acquisition and Extinction of Fear of Painful Touch: A Novel Tactile Fear Conditioning Paradigm . The Journal of Pain. 18. (12). p. 1505--1516. Elsevier {BV}

CONFERENCE PAPER

Biggs, Emma, Timmers, Inge, Heathcote, Lauren, Simons, Laura(2023). Forgetting to be afraid: A novel approach to enhancing exposure therapy in pediatric chronic pain. JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC PSYCHOLOGY. 48. p. 129. OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC

A longitudinal examination of parent diagnostic uncertainty in pediatric chronic pain @misc{neville_biggs_tremblay-mcgaw_miner_coghill_king_lopez-sola_moayedi_gaudilliere_aghaeepour_et al._2023, title={A longitudinal examination of parent diagnostic uncertainty in pediatric chronic pain}, volume={48}, journal={JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC PSYCHOLOGY}, publisher={OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC}, author={Neville, Alexandra and Biggs, Emma and Tremblay-McGaw, Alexandra and Miner, Amanda Wiseman and Coghill, Robert and King, Christopher and Lopez-Sola, Marina and Moayedi, Massieh and Gaudilliere, Brice and Aghaeepour, Nima and et al.}, year={2023}, pages={144–145}}.

Meulders, Ann, Noel, Melanie, Biggs, Emma E.(2022). THE ROLE OF DIAGNOSTIC UNCERTAINTY, UNPREDICTABILITY AND ASSOCIATED OVERPROTECTIVE BEHAVIOR IN CHRONIC PAIN DISABILITY. PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE. 84. (5). p. A138. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS

Biggs, Emma E., Vlaeyen, Johan, Meulders, Ann(2022). THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF (UN)PREDICTABILITY IN COMPLEX REGIONAL PAIN SYNDROME. PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE. 84. (5). p. A138–A139. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS

Biggs, Emma E., Vlaeyen, Johan, Meulders, Ann(2022). THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF (UN)PREDICTABILITY IN COMPLEX REGIONAL PAIN SYNDROME. PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE. 84. (5). p. A138–A139. LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS

DATA MANAGEMENT PLAN

Emma Biggs. (2023). "Signature for Pain Recovery IN Teens (SPRINT)" [Data Management Plan]. DMPTool. https://doi.org/10.48321/D1VK6V .

PREPRINT

Emma Biggs, Till Steinbach, Judith Eck, Inge Timmers, Rainer Goebel, Renate Schweizer, Amanda Kaas (2022). Tactile Stimulation Designs Adapted to Clinical Settings Result in Reliable fMRI-based Somatosensory Digit Maps .

BOOK

Biggs, E.E., Meulders, A., Vlaeyen, J.W.S.(2016). The Neuroscience of Pain and Fear . The Neuroscience of Pain, Stress, and Emotion: Psychological and Clinical Implications. p. 133-157.

Biggs, E.E., Meulders, A., Vlaeyen, J.W.S.(2016). The Neuroscience of Pain and Fear . The Neuroscience of Pain, Stress, and Emotion: Psychological and Clinical Implications. p. 133-157.

BOOK CHAPTER

Biggs E Emma, Meulders Ann, Vlaeyen WS Johan(2016). The Neuroscience of Pain and Fear . Neuroscience of Pain, Stress, and Emotion:. Academic Press