Rate My Professor Hanneke Hulst

Professor Hanneke Hulst is a Professor in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland and Director of the Centre for Brain Research, a role she assumed in December 2025. She previously held positions at institutions in the Netherlands, including as scientific director at Leiden University’s Institute of Psychology, chair of neuropsychology of health and disease, and leader of the MindS-lab focused on cognitive rehabilitation in people with multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. She also worked for 14 years as a researcher and assistant professor in the department of anatomy and neuroscience and the MS Centre Amsterdam at Amsterdam University Medical Centres.

Hulst earned a Master of Health Sciences in 2005 from Vrije University in Amsterdam, a second master’s degree in neuroscience in 2008, and a third master’s degree in philosophy, bioethics and health in 2020. She completed a PhD in neuroscience examining cognitive decline in multiple sclerosis. At the University of Auckland, she lectures in psychological medicine in the Schools of Medicine and Psychology. Her research specializations include the underlying mechanisms of cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis, using perspectives from neurobiology, psychology and philosophy, as well as advanced MRI techniques, biomarkers and behavioural science. She plans to strengthen international collaborations and community engagement through the Centre for Brain Research.