Academic Achievements:
10/2008 – 09/2012 PhD in Biomedical Sciences, Department of Kinesiology, KU Leuven, Belgium
PhD thesis: Neural basis of interlimb coordination during walking in children.
2008 Master thesis: Quantification of internally and externally guided motor imagery by means of eye movement registration.
2008 Research seminar: The effect of imagery on rehabilitation in stroke patients.
09/2005 – 07/2008 MSc Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, KU Leuven, Belgium
Specialization: Neuromotor Rehabilitation in adults.
09/2003 – 07/2005 BSc Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, KU Leuven, Belgium
Current Position:
09/2017 – present Assistant Professor in Biomechanics, REVAL, Hasselt University, Belgium
Topic: Neuromechanics of (gait) stability in the healthy population and patients with neurologic pathologies.
Previous Positions:
03/2016 – 09/2017 Full-time Post-doctoral Researcher (Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow), Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, VUmc, the Netherlands
Project: CP-RehOP. Responding or not responding to training; prediction of balance rehabilitation outcome from structural and functional
brain networks in Cerebral Palsy.
04/2015 – 03/2016 Full-time Post-doctoral Researcher, Department of Physical Therapy and Motor Rehabilitation, UGent, Belgium
Project: The use of DynSTABLE (Dynamic STability And Balance Learning Environment) and the ZORA-robot in Pediatric
Rehabilitation.
10/2014 – 04/2015 Half-time Post-doctoral Researcher, Department of Physical Therapy and Motor Rehabilitation, UGent, Belgium
Project: The use of DynSTABLE (Dynamic STability And Balance Learning Environment) and the ZORA-robot in Pediatric
Rehabilitation.
10/2014 – 04/2015 Half-time Post-doctoral Researcher, Department of Kinesiology, KU Leuven, Belgium
Project: The asymmetrical and symmetrical tonic neck reflex in children with CP, and the neural correlates of CP gait.
10/2013 – 10/2014 Full-time Post-doctoral Researcher, Department of Kinesiology, KU Leuven, Belgium
Project: The asymmetrical and symmetrical tonic neck reflex in children with CP, and the neural correlates of CP gait.
09/2012 – 10/2013 Full-time Post-doctoral Researcher, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium
Project: The effect of changing the arm movements in children with CP on gait pattern and the neural correlates of CP gait.
10/2008 – 09/2012 PhD Fellow, Department of Kinesiology, KU Leuven, Belgium
Project: Neural basis of interlimb coordination during walking in children.
07/2008 – 10/2008 Physiotherapist, regional hospital in Limburg, Belgium
Reviewer for:
- Gait and Posture
- Research in Developmental Disabilities
- Human Movement Sciences
- European Journal of Paediatric Neurology
- World Journal of Pediatrics
- Neuroscience Letters
- Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair
Grants and Awards:
- JEGM (Joint Esmac and GCMAS Meeting) Student Travel Scholarship Award Winner. 2010, Miami Florida, 12-15 may 2010. Abstract: Arm and Leg Coordination during Gait in Children with Cerebral Palsy and Typically Developing Children.
- Competitive FWO vlaanderen travel grant for congress in Europe (ISPGR, Trondheim, Norway, 24-28 june 2012).
- Competitive FWO vlaanderen travel grant for congress outside Europe (ISPGR, Akita, Japan, 22-26 june 2013).
- Highly competitive Personal post-doc grant for 1 year (BOF pdm-kort, KU Leuven) 2013.
(- Pick of the week Biomch-L literature update: november 7 - november 13, 2013) - Meyns P. et al. The how and why of arm swing during human walking. 2013
- Competitive 'First Contact Initiatives' funding for short research stay abroad (to VU Amsterdam). februari 2014 - from flemish government (Omkadering van Jonge Onderzoekers; OJO).
- Competitive FWO vlaanderen travel grant for congress in Europe (OHBM, Hamburg, Germany, 8-12 june 2014).
- Competitive FWO vlaanderen travel grant for congress outside Europe (ISPGR, Vancouver, Canada, 29 june - 3 july 2014).
- Highly competitive personal project funding FWO ‘krediet aan navorsers’ 2014.
- Highly competitive personal Marie Skłodowska-Curie post-doc grant to VUmc Amsterdam with supervisor Prof. Dr. J. Becher. March 2016 – March 2018.
- FWO travel grant for congress in Europe (ISPGR, Sevilla, Spain, 28 june-2 june 2015).
- Mobility allowance – faculty UGent (ISPGR, Sevilla, Spain, 28 june-2 june 2015).
- ESMAC travel scholarship award winner. 10-12 september 2015. Heidelberg, Germany.
- Innovation call MOVE VUmc 2016 – MOVE research institute Amsterdam.
- Research grant for CP-RehOP - Phelps foundation, the Netherlands 2016.
- The how and why of arm swing during human walking (by Meyns et al. published in 2013) is one of the five most highly cited papers during 2014 and 2015 in Gait & Posture.