GUTS is built on a diverse and multidisciplinary team working together toward one shared mission. Over the past three years, the program has grown into a vibrant community of more than 90 members. From early‑career researchers to senior experts, we bring together a unique combination of perspectives and knowledge.

Researchers
Our research team spans multiple career stages and scientific backgrounds:

• 27 PhD candidates, who spend four years conducting their doctoral research
• 11 postdoctoral researchers, who contribute specialized expertise following their PhD
• 6 team leaders, senior researchers who guide the scientific direction of the program

Advisory Boards

To ensure that our research remains relevant, responsible, and firmly embedded in society, we collaborate closely with three advisory boards:

• Strategic Youth Board: 6 youth advisors, who ensure that the perspectives and experiences of young people remain central
• Scientific Advisory Board: 9 national and international scientific advisors, who provide guidance on research quality and direction
• Societal and Ethics Advisory Board: 11 societal and ethical advisors from policy, education, and healthcare, who help translate scientific insights into societal impact

Participants

Young people themselves play an essential role in GUTS. The cohort studies form the core of the program, and to date around 1500 participants have taken part:

• 411 participants in Amsterdam (Work Package 1)
• 425 participants in Rotterdam (Work Package 1)
• 500 participants with complete social networks and additional 170 participants with fMRI assessments in Leiden (Work Package 2)
• Ongoing recruitment of 200 participants in Amsterdam (Work Package 3)

An overview of the data across all work packages:Data:
fMRI, ECG, EDA, EEG, dynamometer, respiration, questionnaires, behavioral tasks, genetics (saliva), hormones (saliva and hair), interviews, social network data, genetic and environmental measures from large existing datasets

These large and diverse samples allow us to study development across adolescence in unprecedented depth.

The GUTS Strategic Youth Board plays a key role in ensuring that the project remains closely connected to the realities, needs, and perspectives of young people. Board members contribute valuable insights on how to engage participants effectively, drawing on their own experiences and understanding of the target population. In practice, this involves regular discussions with researchers and other GUTS stakeholders on topics such as participant recruitment, communication strategies, and the relevance of research outcomes for young people’s everyday lives.

Members particularly value being involved in the ongoing development of the research, following its progress, and seeing how scientific knowledge can be translated into practical support for their peers. Looking ahead, they hope to continue strengthening youth participation throughout all stages of GUTS, helping to apply findings in meaningful ways and increasing awareness of the project among young people more broadly.

Interview with PhD candidate Jule Schretzmeir 

What is your role within GUTS and what does your work focus on?

I’m a PhD student that works on the topic of positive academic risk-taking in WP1 Amsterdam. I work mainly with questionnaire data, a behavioural task called the Math Effort Task and I also look into physiology (skin conductance and EEG) as part of my project. As part of my role in GUTS I’ve been leading the PhD/Postdoc committee together with Zino for the past two years, a role in which we facilitate cross-work package communication, organize events such a PhD/Postdoc writing retreat, etc. 

What excites you most about being part of GUTS?

What excites me most about GUTS is the breadth of the project. There are so many expert teams in so many different topics that all come together to weave a new, more complete knowledge network on the topic of adolescence. 

Looking ahead, what opportunities do you hope to see in the coming years, either in your own work or within GUTS?

I hope that my own work will shed light on the ways in which adolescents engage in positive risk-taking in school and learning environments. Most of all, I hope it will encourage a shift in culture, in which we can give adolescents more space to explore and in which risks that encourage learning are more integrated into school culture. For GUTS, I hope that we can keep building deep connections with adolescents and those that interact with them. I’d love to see our science used in the real world on a day to day base.