Dr H.M. Geurts (1972) has been named Professor by Special Appointment of Autism: Cognition over the Lifespan in the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). The special chair was designated on behalf of the Dr Leo Kannerhuis Foundation (Stichting Dr Leo Kannerhuis).

Hilde Geurts studies the cognitive strengths and weaknesses of people with autism and ADHD, looking at both children and adolescents as well as adults and the elderly. As special chair, Geurts’ research will focus on the central question of how and when changes occur in the symptoms and cognitive problems of people with autism. Bridging fundamental experimental research and clinical practice forms a key part of her work, which she does in part through the use of innovative experimental paradigms, but also by developing new interventions and testing these in collaboration with colleagues in the field. Geurts is also active in various national and international networks and committees that coordinate efforts to ensure proper attention and care for people with autism.

Geurts joined the UvA’s Brain and Cognition Department in 2002, first as university lecturer and later as senior university lecturer. She is also a practising psychologist and senior researcher at the Dr Leo Kannerhuis outpatient clinic in Amsterdam. In 2010 Geurts was awarded a Vidi grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) for her study entitled Aging in autism: A Double Jeopardy?. She is a frequent presenter at national and international events alike, and has a large number of publications to her name in such professional journals as Neuropsychologia, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Trends in Cognitive Sciences and Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.