My journey as a researcher, consultant, and science writer
University of Copenhagen
I started my B.S. in Psychology with the intention of diving into the neuroscience of our minds. To that end, I did research under Dr. Jesper Mogensen in traumatic brain injury and completed my honors thesis on the Neurobiology of Morality under Dr. Anders Gade's supervision (which I finished 1 year early due to my excitement and notorious tendency to plan into the future), whose masters course on Clinical Neuropsychology I also audited. In 2012, I received the selective International Exchange Scholarship from University of Copenhagen which enabled me to embark on my studies in the US.
University of California at Berkeley
I finished the last half of my B.S. at UC Berkeley where I focused on neurobiology and clinical psychology while also attending grad-level courses on Cognitive neuroscience applied to education. I worked in Dr. Daniela Kaufer's lab researching the effects of stress in early life and adolescents on brain development. While completing my studies at UC Berkeley I received the Internationalization Scholarship from the Social Science's Faculty from University of Copenhagen.
Emory University
I completed my PhD in Neuroscience under the supervisions of three mentors: Drs. Gary J. Bassell, Victor Faundez, and Peter Wenner. I started a new branch of research that the three labs are still pursuing either independently or collaboratively on the role of homeostatic plasticity in brain development, particularly in the perspective of neurodevelopmental disorders. I mentored many students and scientists, several of whom are now on to amazing careers in research and medicine. To date, my research is published as 4 first author papers, 2 first author review articles, 1 last author encyclopedia, and several other papers with co-authorships. During my time at Emory, I received the following awards: The National Fragile X Junior Investigator Award, the Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award, and the Charles and Marjorie Dobrovolny Award.
Harvard Medical School & Massachusetts General Hospital
I completed a short yet efficient post-doctoral fellowship in the lab of Dr. Lauren Orefice, where I studied the interactions between touch and autonomic nervous system activity in modulating stress/relaxation levels. This work was conducted in both typically developing mice, as well as mouse models of autism spectrum disorders.
iMotions, Inc.
In late 2021, I embarked on a new journey outside of academia. At iMotions I serve as a research consultant, lecturer, tech expert, and research strategist. In my day to day life I identify and test the newest and most promising biosensors for research in humans, I teach faculty and students on biometric research all over the United States and attend conferences all over the world.
Pernille Bülow
In 2022, I slowly started the journey to begin my own business that leverages my years of experience in research, strategy, teaching and mentoring.
My journey as a scientist began over a decade ago, and has evolved in ways I could have never anticipated.
I started out at University of Copenhagen and University of California, Berkeley with a drive to understand how and why people become who they are.
What makes some people more susceptible to mental illness? How does the environment influence our genetics and ultimately behavior? Can we predict who is resilient to trauma?
During my PhD at Emory University, my interests got re-routed into understanding the intricacies of brain development.
What mechanisms ensure that a brain develops in a way that is physiologically healthy? Why do some symptoms experienced by people with neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders not emerge until later in life, despite these symptoms being linked to an inherent genetic mutation?
In my post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital I could not help but try to figure out how touch can alter our mental state through regulating our autonomic nervous system.
Can hypersensitivity to touch lead to hyper-vigilance and/or anxiety? Can we use touch as an anxio-lytic for people with trauma? Does a mother’s touch influence how an infant’s autonomic nervous system develops?
To really exercise this interest, I started writing science articles for ScienceConnected.org and mentored through the Eating Disorder Foundation. Take a look here to read more about these endeavors.
My “return” to humanity led me to iMotions where I now have become an expert in using biosensors (e.g. wearables, virtual reality, eye tracking) to study humans in the lab as well as in “real life”.
These tools are amazing because they afford us a non-invasive insight into people’s physiology, feelings, and attention. We can characterize, monitor, and predict people’s mental health through these devices, and the only limitation is the technology
– a barrier that can be overcome through strategic thinking, literature knowledge, and teams with diverse skill sets.
Research consultancy and strategy
I have worked with companies, universities, and hospitals to help them identify the best approaches to reach their goals. I do this through careful conversations, deep literature knowledge, documentation and slide decks.
Scientific Writing
My scientific writing skills are accumulated from years of experience as an academic, a science journalist, a content writer and a science communicator.
Want to read my peer-reviewed publications?
Click on the picture to access them all on Google Scholar
