Yong Zhang, PhD student at University of Groningen, won the Jan Brouwer Thesis Prize 2024. Congratulations! In the category Behavioural Science, Zhang’s master thesis titled ‘Sample size optimization for person-specific temporal networks using power analysis and predictive accuracy analysis’, was chosen by the jury unanimously. Leaving them ‘impressed’ and praising Zhang for his ‘exceptional writing’ and ‘challenging research’. 

The thesis presents a method that helps ensure good predictive accuracy of idiographic temporal networks through estimating the appropriate sampling duration in an ESM study for each participant. This method will thus be very helpful for the design of future ESM data collection plans in both research and clinical settings. The thesis was supervised by dr. Laura Bringmann and completed in close collaboration with dr. Anja Ernst, Eva Ceulemans, Ginette Lafit, and Jordan Revol (KU Leuven). The thesis has recently become an invited paper by the journal “Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science”. The team at University of Groningen at the faculty of Behavioural & Social Sciences is working on editing the manuscript and hopefully will make a preprint of the paper available in March.

More information on the Jan Brouwer Thesis Prize 2024 can be found on the website of KHMW.

Prof. dr. Paul van Lange, Yong Zhang and prof. dr. Wim Drees at the award ceremony on the 9th of February 2024. Photo credits: Vera Duivenvoorden

In 2023, the Jan Brouwer Thesis Prize for Behavioural Sciences was awarded to Anaïs Thijssen. She currently is a SiA PhD student at Amsterdam UMC.