​​

Environmental perception emerges from a complex interplay between cognitive processes, emotional states, sensory functioning, and lived experience. These interactions are particularly relevant in clinical populations, where alterations in perception and behavior may arise from neuropsychological or sensory impairments.

​

This line of research explores how natural and built environments shape cognition, wellbeing, and adaptive functioning. A central objective is to identify which characteristics of natural environments may support (or not) attentional restoration, reduce stress, and enhance quality of life across both healthy and clinical populations.

​

This work is developed through transdisciplinary collaborations at the intersection of clinical neuropsychology, environmental psychology, and design research. In collaboration with Prof. Maider Llaguno-Munitxa (Faculty of Architecture, Architectural Engineering and Urban Planning, UCLouvain), we investigate how spatial design and urban green infrastructure influence stress regulation, perception, and cognitive experience.

​

In parallel, collaborative research conducted with international partners examines the relationships between environmental identity, connection to nature, and visuospatial functioning across development and cultural contexts, including work in Belgium and Africa, notably with Prof. El Hadji Makhtar Ba (Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar).

​​​

This perspective is further extended through participation in the INTERREG Forest4Youth project, in collaboration with Prof. Malgorzata Klass (Faculty of Motor Skills Sciences, ULB). ​This interdisciplinary initiative explores how forest-based and nature-oriented approaches can support young people’s wellbeing, engagement, and development. Within this framework, a neuropsychological perspective contributes to understanding how environmental experience and embodied interactions with natural settings may influence cognition, behavior, and mental health.

​

Overall, this research track aims to generate scientifically grounded and clinically relevant knowledge on how environments can be designed and mobilized to support health, cognition, and human functioning.​​