Dr. Jouke-Jan Hottenga

Dr. Jouke-Jan Hottenga

Acting Director and Senior Scientist at NDRC

Joint Associate Professor

Email

jhottenga@hbku.edu.qa

Office location

RC-B2-1480

Dr. Jouke-Jan Hottenga

Acting Director and Senior Scientist at NDRC

Joint Associate Professor

Educational Qualifications

PhD in Genetic Epidemiology

MSc in Genetic Epidemiology

Entity

Qatar Biomedical Research Institute

College of Health and Life Sciences

Division

Neurological Disorders Research Center

Biography

Dr. Jouke Jan Hottenga is Acting Scientific Director and Senior Researcher at the Neurological Disorders Research Center (NDRC), Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). He holds a PhD in Genetic Epidemiology from Leiden University and has more than two decades of experience in genetic epidemiology and genomics.

Before joining QBRI, he worked at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Netherlands Twin Register, where he coordinated large-scale genetic research and genomic data infrastructure. His research has contributed to major international studies of complex human traits and neurological and psychiatric disorders. At QBRI, his work focuses on autism genetics, multi-omics and precision medicine, with particular interest in populations from Qatar and the wider region. He leads research programs in autism and supervises graduate researchers at HBKU.

Dr. Hottenga has authored or co-authored more than 350 peer-reviewed publications and is an active contributor to major international research consortia.

PhD in Genetic Epidemiology

Leiden University, Netherlands

2005

MSc in Genetic Epidemiology

Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands

2003

BSc in Biomedical Sciences

Leiden University, Netherlands

1998

  • Genomics of neurological disorders, understanding the genetic basis of complex disorders, with a current focus on autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions.
  • Population genetics and genetic Epidemiology, studying genetic variation within and across populations and its contribution to differences in complex human traits and disease.
  • Bioinformatics and large-scale data, developing and applying computational approaches for genomic and multi-omics research, with an emphasis on robust, reproducible, and FAIR data.
  • Precision and Translational Medicine. Using genetic and multi-omics information to move from understanding disease mechanisms toward better risk assessment, diagnosis, and ultimately treatment.

Acting Director

Neurological Disorders Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University

2025 - Present

Senior Scientist

Neurological Disorders Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University

2025 - Present

Coordinating Senior Researcher

Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands

2003 - 2024

Bruins, S., Hottenga, J. J., Neale, M. C., Pool, R., Boomsma, D. I., & Dolan, C. V. (2024). Environment-by-PGS interaction in the classical twin design: An application to childhood anxiety and negative affect. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 59(6), 1198–1210.  ⁠

Gupta, V., Ben-Mahmoud, A., Idris, A. B., Hottenga, J. J., Habbab, W., Alsayegh, A., Kim, H. G., AL-Mamari, W., & Stanton, L. W. (2023). Genetic Variant Analyses Identify Novel Candidate Autism Risk Genes from a Highly Consanguineous Cohort of 104 Families from Oman. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(24), 13700.

Grove, J., Ripke, S., Als, T. D., Mattheisen, M., Walters, R. K., Won, H., Pallesen, J., Agerbo, E., Andreassen, O. A., Anney, R., Awashti, S., Belliveau, R., Bettella, F., Buxbaum, J. D., Bybjerg-Grauholm, J., Bækvad-Hansen, M., Cerrato, F., Chambert, K., Christensen, J. H., . . . Børglum, A. D. (2019). Identification of common genetic risk variants for autism spectrum disorder. Nature Genetics, 51(3), 431-444. 

Grove, J., Ripke, S., Als, T. D., Mattheisen, M., Walters, R. K., Won, H., Pallesen, J., Agerbo, E., Andreassen, O. A., Anney, R., Awashti, S., Belliveau, R., Bettella, F., Buxbaum, J. D., Bybjerg-Grauholm, J., Bækvad-Hansen, M., Cerrato, F., Chambert, K., Christensen, J. H., . . . Børglum, A. D. (2019). Identification of common genetic risk variants for autism spectrum disorder. Nature Genetics, 51(3), 431-444. 

Anttila, V., Bulik-Sullivan, B., Finucane, H. K., Walters, R. K., Bras, J., Duncan, L., et al. (2018). Analysis of shared heritability in common disorders of the brain. Science, 360(6395), Article e aap8757.

Complete Publication Listing(s): Google Scholar

  • 2025 - Research.com Genetics in Netherlands Leader Award
  • 2024 - Research.com Medicine in Netherlands Leader Award
  • 2024 - Research.com Genetics in Netherlands Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Medicine in Netherlands Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Genetics in Netherlands Leader Award