Starting PhD, April 2026

Julian
Pemberton-Kerssens

Incoming PhD candidate at VU Amsterdam developing multimodal ML models to assess wellbeing from video, speech, and behavioural signals. Econometrics & Data Science graduate with a focus on NLP, affective computing, and reproducible pipelines.

Research Interests
Affective Computing Explainable & Fair AI Cognitive & Behavioural Science
julian.py
class Julian:
  def __init__(self):
    self.role = "PhD Candidate"
    self.lab = "VU Amsterdam"
    self.topic = "AI & Biological Psychology"
    self.education = "MSc Econometrics"

  def skills(self):
    return [
      "Machine Learning",
      "Data Science",
      "Multivariate Time Series",
      "Teaching",
      "Sentiment & Behavioural Theory"
    ]
🎓 UvA Graduate

ML Researcher
& Data Scientist

I'm a quantitative graduate from the University of Amsterdam, where I completed my MSc in Econometrics with a strong focus on machine learning and statistical modeling. My thesis on NLP-driven market sentiment analysis was awarded a 9/10 and won the REmagine thesis prize in Responsible Digital Transformation.

I'm experienced in building end-to-end Python pipelines for data collection, preprocessing, and model inference, with a strong emphasis on robust evaluation and reproducibility. Starting April 2026, I will be pursuing a PhD at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam on Sentiment Analyses for Wellbeing, developing multimodal ML models to dynamically assess human wellbeing from video data, integrating facial expressions, speech, and behaviour.

🔬
Research Focus
ML fairness, bias detection, NLP, and multimodal affective computing
📊
Data-Driven
End-to-end pipelines with robust evaluation and reproducibility
🌐
Bilingual
Native Dutch and English speaker based in Amsterdam

Academic Background

Extensive quantitative training in econometrics, machine learning, and data science at the University of Amsterdam.

Sep 2023 –
Aug 2024

MSc Econometrics , University of Amsterdam

  • GPA: 8.1
  • Machine Learning for Econometrics (9.0) · Machine Learning in Finance (10) · Data Science Methods (8.5)
  • Thesis (9.0): "Innovating market sentiment analysis with NLP"
🏆 Winner: REmagine Thesis Prize in Responsible Digital Transformation
Sep 2019 –
Jul 2023

BSc Econometrics & Data Science , University of Amsterdam

  • Statistical Learning · Reinforcement Learning · Optimization · Data Preprocessing · Time Series Analysis

Applied ML Research

End-to-end machine learning projects with emphasis on reproducibility, evaluation, and real-world impact.

Multimodal Emotion Recognition: Evaluation Methodology & Generalization

Jan – Feb 2026

Multimodal pipeline for audio-visual emotion classification, demonstrating how evaluation methodology (random splits vs. actor-wise vs. external validation on CREMA-D) affects conclusions about model performance.

  • End-to-end pipeline extracting MediaPipe (468 3D landmarks) and librosa (MFCCs) features from RAVDESS video clips
  • Quantified ~20% identity leakage gap between random and actor-wise splits; early fusion best at 0.647 actor-wise accuracy
  • External validation on CREMA-D exposed further dataset-specific overfitting: early fusion dropped to 0.414, audio-only near chance
  • Feature ablation showing temporal dynamics (std) are more person-invariant than static geometry (mean), with practical implications for generalization
Python MediaPipe librosa Multimodal ML RAVDESS CREMA-D
View on GitHub

MSc Thesis: Innovating Market Sentiment Analysis with NLP

Apr – Aug 2024

Award-winning thesis building a reproducible pipeline for news collection, preprocessing, and transformer-based sentiment inference using Hugging Face.

  • Automated collection of ~500,000 keyword-specific news articles from 13,000+ sources
  • Constructed aggregate and keyword-specific dynamic sentiment indices
  • Validated against established benchmarks with ~82% correlation
  • Applied sentiment analysis to wellbeing-relevant economic indicators (consumer confidence)
  • Audited methodological constraints: data quality, bias risks, and model limitations
Python Hugging Face NLP Time Series Econometrics
Read the Thesis

Professional Journey

Combining research, teaching, and industry experience across ML, finance, and education.

Mar 2026 –
Present

PhD Candidate: Sentiment Analyses for Wellbeing

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · Dept. of Biological Psychology & Computer Science

Developing multimodal machine learning models to dynamically assess human wellbeing from video data, analysing facial expressions, tone, behaviour, and speech. Addressing methodological challenges including data quality, bias, and model validity, integrating data from the Netherlands Twin Register alongside open-source datasets.

Dec 2025 –
Feb 2026

Tutorial Teacher

University of Amsterdam · Faculty of Social and Behavioural Science

Taught weekly tutorials to first-year BSc Sociology students in Introduction to Statistics. Guided SPSS-based analyses and helped students interpret results, adapting materials to their needs.

★★★★ 4.5 / 5 avg. student evaluation
Dec 2022 –
Apr 2023

Junior Investment Specialist

Saxo Bank · Amsterdam

Client-facing role translating complex investment information into clear guidance, applying analytical reasoning to help customers make informed decisions.

Feb 2017 –
Feb 2018

Mathematics & Chemistry Tutor

Berlage Lyceum · Amsterdam

Diagnosed learning gaps and tailored 1:1 tutoring sessions, translating complex concepts into clear explanations with targeted exam practice.

Technical Toolkit

A strong quantitative foundation paired with modern ML frameworks and engineering tools.

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Machine Learning & AI

PyTorch TensorFlow / Keras scikit-learn Hugging Face CNNs NLP
📈

Data & Statistical Modeling

Time Series Analysis Econometrics Statistical Learning Model Evaluation
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Programming & Scientific Stack

Python R NumPy pandas SciPy statsmodels
🛠

Engineering & Tools

Git Jupyter VS Code LaTeX Markdown SPSS

Certifications & Programs

Jan 2026

Didactic Bootcamp

University of Amsterdam · UTQ Framework
Dec 2025

TensorFlow Developer Professional Certificate

DeepLearning.AI · Coursera
Jun 2017

Specialized Program in Quantum Computing

Beta Instituut

Let's Connect

Interested in collaboration, research opportunities, or just want to chat about ML? Reach out.