About
Dr. Simone Beer is a Physicist at the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-2) at Forschungszentrum Jülich, focusing on advanced neuroimaging and AI-driven methodologies. Her work integrates PET, MRI, and machine learning to study sleep-circadian rhythms, neurodegeneration, and brain aging. Key projects include the Awake PET initiative for non-anesthetized animal studies and the SleepLess Project exploring sleep deprivation effects. She teaches Experimental and Translational Neuroimaging at Heinrich-Heine-University (HHU) Düsseldorf, emphasizing radiation protection and PET techniques.
Research interests span:
- Development of hybrid PET/MRI phantoms
- Quantitative PET methods for awake animal models
- Explainable AI analysis of multi-omics data linking genetics to neurodegeneration
- Circadian rhythm impacts on adenosine receptor availability
Her recent work highlights the relationship between sleep deprivation and accelerated brain aging, as well as sex differences in adenosine receptor availability. Beer also pioneers low-dose PET/MRI image enhancement via deep learning and investigates hypoxia effects on cerebral perfusion using [F-18]CPFPX PET.
Laboratory affiliations include the Plant Imaging with PET (PhenoPET) initiative and development of 3D-printed phantoms for hybrid imaging. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges physics, neuroscience, and clinical medicine.
