Belkis Ezgi Arikan is a researcher at Justus Liebig University Giessen , affiliated with the Department of Psychology and Sports Science . Her work focuses on sensorimotor integration, tactile suppression, and neural mechanisms underlying action-outcome monitoring. She collaborates with Prof. Dr. Fiehler and Dr. Voudouris on project A4 (Predictive somatosensory processing during voluntary movements). Department: Psychology and Sports Science Collaborators: Dr. Dimitris Voudouris, Prof. Dr. Katja Fiehler Her research investigates: How the brain processes self-generated vs. externally generated sensory feedback Neural correlates of tactile suppression networks Role of cerebellum and angular gyrus in temporal recalibration Modulation of BOLD responses during action monitoring Recent publications reveal trends in predictive coding , sensorimotor recalibration , and neural suppression mechanisms across tactile, visual, and multisensory domains. Her work employs neuroimaging techniques like fMRI and behavioral paradigms to study self-motion perception and feedback processing. She contributes to understanding how the brain distinguishes self-initiated from external sensory events, with implications for motor learning and perceptual timing mechanisms.
Anna Levina is an Assistant Professor for Computational Neuroscience at the University of Tübingen , affiliated with the Department of Computer Science under the Faculty of Science. Her research focuses on the self-organization of neuronal activity, critical dynamics in neural networks, and the excitation/inhibition balance in cortical circuits. Current positions: Assistant Professor (since 2018), Group Leader (2017-2018), Equality Officer (Computer Science) Previous roles: IST Fellow (2015-2017), Associated Researcher (2011-2015), Postdoc/PI (2011-2015), Postdoc (2008-2011) Her research integrates mathematical modeling , statistical physics , and computational neuroscience to study criticality phenomena, neural avalanches, and adaptive network dynamics. Key interests include: Self-organized criticality in neural systems Excitation/Inhibition balance mechanisms Network topology and dynamics Timescale analysis in neural processing Stochastic modeling of neural activity Recent publications reveal trends in understanding critical dynamics across biological and artificial networks, with applications to memory systems, sensorimotor integration, and disease modeling. She has received recognition as an IST Fellow .
Prof. Dr. Nadine Lehnen is a Research Group Leader at the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine , Faculty of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM). Her work bridges computational neuroscience and psychosomatic disorders, focusing on the central nervous system (CNS) mechanisms underlying functional symptoms that lack organic explanations. Research Focus : Functional somatic disorders, sensorimotor processing, vestibular system dysfunction, and computational modeling of symptom pathogenesis. Key Collaborations : EURONET-SOMA Group, interdisciplinary teams in neuroscience and clinical psychology. Her recent studies explore sensorimotor dysregulation in irritable bowel syndrome, post-COVID symptoms, and functional dizziness, emphasizing transdiagnostic mechanisms. Publications highlight translational approaches combining computational and experimental methods to redefine understanding of persistent physical symptoms. She mentors students such as Dr. Lena Schröder and Dr. Dina von Werder, contributing to training in psychosomatic research. While no specific awards are listed, her work has been supported by institutional affiliations and collaborative grants.
Ruben Portugues is a Professor of Brain Circuit Function and Dysfunction at the Institute of Neuroscience, Technical University of Munich (TUM). He is a full member of the Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences (GSN), an associate and advisory board member of the Munich Center for Neurosciences (MCN), and leads a research group focused on understanding the neural basis of behavior. His lab uses larval zebrafish as a model organism to investigate sensorimotor control, decision-making, and motor learning through whole-brain imaging and circuit analysis. His research interests lie at the intersection of systems neuroscience and behavior. He investigates how brain circuits process sensory information, integrate it with motor output, and enable adaptive and flexible behavior. Key areas include the function of the cerebellum, heading direction networks, sensorimotor transformations, and the neural mechanisms of decision-making. His lab employs cutting-edge techniques including custom-built microscopes, behavioral assays, and computational analysis. The recent publications and preprints from his lab demonstrate a strong trend in decoding distributed neural circuits underlying navigation and decision-making in zebrafish. There is a clear focus on identifying specific brain regions (e.g., interpeduncular nucleus, cerebellum) and cell types involved in processing visual, motor, and spatial information. The work increasingly emphasizes whole-brain functional imaging and the emergence of cognitive-like representations such as allocentric heading direction. FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence (FKNE) PhD Thesis Prize (awarded to student Luigi Petrucco) Ruben Portugues actively mentors PhD students, including current advisees Luigi Petrucco, Ot Prat, and Shuhong Huang, and has successfully graduated Dr. Elena Dragomir and Dr. Vilim Štih. His lab engages in extensive collaborations, hosts visiting researchers, participates in teaching (e.g., CSHL Imaging Course, Cajal Course), and secures resources for advanced research. The lab is known for building its own microscopes and software, fostering technical innovation. The Portugues Lab operates as a dynamic, interdisciplinary team that combines experimental neuroscience with computational and engineering approaches. They regularly hold retreats, participate in scientific events, and contribute to community initiatives like the Munich Brain Day. The lab is preparing to relocate to the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University, marking a new phase in its research trajectory.
Dr. Philipp Allgeuer is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Knowledge Technology Research Group within the Department of Informatics at the University of Hamburg. His work focuses on humanoid robotics, bipedal locomotion, and sensor fusion. He holds a PhD from the Autonomous Intelligent Systems Group at the University of Bonn, alongside dual bachelor's degrees in Mechatronic Engineering and Mathematical/Computer Sciences (both with First-Class Honors). His research contributions include the development of the igus Humanoid Open Platform and the NimbRo-OP series of humanoid robots, recognized with awards like the RoboCup HARTING Open Source Award (2016) and the Best Humanoid Award (2018). He has authored influential papers on fused angles for robot balance, tilt phase space representations, and neuro-inspired control architectures. Allgeuer's teams have dominated RoboCup competitions, winning titles in AdultSize and TeenSize leagues multiple times. His open-source software frameworks (e.g., rot_conv_lib , attitude_estimator ) and hardware designs are widely used in robotics research. Recent work explores multimodal human-robot interaction and AI-driven robotic task coordination. He is affiliated with the Knowledge Technology Research Group and contributes to projects like the NICOL humanoid robot, bridging social interaction and reliable manipulation. His research spans from low-level control algorithms to high-level behavior planning systems.
Prof. Joseph Claßen serves as a Professor at Leipzig University, specializing in neural mechanisms of movement, brain adaptation processes, and bodily perception. His work bridges fundamental neuroscience with clinical applications for neurological rehabilitation. Research centers on three interconnected domains: elucidating principles of motor control and learning through neuronal plasticity; developing targeted brain stimulation protocols to alleviate neurological symptoms; and investigating cognitive aspects of bodily representation. These areas drive therapeutic innovation for movement disorders and sensorimotor deficits. PhD projects are actively offered in all three research streams, designed for collaborative execution with other university faculty members to foster interdisciplinary approaches in neuroscience and rehabilitation medicine.
Prof. Laura Busse is a Professor at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), leading the Research Group in the Department of Biology II, Division Neurobiology. She holds roles as a Regular Member of MCN, Full Member of GSN, and Deputy Head of the GSN Examination Board. Her research focuses on cellular and systems neuroscience, particularly investigating how contextual information influences visual perception through neural circuits in mice. Key areas include feedback mechanisms, behavioral state effects, and thalamocortical interactions. Her work employs advanced techniques like high-density extracellular recordings and optogenetics to study active behavior in rodents. Current students include Simon Renner, Gregory Born, and others. Recent research highlights include studies on corticothalamic feedback effects, thalamic spatial integration, and the role of pupil dynamics in neural activity. She leads the Vision Circuits Lab (https://visioncircuitslab.org), exploring how sensory inputs and brain states shape visual processing. Her articles reveal trends in understanding thalamocortical communication, adaptive sensory systems, and the biological basis of neural network models. She coordinates the SPP2411 project on cortico-subcortical loops, emphasizing interdisciplinary neuroscience.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Kopp is a faculty member at Bielefeld University's Faculty of Engineering and serves as Research Group Leader of the Cognitive Systems and Social Interaction Group . He also holds administrative roles as Vice Dean and Deputy CITEC Coordinator . His work focuses on Artificial Intelligence , Cognitive Systems , and Socio-Technical World research areas. Research Group Leader: Cognitive Systems and Social Interaction Group Vice Dean: Faculty of Engineering Deputy Coordinator: Center for Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC) Project Manager: TRR 318 "Constructing Explainability" subprojects His research explores human-agent interaction , multimodal conversational agents , and social AI through projects like 39-Inf-11 Human-Machine Interaction and 39-M-Inf-VKI Virtual Humans and Conversational Agents . Publications address topics including adaptive explanation generation , gesture synthesis , and social cognition in dynamic environments. Current research topics span cooperative AI , explainable decision-making , and sensorimotor grounding in artificial systems.
Dani S. Bassett is the J. Peter Skirkanich Professor at the University of Pennsylvania with primary appointment in the Department of Bioengineering (School of Engineering and Applied Science) and secondary appointments in Physics & Astronomy, Electrical & Systems Engineering, Neurology, and Psychiatry. They serve as an external professor at the Santa Fe Institute and lead a research group focused on complex systems and network science. B.S. in Physics, Penn State University (2004) Ph.D. in Physics, University of Cambridge as Churchill Scholar and NIH Health Sciences Scholar (2009) Postdoctoral position at UC Santa Barbara and Junior Research Fellow at Sage Center for the Study of the Mind Their research integrates complex systems science, statistical mechanics, and applied mathematics to study network dynamics in physical and biological systems. Key areas include brain connectivity mechanisms, cognitive processes, neurological disease modeling, granular matter physics, and collective human curiosity. Bassett employs advanced methodologies including algebraic topology, network control theory, and multilayer network analysis to investigate how network architecture influences system function across diverse domains. Recent publications reveal a strong trend toward interdisciplinary network science applications, particularly in modeling human curiosity through Wikipedia navigation patterns and analyzing brain network reconfiguration during cognitive development. Their work bridges physics, neuroscience, and behavioral science with emphasis on topological network properties and dynamical processes. American Psychological Association's Rising Star (2012) MacArthur Fellow Genius Grant (2014) Lagrange Prize in Complex Systems Science (2017) Erdos-Renyi Prize in Network Science (2018) American Physical Society Fellow (2021) Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher (3 consecutive years) Bassett's research is supported by major agencies including NSF, NIH, DoD, ONR, and private foundations (MacArthur, Sloan, Paul Allen). Their lab actively recruits students from physics, engineering, neuroscience, and computer science backgrounds, emphasizing diversity in academic perspectives. Current projects include the 'Curious Minds' initiative exploring collective knowledge building and network-based models of neurological disorders. Bassett co-authored the MIT Press book 'Curious Minds: The Power of Connection' with philosopher Perry Zurn.
Prof. Constantin A. Rothkopf is a W3 Professor at the Department of Psychology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, and a secondary member of the Department of Computer Science. He serves as Founding Director of the Centre for Cognitive Science and founding member of the Hessisches Zentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz (hessian.ai). He is also part of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) and the DAAD Konrad Zuse Schools of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (ELIZA). His research focuses on the interplay between perception and action, using computational models and experimental studies in humans. Current work includes eye-tracking studies in naturalistic environments, inverse optimal control models, and developing algorithms for virtual agents. Education: Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Informatics from the University of Rochester, followed by postdoctoral research at Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS). He has held visiting professorships at Central European University (2017) and Columbia University (2023). Awards include an ERC Consolidator Grant (2022) and SCENE Project Funding (2025). Research Interests: Active vision, decision-making under uncertainty, sensorimotor control, and computational modeling. Key themes include how humans use sensory input to form beliefs, make decisions, and act in dynamic environments. Grants/Awards: ERC Consolidator Grant (2022), SCENE Funding (2025) Labs/Teams: Centre for Cognitive Science, hessian.ai, ELLIS Unit Darmstadt
Dr. Anne Koelewijn is an Assistant Professor leading the Biomechanical Motion Analysis and Creation (BioMAC) group at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) since 2019. Her research bridges biomechanics, computational modeling, and wearable technology to analyze human movement. She holds a Junior Professorship in Computational Movement Science within the Department of Electrical-Electronic-Communication Engineering. Her educational background includes a Doctor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Cleveland State University (focus: prosthesis design and gait simulations), an MSc in Mechanical Engineering (BioMechanical Design specialization), and a BSc in Aerospace Engineering , both from Delft University of Technology. She completed postdoctoral work at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne on neuromuscular control. Research interests center on human movement optimization , neuromuscular control mechanisms , and in-the-wild movement analysis . Her work integrates musculoskeletal modeling, optimal control theory, and machine learning to study gait adaptations, exoskeleton design, and pathological movement patterns (e.g., Parkinson’s disease). Publications emphasize predictive simulations , wearable sensor technology , and biomechanical energy optimization , with recent advances in radar-based motion capture, inertial pose estimation, and digital twin applications for medical engineering. Promising Scientist Award , International Society of Biomechanics (2023) Best Paper Award , 5th International Symposium on Wearable Robotics (2020) She leads the BioMAC research group, focusing on computational methods for movement science and collaborating internationally on projects involving exoskeletons, injury prevention, and neuroprosthetics.
Thomas Wachtler-Kulla is a Professor in the Department of Biology II at Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, where he leads the Computational Neuroscience research group. He is a GSN full member and serves as the GSN Ombudsperson, offering neutral and confidential counseling for students. He is also the Group Leader and Scientific Director at the German Neuroinformatics Node (G-Node), contributing significantly to neuroscience data infrastructure. His research focuses on how the brain processes sensory signals, particularly in the visual system, aiming to understand neural coding, perceptual stability, and color vision under natural conditions. He employs neurophysiology, psychophysics, and computational modeling to investigate sensory processing, eye movement compensation, and efficient coding mechanisms. At G-Node, he develops software and hardware tools for organizing, storing, analyzing, and sharing neurophysiological data, promoting reproducible research. His recent work spans Bayesian models of hue perception, data management frameworks like DataLad and odML, and studies on honeybee neuroethology. He actively supervises graduate students and contributes to major initiatives such as NFDI-Neuro and the International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility, advancing standards for open and FAIR neuroscience. Scientific Contributions and Leadership: Scientific Director, German Neuroinformatics Node (G-Node) GSN Ombudsperson for student conflict resolution Key contributor to NFDI-Neuro and INCF Developer of tools for metadata management and data sharing He advises several current and former graduate students and is deeply involved in shaping data policies and infrastructure for the neuroscience community, ensuring scientific rigor and accessibility.
Surjo R. Soekadar is the Einstein Professor of Clinical Neurotechnology at Charité – University Medicine Berlin. He leads the Clinical Neurotechnology Laboratory , which focuses on developing noninvasive neurotechnologies for treating neurological and psychiatric disorders through closed-loop brain stimulation and advanced brain-machine interfaces (BCI/BMI). His work integrates real-time EEG/MEG monitoring with electromagnetic stimulation to modulate pathological brain oscillations and enhance neuroplasticity in conditions like stroke, spinal cord injury, and psychiatric disorders. Education : Studied medicine in Mainz, Heidelberg, and Baltimore Clinical Training : Residency in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at University of Tübingen Academic Journey : 2008-2011 Research Fellow at NINDS (USA); 2017 Venia Legendi at University of Tübingen; 2018 First Professor of Clinical Neurotechnology in Germany His research interests span: • Closed-loop neurostimulation combining real-time brain state monitoring with targeted intervention • Next-generation BCI using optically pumped magnetometers (OPM) for mobile MEG recordings • Neurorehabilitation through exoskeleton control and sensory feedback • Neurophysiological modeling of entropy measures and phase flows Recent publications highlight: • Adaptive deep brain stimulation protocols • Real-time phase-sensitive tACS applications • OPM-based BCI innovations • Stroke recovery mechanisms through corticospinal tract analysis Scientific recognition includes: International BCI Research Award BIOMAG Award NARSAD Young Investigator Award Funded by the European Research Council (ERC) , his lab trains doctoral students like David Haslacher (EEG/MEG integration), Khaled Nasr (multicoil TMS optimization), and Annalisa Colucci (entropy-driven BCI development). The team also explores quantum AI applications in clinical decision-making and bidirectional BCI systems using OPM and tES.
David Franklin is an Associate Professor at the Technical University of Munich specialized in Neuromuscular Diagnostics . His research focuses on the physiological and computational principles of human neuromuscular motor control, particularly how the nervous system regulates body mechanics to adapt to environments and enable skillful movement. Affiliated with Munich Cluster for Neuroimaging (MCN) and GSN full faculty, he combines computational modeling with robotics , virtual reality , and human behavior experiments to study sensorimotor integration. Research Themes: Computational neuroscience of motor control Impedance control in human movement Robotics for sensorimotor studies Behavioral task design and analysis Selected Publication Trends reveal consistent focus on feedback/forward control mechanisms, computational modeling in sensorimotor integration, and robotics/virtual reality applications in motor learning across 2011-2020. His work addresses both execution and planning aspects of neuromuscular control.
Claudius Gros is a Professor of Theoretical Physics at Goethe University Frankfurt. He holds a PhD from ETH Zurich and has held academic positions at Indiana University, University of Dortmund, and Saarland University. His research focuses on complex systems theory, physics of AI, self-organized robotics, and the Genesis Project, an interstellar mission concept for establishing life on exoplanets. His work bridges theoretical physics with interdisciplinary applications, including epidemiology modeling and societal dynamics analysis. Key contributions include the textbook Complex and Adaptive Dynamical Systems (Springer) and foundational studies on attention mechanisms in AI architectures. Education: Bachelor/Master: ETH Zurich, Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics PhD: ETH Zurich, 1985 (Advisor: T. Maurice Rice) Postdoc: Indiana University, 1988–1990 (With Steve Girvin and Allan MacDonald) Research Interests: Physics of AI : Analysis of transformer models, attention mechanisms, and neural scaling laws. Complex Systems : Epidemic models, dormancy dynamics in cellular automata (Spore Life), and self-organized robotics. Genesis Project : Feasibility of interstellar probes to seed life on exoplanets, magnetic sail deceleration. Societal Dynamics : Strategy condensation, envy-driven class stratification, and pandemic policy modeling. Articles Overview: Recent work spans AI physics (attention mechanisms, neural scaling), complex systems (epidemic oscillations, dormancy models), and robotics (self-organization principles). Themes include theoretical frameworks for embodied systems, computational models of societal behavior, and interdisciplinary applications of dynamical systems theory. Advising & Grants: Claudius Gros has advised multiple researchers, with co-authored papers featuring collaborators like O. Neumann, D.H. Nevermann, and B. Sandor. His grants include funding for Genesis Project studies and robotics research. Labs & Teams: His research group focuses on Physics of AI and Self-Organized Robotics , with active projects on embodied robots, neural network dynamics, and interstellar mission feasibility.
