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Dr. Lorenz Fenk is a Max Planck Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence , leading the Neural Dynamics and Evolution department. His research focuses on neural systems function, natural behavior, and evolutionary neuroscience. Education: PhD in Neurobiology/Genetics (2016), University of Cambridge, UK Diploma (Mag. rer. nat.) in Biology/Anthropology (2010), University of Vienna, Austria His work combines quantitative methods and modern tools to study unconventional model systems like reptiles. Research themes include: Mechanisms of neural circuit dynamics during sleep Interhemispheric competition in reptiles Evolutionary aspects of sleep and cognition Internal brain activity and its link to memory/perception Recent publications demonstrate interdisciplinary trends in sleep research, neural computation, and evolutionary biology. Studies span vertebrate ultradian rhythms, reptilian brainstem circuits, and environmental modulation of behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans . Dr. Fenk's current affiliation is with the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, where he employs molecular, neurophysiological, and computational approaches to unravel cognitive processes and flexible behavior.

• Behaviour
• Biophysics
• Circuits
• +5 more

Prof. Dr. Annette Upmeier zu Belzen is a Professor at the Institute of Biology at Humboldt University of Berlin, where she has been serving since October 2005. She leads the working group on Biology Didactics and Teaching/Learning Research within the Department of Biology Didactics. Her academic work is situated in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at one of Germany's most prestigious research universities. Her educational background includes: Promotion Dr. paed. from the Institute for Biology Education at Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster (1997) Master of Arts in School Management from Technical University of Kaiserslautern (2005) Studies in biology, education and psychology at the University of Münster, culminating in the First State Examination (1992) Prof. Upmeier zu Belzen's research primarily focuses on biology education, with special emphasis on models and modeling in science education. Her work explores how students develop scientific reasoning skills through model-based learning approaches. She investigates the cognitive processes involved in understanding biological phenomena through modeling activities and examines how these processes can be effectively supported in classroom settings. Her research has significant implications for science teacher education, as she develops frameworks for assessing and fostering model competence among pre-service teachers. Through her work, she bridges theoretical perspectives on scientific modeling with practical classroom applications, contributing to both educational theory and practice in science education. Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on model-based learning, scientific reasoning, and teacher education. She has been increasingly investigating the role of abductive reasoning in modeling biological phenomena as complex systems. Her work spans formal classroom settings, museum education environments, and teacher professional development contexts. A notable trend in her recent work is the integration of cognitive science perspectives with educational research to better understand how students and teachers engage with scientific models and practices. Prof. Upmeier zu Belzen holds several significant professional roles: Deputy spokesperson of the Interdisciplinary Center ProMINT-Kolleg Scientific Director of Humboldt Explorers Editor of Science Education Review Letters (SERL) Member of the Council of the Humboldt University of Berlin She is actively involved in educational policy and standards development, serving as a consultant for various national and international organizations including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for the PISA Science Framework 2025. Her expertise is sought after for developing educational standards and frameworks across multiple German educational institutions. Prof. Upmeier zu Belzen leads and participates in several research teams and laboratories focused on science education. Her work with the Humboldt Explorers program creates innovative learning environments, while her involvement with the Interdisciplinary Center ProMINT-Kolleg supports STEM education initiatives across Berlin and Brandenburg.

• Biology Education
• Science Education
• Teaching/Learning Research
• +4 more

Meg Crofoot is a Professor at the University of Konstanz and Director of the Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior. She previously held roles as a Professor at the University of California, Davis, a lecturer at Princeton University, and a research fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Her research focuses on the evolution of social complexity in animal societies, leveraging GPS technology and remote sensing to study group dynamics in primates and other species. Key projects include investigating baboon movement decisions in Kenya and capuchin tool use in Panama. Crofoot has received prestigious awards like the Packard Fellowship and Alexander von Humboldt Professorship. She advocates for diversity in science and collaborates globally to advance understanding of animal sociality.

• Behavioral Ecology
• Evolutionary Anthropology
• Animal Social Behavior
• +3 more

Achim Kramer serves as Professor of Chronobiology (W2, tenured) at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, where he chairs the independent Research Unit for Chronobiology within the Institute of Medical Immunology. His academic career spans molecular chronobiology research and teaching since 2002, with significant contributions to understanding circadian clock mechanisms in mammals. His educational background includes a Biochemistry degree from Freie Universität Berlin (1988-1993), a Ph.D. in Biochemistry (summa cum laude, 1996) from Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, and piano training at Berlin's Hochschule der Künste (1990-1994). Postdoctoral work included research at Harvard Medical School (1999-2001) under Charles Weitz and positions at IRBM Rome and Charité. Dr. Kramer's research centers on molecular mechanisms of circadian clocks, with expertise in protein interactions (CRY1-PER2), post-translational modifications, peripheral tissue clocks (macrophages, skin), and translational applications like circadian blood biomarkers. His work bridges structural biology, immunology, and sleep medicine to address how biological timing affects health and disease. Analysis of his publications reveals consistent focus on circadian molecular machinery across diverse biological contexts, with increasing translational emphasis in recent years on diagnostic applications and tissue-specific clock functions. His structural work on cryptochromes and phosphorylation mechanisms underpins fundamental understanding of clock regulation. Key honors include the Heinz-Maier-Leibnitz Award (DFG, 2002), Brooks Fellowship (Harvard, 2001), multiple Teaching Awards for Medical Neurosciences (2010-2015), and a Young Researcher's Award from Charité (1998). He leads the Chronobiology Research Unit within Charité's Institute of Medical Immunology, participating in the SFB/TRR186 consortium on molecular switches. His service includes chairing the 2015 Gordon Research Conference on Chronobiology, editorial roles at PLoS Genetics and Journal of Biological Rhythms, and leadership positions in the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms and European Biological Rhythms Society.

• Chronobiology
• Circadian Rhythms
• Molecular Biology
• +3 more

Florian Albrecht-Schoeck is a German artist and Researcher at the Offenbach University of Art and Design . His work bridges Photography , Artificial Intelligence , and Machine Learning , exploring themes of roots, identity, origin, and belonging within societal, political, and individual contexts . He co-teaches the Photography Fundamentals course with Prof. Martin Liebscher. Albrecht-Schoeck’s artistic practice involves analog, digital, and virtual photography . His series like Not Alone (2021/2022) and Squares (2023) analyze the medium’s evolving role in the age of AI. He integrates research into teaching , helping students navigate complex technologies through projects like No way Back: Photography without Photographs (2024/2025). He has received notable awards and scholarships , including the Brückenstipendium der Hessischen Kulturstiftung (2021) and Deutsche Börse Fotoförderpreis (2011). His works are housed in collections such as the Art Collection Deutsche Börse and the Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte in Marburg . Key exhibitions include Roots Retropia Rage Repeat (2018) and Fotografie ohne Fotografie (2025). He also contributes to pedagogical projects , such as the annual ZuTaten publications and exhibitions (2024/2025).

• Photography
• Digital Art
• Artistic Research
• +4 more

Julia Lawall is a Senior Research Scientist (Directrice de Recherche) at Inria-Paris, where she leads research in the Whisper group. She has made significant contributions to the fields of programming languages, operating systems, and software engineering, with a particular focus on program transformation and Linux kernel development. Her work bridges theoretical computer science with practical software engineering challenges. Dr. Lawall's research primarily centers on the design and implementation of domain-specific languages for operating system problems, program transformation techniques, and automated software evolution. Her most notable contribution is the Coccinelle framework, which has been instrumental in automating the evolution of Linux device drivers for over a decade. Her work spans from theoretical foundations in optimal reduction of the lambda calculus to practical tools that address real-world software maintenance challenges in large-scale systems like the Linux kernel. Her publication record demonstrates consistent contributions across multiple domains, with recent work focusing on Android API evolution, Linux kernel bug detection, and program transformation techniques. The trajectory of her research shows a progression from theoretical programming language concepts to increasingly practical applications in system software maintenance and evolution. EuroSys Test of time award for 'Documenting and Automating Collateral Evolutions in Linux Device Drivers' at EuroSys 2008 Best paper award for 'Diagnosys: Automatic Generation of a Debugging Interface to the Linux kernel' at ASE 2012 Most Influential ICFP Paper Award for foundational work on lambda calculus Best Reviewer at GPCE 2020 and Distinguished Reviewer at ASE 2020 Dr. Lawall has been actively involved in the academic community, serving as program co-chair for numerous prestigious conferences including ASE 2019, FSE 2026, and EuroSys 2025. She has also contributed to community initiatives as the Linux kernel coordinator for Outreachy (2015-2018) and as a member of the advisory board for Software Heritage. Her leadership extends to editorial roles, including associate editor for Higher-Order and Symbolic Computation and membership on the editorial board of Science of Computer Programming. She leads the Whisper research group at Inria-Paris, which focuses on program transformation techniques and their applications to system software. The group has developed several influential tools including Coccinelle, Coccinelle4J, LiLiput, Prequel, and JMake, which have had substantial impact on both academic research and industrial practice in software maintenance and evolution.

• Operating Systems
• Domain-Specific Languages
• Program Transformation
• +4 more

Michael Cochez is an Assistant Professor in the Learning and Reasoning group at the Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam . His research focuses on Machine Learning , Knowledge Graph Embedding , and Prototype-Based Ontologies , with applications in Scalable Hierarchical Clustering , Ontology Matching , and Knowledge Evolution . He teaches Intelligent Systems , Data Mining , and Machine Learning courses. His research explores integrating Knowledge Graphs into end-to-end ML models , addressing challenges in Approximate Query Answering and Knowledge Representation . He has also contributed to Multi-Agent Systems and Cloud Communication through projects like Graphino.nl (his consultancy business). His students include Jiawen Chen (supervised thesis on Smart Semantic Multi-channel Communication ).

• Machine Learning
• Knowledge Graph Embedding
• Semantic Web
• +5 more

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Joachim Denzler is a Professor leading the Chair for Digital Image Processing (Lehrstuhl für Digitale Bildverarbeitung) at Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena. His research spans computer vision, machine learning, medical imaging, and remote sensing applications across diverse domains including biomedical analysis, environmental monitoring, and facial recognition systems. His research interests focus on explainable AI, causal discovery, physics-informed neural networks, and bias mitigation in deep learning models. He has made significant contributions to fine-grained classification, concept activation vectors, and privacy-preserving techniques in facial recognition. His work often bridges theoretical computer vision with practical applications in medical diagnostics, environmental science, and infrastructure monitoring. His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward causal discovery methods, physics-informed neural networks, and addressing bias in machine learning systems. His work spans both theoretical advancements in model interpretability and practical applications in medical imaging, environmental monitoring, and infrastructure safety. The interdisciplinary nature of his research is evident from collaborations with ecologists, neuroscientists, and civil engineers. Best Paper Award at International Conference on Pattern Recognition (ICPR) 2024 Prof. Denzler actively mentors numerous PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, with frequent co-authors including Maha Shadaydeh, Niklas Penzel, Gideon Stein, and Tim Büchner appearing as first authors on significant publications. His laboratory has secured research funding across multiple domains including medical imaging, environmental monitoring, and AI safety. His work on CausalRivers represents a major contribution to benchmarking causal discovery methods with real-world time series data. The Chair for Digital Image Processing maintains strong industry and clinical partnerships, particularly in medical imaging applications for facial palsy analysis and neonatal care. Prof. Denzler's team has developed novel techniques for dam deformation monitoring using remote sensing data and created advanced methods for analyzing plant diversity effects on ecosystem functioning.

• Computer Vision
• Pattern Recognition
• Machine Learning
• +7 more

Lorenz Fenk is a Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, focusing on neural systems, natural behavior, and evolutionary mechanisms. His group employs unconventional model systems like reptiles and integrates molecular/genetic, neurophysiological, and computational approaches. Education: PhD in Neurobiology/Genetics (2016), University of Cambridge, UK Diploma (Mag. rer. nat.) in Biology/Anthropology (2010), University of Vienna, Austria Research interests center on internally generated brain activity during sleep, inter-hemispheric competition in lizards, and the evolutionary foundations of cognitive processes. His work bridges spatio-temporal scales to explore sleep's role in memory, perception, and flexible behavior in dynamic environments. Appointments: Max Planck Research Group Leader (2024–present) Postdoc (2017–2024), Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany Postdoc (2016–2017), MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK

• Neuroscience
• Neural Dynamics
• Sleep Research
• +3 more

Daniela C. Rößler is a behavioral and evolutionary ecologist leading an Emmy Noether Research Group at the University of Bonn’s Bonn Institute for Organismic Biology (Section II - Animal Diversity). She is also an affiliated scientist at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Konstanz. Her work focuses on animal coloration, sensory ecology, and behavior, particularly in jumping spiders and amphibians like harlequin toads. Research priorities include anti-predator adaptations, sleep ecology in spiders (including the discovery of REM-like sleep states), and the evolution of multi-eyed visual systems. Her research integrates field and lab experiments to explore questions rooted in natural observations. She collaborates globally and mentors interns and students, emphasizing interdisciplinary and equity-focused science. Recent work highlights the ongoing amphibian extinction crisis and the ecological significance of sleep in arthropods. Awards include the prestigious Emmy Noether grant supporting her independent research group. Key areas of study include: predator-prey dynamics, sleep architecture in spiders, and the functional role of coloration in anti-predator strategies. Ongoing projects aim to establish sleep’s prevalence and ecological roles across spiders, while also addressing amphibian conservation challenges.

• Behavioral Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Sensory Ecology
• +5 more

Prof. Ofer Tchernichovski is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Hunter College, CUNY. He specializes in cultural evolution, social learning, and vocal learning in birds and humans, focusing on mechanisms underlying song learning and cultural transmission. His lab investigates how birds' communication signals shape stable polymorphic cultures and explores applications in designing agile communication systems. He holds a PhD in Zoology from Tel Aviv University. His research spans behavioral neuroscience, developmental processes, and interdisciplinary studies with computational models. He has collaborated on virtual world experiments to study collective intelligence and governance challenges. Tchernichovski’s work bridges animal behavior, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience, contributing to understanding vocal learning and cultural dynamics in both birds and humans. Education: PhD, Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University. Current Research: Cultural evolution of bird song, social learning dynamics, and neural mechanisms of vocal production. His lab uses zebra finches to study how vocal learning is influenced by auditory experience and social interaction. Recent projects include experiments on online governance and the role of sleep in developmental learning. He also explores applications of social force analysis to design stable communication systems. Key Projects: Laboratory of Social Learning & Cultural Evolution (Hunter College), collaborations on virtual world experiments (e.g., ferry game simulations for collective intelligence), and studies on dopaminergic systems in avian monogamy. His work integrates field studies, neuroimaging, and computational modeling.

• Cultural Evolution
• Social Learning
• Vocal Learning in Birds
• +3 more

Dr. Niels Rattenborg serves as Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute for Ornithology) in Seewiesen, Germany, where he has directed the Bird Sleep Research Group since 2005. His pioneering work focuses on the evolution and neurophysiological mechanisms of sleep in birds, utilizing advanced techniques including high-density electrode arrays and telemetry systems to study sleep patterns in both controlled laboratory environments and natural field settings. Dr. Rattenborg's research has fundamentally changed our understanding of avian sleep through groundbreaking discoveries about sleep in flight. His work with great frigatebirds (Fregata minor) demonstrated that birds can sleep while flying over the ocean, typically with one brain hemisphere at a time but occasionally with both hemispheres simultaneously. Remarkably, these birds accumulate less than one hour of sleep per day for up to 10 days during flight, challenging the mammalian paradigm that adaptive waking performance requires substantial sleep. His research extends to diverse avian species including grey-breasted sandpipers (Calidris melanotos) and chinstrap penguins, revealing how birds employ unique sleep strategies to survive in challenging ecological environments. Analysis of Dr. Rattenborg's recent publications (2022-2025) reveals three major research themes: neurophysiological mechanisms of avian sleep, ecological adaptations of sleep patterns in natural environments, and comparative evolutionary studies across species. His work spans multiple disciplines including neuroscience, ecology, evolutionary biology, and physiology, with particular emphasis on how birds adapt their sleep architecture to environmental constraints. The research demonstrates remarkable diversity in avian sleep strategies that challenge traditional mammalian models of sleep regulation. Dr. Rattenborg's significant contributions to sleep science have been recognized with prestigious awards: Sleep Research Society Young Investigator Award (2000) for best peer-reviewed paper Sleep Research Society Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award (2017) As leader of the Bird Sleep Research Group, Dr. Rattenborg oversees a multidisciplinary team conducting cutting-edge research that has developed innovative methodologies for studying sleep in natural settings. His laboratory's development of the ONEIROS device—a miniature standalone recorder for sleep electrophysiology, physiology, temperatures, and behavior—has revolutionized field studies of sleep. The group's comparative approach to sleep research provides crucial insights into the evolutionary history and fundamental functions of sleep, with implications for understanding sleep disorders and the consequences of sleep loss in humans.

• Avian Sleep
• Neurophysiology
• Sleep Evolution
• +4 more

Laurent Gilles is a Director at the Max-Planck-Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt, Germany since 2009. Previously, he held professorial positions at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), including the Lawrence A. Hanson Chair in Biology and Computation and Neural Systems. His career includes postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Cambridge (UK) and sabbaticals at Stanford University and École Normale Supérieure in Paris. Education: Studied veterinary medicine and neuroethology at the University of Toulouse (France), followed by a postdoc at Cambridge as a Royal Society Locke Research Fellow and Downing College Research Fellow. Research Interests: Focuses on systems, computational, and cellular neuroscience. His work explores cellular computation, olfactory coding, visual perception, sleep mechanisms, cortex and hippocampus evolution, and cephalopod camouflage. His lab has studied diverse species including insects, cuttlefish, reptiles, and mammals. Awards: Notable honors include EMBO membership, Advanced ERC Investigator Grant, and multiple teaching awards. Recognized as a McKnight Neuroscience Investigator and Sloan Research Fellow. Advising & Mentorship: Mentored prominent scientists now at Princeton, Stanford, Harvard, and NIH. Over 90 research papers and 30 reviews/book chapters to date. Labs/Teams: His laboratory integrates experimental and computational approaches to study neural systems across species, emphasizing evolutionary and functional perspectives.

• Neuroscience
• Computational Neuroscience
• Cellular Neuroscience
• +5 more

Dr. Lilith Apostel is a Research Associate and Postdoctoral Researcher at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES), Ruhr University Bochum. She is affiliated with the SFB 1475 'Metaphers der Religion' (Project B05) and the Graduate School of Metaphor and Religion (GSMR). Her academic background spans religious studies and prehistoric archaeology, with a focus on cognitive approaches to ancient religion. PhD in Prehistory and Early History, University of Cologne (2017) MA in Religious Studies and Prehistory and Early History, Free University of Berlin (2011) Her research explores the cognitive and embodied dimensions of prehistoric and ancient religions, especially the interplay between sleep, dreaming, death, and consciousness. She investigates how universal human experiences shape religious concepts, particularly through metaphorical frameworks such as 'death is sleep'. Her work combines archaeological evidence, cognitive science, and textual analysis. She has conducted fieldwork in Turkey, Sudan, and Germany, contributing to her empirical understanding of ancient cultures. The trends in her publications reveal a consistent focus on cognitive archaeology, the evolution of religious thought, and the materiality of metaphor. Her work bridges disciplines, connecting archaeology with cognitive science, religious studies, and anthropology. She examines how bodily experiences like sleep inform abstract religious ideas, especially in pre-literate societies. Dr. Apostel is an active member of scholarly communities, including the International Association for the Study of Dreams and the International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion. She has taught courses on altered states of consciousness, cognitive science of religion, and the archaeology of religion at Ruhr University Bochum. She has been supported by prestigious fellowships, including a DAAD scholarship for research at Massey University, New Zealand, and a doctoral scholarship from the artes Graduate School for the Humanities Cologne. Her publications include a major monograph and numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals. She also contributes to public scholarship through platforms like L.I.S.A. and maintains an active academic profile via ORCID, Academia.edu, and her personal website. Dr. Apostel leads and contributes to research projects on religious metaphors and consciousness, working within interdisciplinary teams at CERES. Her office is located at Universitätsstr. 90a, Bochum.

• Cognitive Science of Religion
• Evolution of Religion
• Cognitive Archaeology
• +14 more

Thomas Stiehl is a Professor for Disease Modeling and Computational Medicine at RWTH Aachen University's Institute For Computational Biomedicine since 2021. He also holds an Honorary Associate Professorship at Roskilde University, Denmark. His research focuses on mathematical modeling of stem cell dynamics in blood cancers, aging processes, and regenerative medicine. He completed his PhD in Mathematics (2014) and Medical License (2016) at Heidelberg University, with postdoctoral research in computational oncology and stem cell biology. Education: Dr. rer. nat. (2014) – Heidelberg University Medical License (2016) – Heidelberg Medical School Diploma in Mathematics (2009) – Heidelberg University Intermediate Diplomas in Physics (2006) and Mathematics (2005) – Heidelberg University Research Interests: Mathematical modeling of hematopoietic stem cell dynamics in AML, MDS, and MPN Quantitative analysis of stem cell aging and neurogenesis Computational prediction tools for personalized cancer therapy Plant meristem regulatory mechanisms Teaching: Currently teaches courses on programming fundamentals, medical simulation, and biostatistics at RWTH Aachen. Has previously led courses on partial differential equations and mathematical modeling in biomedical engineering. Awards & Grants: Recipient of the Lundbeck Foundation Fellowship (2020) for personalized cancer progression modeling. Active in over 20 journal review panels and speaker at international conferences on computational biology and oncology. Collaborations: Participates in SFB 873 (Stem Cell Maintenance) and SCIDATOS-Alliance (Sepsis Modeling). Co-supervised 15+ students across internship, bachelor, master, and PhD levels.

• Mathematical Modeling of Stem Cell Dynamics
• Blood Cancers (AML, MDS, MPN)
• Stem Cell Aging
• +5 more