Angela D. Friederici

Professor Angela D. Friederici is a leading cognitive neuroscientist and Director of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany. She holds honorary professorships at the University of Leipzig, University of Potsdam, and Charité University Medicine Berlin. Her work focuses on the neural basis of language processing, syntax, and developmental cognitive neuroscience. Friederici has published over 500 peer-reviewed papers and received numerous accolades, including the APS William James Fellow Award (2023) and the Huttenlocher Award (2021).

• Education: PhD in Linguistics (1976, University of Bonn), Habilitation in Psychology (1986, Justus Liebig University Giessen).
• Affiliations: Founding Director of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences since 1994. Served as Vice-President of the Max Planck Society (2014–2020).
• Research Interests: Evolution of language networks, syntax processing, neuroanatomical correlates of language, and developmental trajectories of cognitive abilities.
• Awards: Includes Leibniz Prize (1997), Wilhelm Wundt Medal (2018), and Gauss Medal (2011).

Her recent work explores the neural underpinnings of syntax in humans and primates, with studies on chimpanzee communication and cross-linguistic brain plasticity. Friederici has pioneered methods in neuroimaging and electrophysiology to dissect language networks.