معرفی
Prof. Dr. Christian J. Merz is a Professor at the Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum. He leads the department as Commissary head since August 2023 and has been a Principal Investigator in the SFB 1280 'Extinction Learning' since 2017. Prior roles include Interim Professor (W2) at Trier University (2014-2015) and various postdoctoral and research positions at Ruhr University Bochum and Justus Liebig University Giessen. His academic credentials include a Habilitation (2017) and a Dr. rer. nat. (2011) from Ruhr University Bochum, focusing on stress hormones' influence on fear conditioning and emotional learning.
Research expertise spans
- Psychoneuroendocrinology (stress hormones, sex differences)
- Psychophysiology (fMRI, EEG, physiological responses)
- Emotional learning mechanisms (fear conditioning, extinction learning)
- Clinical applications in anxiety disorders and behavioral addictions
Notable achievements include organizing major conferences (e.g., 2020 European Meeting on Human Fear Conditioning) and securing DFG grants for projects on stress hormone effects. His work bridges basic neuroscience and clinical implications, with 200+ peer-reviewed publications. Active in teaching, he leads courses on cognition, stress, and neurobiology at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
Professional service includes roles in German Psychological Society committees and editorial work for Biological Psychology. Recognized with teaching awards and international grants, Merz maintains a highly cited research trajectory (over 15k citations).
