Christoph Kayser

Prof. Dr. Christoph Kayser is a Professor and Chair for Cognitive Neuroscience at the Faculty of Biology, University of Bielefeld, Germany. He also holds positions at the Center for Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC) as both a Participating Research Group member in Cognitive Neuroscience and as a Board member of CITEC. His research is situated at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience, multisensory integration, and neural mechanisms of perception.

His primary research interests include multisensory perception and integration in the brain, perceptual decision making, neural oscillations and their role in cognition, auditory perception and the function of auditory cortex, and mathematical tools in neuroscience. His work bridges theoretical approaches with empirical neuroscience, focusing on how the brain integrates information from multiple sensory modalities to form coherent perceptions and guide behavior.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a consistent focus on multisensory integration mechanisms, particularly examining how visual, auditory, and other sensory inputs are combined in the brain. His research demonstrates increasing interest in respiratory-brain interactions, the role of neural oscillations in perceptual processes, and the development of computational models to explain multisensory phenomena. Notably, his work spans both fundamental research on neural mechanisms and applied research in areas like auditory rehabilitation following cochlear implantation.

• Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, FRSB (2016)
• Attempto Prize of the University of Tübingen (2009)
• Otto Hahn Medal of the Max Planck Society (2007)
• PhD Fellowship Neuroscience Center Zurich (2001)

Professor Kayser serves as a reviewing editor for 'The Journal of Neuroscience' since 2015. His academic career shows a trajectory from research positions at the Max Planck Institute and ETH Zurich to professorial roles at the University of Glasgow and currently at Bielefeld. His research is supported through the Center for Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC), one of the Central Academic Institutes at Bielefeld University, which promotes interdisciplinary research on cognitive systems.

His laboratory work focuses on neural mechanisms of multisensory perception, utilizing approaches including EEG/MEG, behavioral experiments, and computational modeling. The research group is part of the Socio-Technical World strategic research area at Bielefeld University, which explores capabilities and mechanisms that enable agents such as humans, robots, and AI to operate, communicate, and learn in complex environments.