معرفی
Daniela Schulz is an Associate Professor at Boğaziçi University's Institute of Biomedical Engineering, where she has been teaching since 2018. She coordinates the international iNavigate project and leads research on behavioral neuroscience, neuroimaging, and animal models of psychiatric disorders. Her work bridges engineering and neuroscience to develop innovative approaches for understanding brain function and behavior, with particular emphasis on translating basic research into clinical applications.
Education:
- BA in Psychology, Boğaziçi University (1996)
- MA in Psychological Sciences, Boğaziçi University (1998)
- PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Düsseldorf, Germany (2005)
- Post-doctoral training at University of Düsseldorf and Brookhaven National Laboratory (2005-2011)
Research Interests: Dr. Schulz specializes in behavioral neuroimaging, particularly using the RatCAP (Rat Conscious Animal PET) scanner she helped develop, which enables PET imaging of awake, behaving animals. Her research spans multiple domains including depression models, Parkinson's disease, cognitive effort, and neurotechnology applications. She investigates how motivation, learning, and emotional states correlate with brain activity patterns, with particular focus on dopamine systems and neural circuitry involved in helplessness and despair models. Her work integrates molecular, behavioral, and imaging approaches to understand brain function in both healthy and pathological states.
Publications Trends: Dr. Schulz's publication record reveals a clear trajectory from basic neuroscience methodology development to increasingly translational and interdisciplinary applications. Her early work focused on developing the RatCAP technology and establishing behavioral neuroimaging as a discipline. This evolved into sophisticated applications studying dopamine systems during natural behaviors, followed by investigations of animal models of depression and Parkinson's disease. More recently, her work has expanded to include human applications of neurotechnology and societal implications of neuroscience advances, reflecting a broader vision of how neuroscience can address real-world challenges.
Grants and Leadership:
- Coordinator of H2020-MSCA-RISE-2019 "iNavigate" project (2023-present)
- PI for "Understanding societal challenges: a NeurotechEU perspective" (2021-present)
- Researcher for TÜBITAK "Small animal imaging application" project (2023-present)
- PI for BAP Start-Up "Experience-driven DBS for Parkinson's model" (2020-2023)
Editorial and Professional Activities: Dr. Schulz serves as Associate Editor for Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience and is on the Editorial Board of Behavioural Brain Research. She has guest edited special issues on depression symptomatology and behavioral neuroimaging, reflecting her standing in these research communities. Her lab (BBL) at Boğaziçi University continues to push the boundaries of behavioral neuroscience methodology while addressing clinically relevant questions in mental health and neurological disorders.