Marcus Jeschke

Prof. Dr. Marcus Jeschke is a Professor at the Institute for Auditory Neuroscience within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Göttingen, where he leads the Cognitive Hearing in Primates research group. His work focuses on the neurobiological basis of cognitive auditory processing and the development of next-generation optogenetic cochlear implants.

His research employs behavioral and neurophysiological methods in non-human primates (particularly common marmosets) to investigate how the brain categorizes, learns, and adapts to auditory stimuli. A core principle challenges traditional feedforward brain models by emphasizing the critical role of feedback connections in cognitive hearing. His group specializes in comparing normal acoustic hearing with artificial electrical and optical stimulation paradigms.

Prof. Jeschke is a key contributor to the optogenetic cochlea implant program at the Institute for Auditory Neuroscience and German Primate Center. His marmoset research addresses three critical translational needs: cochlear size similarity to humans for frequency resolution testing, immune system compatibility for viral vector safety, and vocal communication behaviors analogous to humans. Current projects focus on establishing optogenetic stimulation superiority over electrical methods for future clinical applications.