Mario Braun

Mario Braun is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology within the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Salzburg. He has held this position since 2016, following his role as Assistant Professor at the same institution from 2011-2016. His research is conducted through the Neurocognition Lab, where he investigates the neural mechanisms underlying language and emotion processing.

Dr. Braun's educational background includes a PhD in Psychology from Freie Universität Berlin (2006-2009) and a Psychology diploma from Philipps Universität Marburg (1993-1998). Prior to his current position, he served as Scientific and Managing Director of the Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion at Freie Universität Berlin (2009-2011), and held leadership roles in neurocognitive laboratories at both Freie Universität Berlin and Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt.

His primary research interests focus on the processing of written language, particularly how phonology is processed in reading and how emotional content from printed words is extracted and represented by the brain. To investigate these questions, he employs various neurocognitive techniques including eye tracking, EEG, fNIRS, fMRI, TMS, and TES to identify brain regions involved in language and emotion processing as well as their temporal dynamics. His work bridges cognitive psychology, neurolinguistics, and affective neuroscience.

Dr. Braun's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on the intersection of language processing, emotion, and neurological conditions, particularly examining how these processes are affected in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. His research combines theoretical models with empirical neuroimaging evidence to advance our understanding of cognitive and affective neuroscience across both typical and clinical populations.

His scientific contributions include numerous publications in cognitive neuroscience and psychology journals, with recent work exploring structural gray matter predictors of literacy development, impaired semantic categorization during brain stimulation, and emotion processing in neurological conditions. His research often incorporates machine learning approaches and advanced neuroimaging techniques to uncover complex brain-behavior relationships.

Dr. Braun leads the Neurocognition Lab at the University of Salzburg, where he continues to investigate the complex relationships between language, emotion, and brain function using cutting-edge neuroimaging and stimulation techniques while mentoring students and collaborating with international researchers in the field.