Verena V. Hafner

Professor Verena V. Hafner is a leading researcher at Humboldt University of Berlin's Institute of Computer Science, specializing in the intersection of artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and clinical neuroscience. Her work focuses on embodied computational models of self-awareness and predictive processing.

Current major projects include:

• Principal investigator for DFG Priority Program 'An Embodied AI Approach to Measures of the Self'
• Co-responsible for 'Functional aspects of the minimal self – the case of schizophrenia'
• Key contributor to Cluster of Excellence 'Science of Intelligence (SCIoI)'
• Co-responsible for 'Information Integration in Predictive Processes'

Her research uniquely bridges computational modeling with clinical applications in schizophrenia research. Previously, she contributed to Research Training Group 1324 on disaster management systems. Professor Hafner's work demonstrates how AI can provide mechanistic explanations for cognitive phenomena through embodied approaches, with significant implications for both artificial intelligence development and understanding psychiatric conditions.