Professor Bernd Möbius is a leading academic in Phonetics and Phonology at the Department of Language Science and Technology, Saarland University. His research bridges phonetic theory with speech technology applications, focusing on text-to-speech systems, prosody modeling, and computational simulations of speech processes. Current research projects: DFG SFB 1102, C1: Information density and phonetic structure predictability DFG SFB 1102, C4: Slavic intercomprehension and surprisal theory (INCOMSLAV) Research Themes: Key areas include text-to-speech synthesis, speech prosody analysis, experimental methods in speech production/perception, information density in phonetics, and cross-linguistic studies of Slavic-Germanic languages. Scientific Contributions: Recent work explores Parkinson-induced dysarthria detection, breath noise acoustics, surprisal-driven speech behaviors, multilingual BERT models for idiomaticity, and perceptual consequences of acoustic adjustments.
Dr. Tobias Hauser is a Professor of Computational Psychiatry at the University of Tübingen, Germany, and a Group Leader at the Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research. His research spans clinical neuroscience, developmental psychiatry, and computational modeling, focusing on the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders like OCD and ADHD. MSc in Psychology (2010), University of Zurich PhD in Psychology (2014), University of Zurich Hauser's work employs a translational approach, integrating clinical, pharmacological, and basic neuroscience to characterize neural network deficiencies in mental health. His developmental perspective investigates how psychiatric symptoms emerge through deviations from canonical brain development trajectories. Recent publications highlight his focus on dopaminergic midbrain activity, frontostriatal myelination, and computational mechanisms of decision-making. These studies utilize techniques like fMRI, EEG, and computational modeling to explore compulsivity, impulsivity, and developmental neurocognitive processes. Sir Henry Dale Fellowship (Wellcome Trust & Royal Society) Research Fellowship (Jacobs Foundation) Kramer-Pollnow Award for ADHD research Hauser leads the Developmental Computational Psychiatry Group and co-founded the Brain Explorer app, a citizen science project investigating brain development and mental health. He actively seeks PostDocs and PhD students for collaborative research in computational psychiatry and cognitive neuroscience.
Susanne Weis is a Research Professor and Group Leader of the 'Variability of the Brain' group at the Department of Brain and Behavior (INM-7), part of the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM) at Research Center Jülich GmbH. Her work focuses on understanding brain variability through advanced neuroimaging techniques and machine learning, with particular emphasis on sex differences, hormonal influences, and clinical applications in mental health. Her research interests include neuroimaging methodologies, machine learning applications in cognitive neuroscience, and the structural-functional relationships underlying brain variability. She investigates how factors like sex hormones and naturalistic stimuli (e.g., movies) affect brain connectivity and cognitive performance, aiming to improve diagnostic and predictive tools for disorders such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease. Publications highlight her contributions to developing datasets (e.g., SpEx), analyzing confound leakage in ML models, and exploring meta-analytic networks during naturalistic viewing. Her work bridges basic science and clinical impact, addressing challenges in interpreting neuroimaging data and advancing personalized medicine approaches. In her role as a group leader, Weis oversees research projects and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams. She is affiliated with the Helmholtz Association and contributes to the broader scientific community through her research in neuroimaging and computational neuroscience.
Professor Matthias Mann is a world-leading scientist serving as Director of the Proteomics and Signal Transduction department at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany, and Director of the Proteomics department at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. With an h-index exceeding 277 and over 350,000 citations, he is recognized as the highest cited German researcher and one of the most influential scientists globally in proteomics. His educational background includes: Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Yale University (1988) Master's Degree in Physics from Georg August University Göttingen (1984) Bachelor's of Arts in Mathematics from Georg August University Göttingen (1982) Professor Mann's research focuses on advancing mass spectrometry-based proteomics to understand biological systems at the protein level. His work spans technological developments in mass spectrometry, bioinformatics and computational analysis, signal transduction and posttranslational modifications, and clinical proteomics applications for disease diagnosis and treatment. The Mann lab has pioneered groundbreaking methods like SILAC for quantitative proteomics and MaxQuant for proteome data analysis. Their vision is to translate proteomics knowledge into clinical practice for predictive, diagnostic, and preventive medicine, with recent work focusing on AI-guided platforms for analyzing proteomes from minimal tissue samples. Analysis of Professor Mann's recent publications reveals a strong trend toward clinical applications of proteomics, particularly in cancer research, metabolic diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders. His work increasingly integrates spatial proteomics, single-cell resolution techniques, and artificial intelligence approaches to uncover disease mechanisms and identify potential biomarkers, with a clear shift from basic technology development toward direct clinical applications and personalized medicine. Professor Mann has received numerous prestigious awards throughout his career: 2025: Elected member of the American National Academy of Sciences 2024: Dr. H.P. Heineken Award for Biochemistry and Biophysics 2023: Otto Warburg Medal 2019: Nominated member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences 2013: Elected member of Leopoldina German National Academy of Sciences 2012: Körber European Science Award, Louis-Jeantet Foundation Prize for Medicine, Ernst Schering Prize, and Leibniz Prize Professor Mann leads a highly collaborative research team involved in multiple international networks including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, CLINSPECT-M, and Munich Heart Alliance. His lab has mentored numerous successful researchers, with several former postdocs receiving prestigious ERC Starting Grants. The Mann group has developed innovative clinical proteomics pipelines for analyzing archived tissue specimens and body fluids, aiming to identify protein markers for early detection of diseases such as diabetes and cancer. The Mann lab operates across two major research centers with state-of-the-art mass spectrometry facilities. Their Clinical Knowledge Graph platform integrates multi-omics data with extensive metadata, creating an ecosystem for machine learning applications in proteomics. Current research focuses on developing highly sensitive methods that can profile thousands of proteins from minimal cell samples, enabling the identification of critical disease-related proteins and supporting the development of individualized therapies.
Univ-Prof. Dr. med. Malek Bajbouj serves as Director of the Institute for Affective Neuroscience and Emotion Modulation at Charité – University Medicine Berlin's Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF), operating within the Department of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry (CC 15). His position integrates clinical leadership with translational neuroscience research focused on severe mental illnesses. Dr. Bajbouj's research program centers on affective neuroscience and emotion dysregulation mechanisms in psychiatric disorders, particularly schizophrenia spectrum conditions and depression. He pioneers multimodal intervention approaches combining neuromodulation (tDCS), oxytocin augmentation, mindfulness therapies, and digital health tools. His work emphasizes translational biomarker development using neuroimaging, machine learning, and physiological stress parameter analysis to personalize treatment for treatment-resistant populations. Analysis of his 2023-2025 publications reveals three dominant research trajectories: (1) novel treatment combinations for negative symptoms in schizophrenia (oxytocin + mindfulness, yoga therapy); (2) real-world implementation of neuromodulation (at-home tDCS protocols, technical efficacy monitoring); and (3) global mental health responses to crises (pandemic impacts on vulnerable groups, culturally adapted refugee interventions). His methodology consistently employs rigorous randomized controlled trials with embedded biomarker studies. As director of his eponymous institute, Dr. Bajbouj leads a multidisciplinary team conducting neuroimaging studies, clinical trials, and international collaborations focused on emotion modulation pathways. The institute coordinates research across CC 15's clinical infrastructure at CBF Building V, with particular emphasis on bridging laboratory neuroscience with clinical psychiatry through the DepressionDC and OXYMIND trial frameworks.
Dr. Sabine Krabbe is a Group Leader at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn, Germany, where she leads research on neural circuit mechanisms underlying adaptive learning and state-dependent decision-making. Her work integrates neuroscience, molecular biology, and behavioral approaches to understand how internal states influence behavior and how these processes are disrupted in neurological disorders. Dr. Krabbe's research focuses on the interactions between midbrain circuits of the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area with their output structures such as the striatum and amygdala. She investigates how these networks integrate internal states with environmental cues to produce appropriate behavioral responses. Her laboratory employs state-of-the-art techniques including deep-brain calcium imaging at single-cell resolution in mice, opto- and pharmacogenetic manipulations, anatomical tracings, and molecular approaches to characterize neural circuit elements in detail. Her recent publications reveal significant insights into amygdala interneuron plasticity during fear learning, brain-wide representational drift in memory consolidation, and the molecular mechanisms underlying Parkinson's disease progression. Her work demonstrates how activity patterns within specific neural circuits change in early stages of neurodegenerative diseases and how this dysfunction contributes to cognitive deficits and emotional disturbances. Dr. Krabbe is actively involved in the neuroscience community, organizing the BonnBrain Conference 2026 and sharing research through social media platforms. She has established herself as an emerging leader in the field of systems neuroscience with a particular focus on the neural basis of emotional states and decision-making processes.
Shrikanth (Shri) Narayanan is University Professor and Niki & C. L. Max Nikias Chair in Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC), with appointments spanning Electrical & Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Linguistics, Psychology, Neuroscience, Pediatrics, and Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. He serves as Research Director of the Information Sciences Institute and Director of the Ming Hsieh Institute. PhD in Electrical Engineering (UCLA, 1995) Engineer and MS in Electrical Engineering (UCLA, 1992 and 1990) BE in Electrical Engineering (Anna University, India, 1988) His interdisciplinary research focuses on human-centered signal processing and machine intelligence , addressing societal challenges in health, education, defense, and media arts. Key areas include: Behavioral signal processing Affective computing Multimodal signal processing Computational speech science Biomedical applications Scientific Awards : IEEE James L. Flanagan Speech and Audio Processing Award (2025) Edward J. McCluskey Technical Achievement Award (2024) ISCA Medal for Scientific Achievement (2023) Claude Shannon-Harry Nyquist Technical Achievement Award (2023) ACM ICMI Sustained Accomplishment Award (2020) USC Distinguished Faculty Service Award With over 1,000 publications and 19 patents , his work has been commercialized through startups like Behavioral Signals Technologies and Lyssn . He leads transformative university initiatives and has served in editorial roles for top journals including Computer Speech and Language and IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing .
Marc Erich Latoschik is a Professor in the Department of Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Würzburg, Germany. He previously held roles at Bayreuth University, Bielefeld University, and FHTW Berlin. His research focuses on virtual and augmented reality, embodiment, human-computer interaction, and applications in health, education, and social systems. Education: Completed his PhD in 2001 at Bielefeld University with a thesis on multimodal interaction in virtual reality. Research Interests: Embodied interaction, virtual embodiment, presence and plausibility in VR/AR, avatar design, social virtual reality, health applications (e.g., VR therapy for body image issues), and XR security/privacy. Active in developing frameworks like Reality Stack I/O and MAIL for VR/AR research. Key Projects: ViTraS study on body image exercises in VR, avatars for mass use via smartphone reconstruction, and motion-based biometrics in XR. Collaborates with medical teams on cybersickness detection and emergency training simulations. Labs/Teams: Leads research groups on immersive technologies and social VR applications. Involved in interdisciplinary projects combining HCI, AI, and healthcare.
Omer Bayraktar is a Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute , leading research in the Cellular Genomics Programme. His work focuses on decoding human brain cellular diversity using spatial transcriptomics , imaging , and functional screening to study neural complexity in health and disease. Bayraktar's educational background includes a PhD from HHMI under Chris Doe, investigating neural diversity development in Drosophila , followed by postdoctoral work at University of California, San Francisco and University of Cambridge as a Life Sciences Research Foundation Fellow. He developed a spatial transcriptomic pipeline during his postdoc to analyze astrocyte heterogeneity in the cerebral cortex. His research explores neural cell type mapping , glial-neuronal interactions , and cellular pathways in neurodevelopmental disorders . Recent publications emphasize 3D tissue mapping , multi-omic integration , and computational tools like Cell2fate and WebAtlas. His work bridges neurogenetics and computational biology to advance understanding of human tissue ecosystems. Bayraktar's lab collaborates with the Human Cell Atlas initiative and develops technologies such as automated histology pipelines and highly-multiplexed smFISH for molecular cell typing. His team also investigates glia-based therapies and astrocyte functional heterogeneity in neurodevelopmental contexts. Key scientific contributions include: Discovering astrocyte layer patterns independent of neuronal laminae Developing cell2location for spatial cell mapping Characterizing Drosophila neural stem cell models with human relevance Notable awards include the Life Sciences Research Foundation Fellowship during his postdoctoral training. His current group includes a PhD student , Senior Data Scientists , and Bioinformaticians .
Prof. Dr. Niels Pinkwart is a Professor of Computer Science at Humboldt University Berlin and Scientific Director of the Educational Technology Lab at the DFKI Berlin Project Office. His work focuses on AI-driven educational technologies, including roles as spokesperson for the interdisciplinary ProMINT program and leadership positions in the German Society for Informatics' Learning Analytics and Educational Technologies working groups. Education: Computer Science and Mathematics at University of Duisburg Doctorate: Collaborative learning technologies (2005) Postdoctoral: Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute Research interests span educational technologies , human-AI collaboration , and digital learning systems , with applications in serious games for ASD , creativity assessment , and healthcare informatics . His publications (over 200) demonstrate expertise in scaling educational mentoring through AI. Current affiliations include the Einstein Center Digital Future and Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society. He has led projects like AZUKIT (AI tutors for performance assessment), tech4comp (scalable mentoring processes), and AI.EDU Lab (AI in higher education).
Prof. Dr. Teresa Sansour is a full Professor of Pedagogy and Didactics in Cases of Intellectual Development Impairments with Special Consideration of Inclusive Educational Processes at the Institute for Special and Rehabilitation Education, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. She joined the university in April 2020 and has held leadership roles including Vice Director for Teaching at the Center for Teacher Education (since October 2021) and Deputy Institute Director (since April 2025). Her academic affiliations reflect a deep commitment to inclusive and special education. Her research focuses on educational interactions in the context of intellectual disabilities, inclusive subject didactics, the participation of people with complex disabilities, and the professionalization of educators and prospective teachers. Key research areas include inclusive literacy, art education, teacher motivation, and social integration. She leads significant funded projects such as Literary Texts in Simple Language (LiES) and Lighthouses for Participation , both aimed at enhancing inclusion for people with disabilities. The recent publications of Prof. Sansour span topics such as school absenteeism in autism, self-concept in intellectual disabilities, inclusive art education, and participation models. Her work demonstrates a strong interdisciplinary and applied focus, combining qualitative methods with pedagogical innovation. She frequently publishes in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes on special education, inclusive didactics, and disability studies. Member, German Society for Educational Research (DGFE), Section Special Education Member, Network for Complex Disabilities e.V. Chair, Advisory Board of the Georg-Leffers-Stiftung Chair, Association for the Promotion of Pedagogical Rehabilitation and Social Integration of People in Risk Situations Board Member, German Interdisciplinary Society for Research Promotion for People with Intellectual Disabilities (DIFGB) Prof. Sansour actively contributes to academic leadership and teacher training. She serves as program coordinator for the Bachelor’s in Special Education and accreditation officer for the Special Education/Social Studies cluster. Her work includes advising on inclusive curricula, fostering research collaborations, and securing external funding for inclusive initiatives. She has not received explicitly mentioned scientific awards in the provided text. She is involved in multiple collaborative research teams and projects focused on inclusion, literacy, and disability rights.
Babett Lobinger is a Researcher at the Institute of Psychology at the German Sport University Cologne, specializing in Performance Psychology and Applied Sport Psychology. She holds academic qualifications including Dipl.-Psych., MA Sportwiss, and Dr. in Sport Sciences. Her research focuses on Performance Psychology , Motor Control Disorders (e.g., Yips in Golf), Movement Safety in Aging , and Coaching Psychology . She has collaborated with organizations like the DFB (German Football Association) and clubs like Arminia Bielefeld and 1.FC Köln, providing sport psychological consulting and research. Key Projects include: DFG-funded studies on Yips in Golf Cross-cultural training needs analysis for football coaches Development of the Athlete Competency Questionnaire for Employability (ACQE) She teaches in the German Football Association’s (DFB) coaching academy and contributes to sport psychology curricula for trainers. Her work appears in journals like InMind and conferences such as FEPSAC.
Bertram Müller-Myhsok is a Research Professor and Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, Germany. His research focuses on statistical genetics and transcriptomic data analysis in psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, PTSD, schizophrenia, and their treatment responses. He integrates machine learning with genetic and clinical data to develop predictive models and stratified treatment approaches. Professional activities include leadership roles in the International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry and collaborations with institutions like the Institut du Cerveau (Paris) and Bernhard Nocht Institute (Hamburg). His work spans genetic epidemiology, psychiatric genomics, and precision medicine, with over 400 publications in high-impact journals. Key research areas include identifying genetic risk factors for mental disorders, developing polygenic scores, and leveraging omics data to uncover disease mechanisms. He leads projects like Psych-STRATA, a Horizon Europe-funded initiative advancing personalized psychiatry through pharmacogenomics.
Thomas Grote is a Research Fellow at the University of Tübingen's Ethics and Philosophy Lab within the Cluster of Excellence 'Machine Learning: New Perspectives for Science'. His research focuses on philosophical and ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence, particularly interpretability, fairness, and reliability in medical and social contexts. He co-supervises the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung-funded project 'Certification and Foundations of Safe Machine Learning Systems in Healthcare' and co-organizes the 'Philosophy of Science Meets Machine Learning' conference series. Research Focus Grote's interdisciplinary work bridges philosophy of science and applied AI ethics. Key areas include: Methodological foundations of AI ethics and epistemology Clinical reliability and safety of ML systems Fairness metrics in sociotechnical healthcare systems Interpretability requirements for medical AI Computational psychiatry and evolving mental health frameworks His recent publications demonstrate strong emphasis on healthcare applications, with critical analyses of reliability in foundation models, ethical paradigms for LLMs, and rethinking evaluation methodologies at the epistemology-ethics interface.
Martin Gosau is a Professor at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery within the Medical Faculty of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE). His research focuses on Oral Surgery , Maxillofacial Surgery , and Regenerative Medicine , with a strong emphasis on Dental Implants , Head and Neck Cancer , and Oral Pathology . University: University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf School: Medical Faculty Department: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Academic Rank: Professor His recent work explores: Oral Health in Genetic Disorders (e.g., hypophosphatasia) Advanced Surgical Techniques (e.g., nanosecond lasers, fluorescence angiography) Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering (e.g., silk fibroin membranes, extracellular vesicles) Cancer Prognostics (e.g., DCBLD1 overexpression in HNSCC) Key trends in his 15 most recent articles include applications of machine learning in oral diagnostics, stem cell research for bone regeneration, and biomaterials in reconstructive surgery. He frequently collaborates with Ralf Smeets and Thomas Vollkommer , with publications spanning Frontiers in Immunology , Oral Surgery , and Scientific Reports .
