Prof. Dr. Gudrun Schwarzer is a leading researcher in developmental psychology at the Justus Liebig University Giessen , heading the Department of Developmental Psychology . Her work bridges perceptual, motor, and cognitive development in infancy and childhood through rigorous experimental paradigms. Key research themes include infant mental rotation, emotional granularity across lifespan, and cross-cultural developmental differences She leads projects A7 (visuospatial-motor development) and C3 (emotion categorization across populations) Current team includes Dr. Bianca Jovanovic, Dr. Daniela Bahn, PhD students Nikol Tsenkova and Tharanirakshita Asokan Her research investigates how early motor experiences shape visual processing, with groundbreaking work on: Object permanence in infants Emotion-face-word priming effects Developmental language disorder cognition Idiopathic clubfoot developmental impacts Publications span Child Development Perspectives , Frontiers in Psychology , and Journal of Experimental Child Psychology . Awards : Heinz Heckhausen Young Scientist Prize (DGPs). Collaborative networks extend to Max Planck Society, University of California, and cross-cultural studies in Cameroon.
Danny Otto is a researcher at the Department of Urban and Environmental Sociology within the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ in Leipzig, Germany. His work focuses on societal requirements for carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, sustainability transformations, and climate resilience strategies. Current projects: RamonCO (risk assessment for CO2 storage), BioNET (biobased negative emission technologies), KAHR (flood resilience research), and Carbon Cascadia (CDR online game development) Recent publications examine CCS risk governance, social infrastructure post-disasters, and interdisciplinary organization in international research projects Research Interests center on: Public perception of CO2 removal technologies Trust research methodology Climate policy implementation factors Scientific knowledge production dynamics Empirical social science methods Scientific Achievements : Recipient of the Peter A. Berger Award for outstanding dissertation (2019) ISA travel grant for international research collaboration (2016) Teaching Experience includes: Master seminars on sustainability transformations (Jena, 2023) Bachelor courses on postcolonial theory and social inequality (Bochum, 2019)
Kevan Lamm is an Associate Professor in the Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communication department at the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences. His work focuses on science communication, leadership development, and community engagement in agricultural and environmental contexts. He collaborates with the Lamm Science Communication Lab, which has produced over 260 peer-reviewed publications. Ph.D. in Leadership Development and Evaluation, University of Florida (2015) M.S. in Leadership Development and Evaluation, University of Florida (2013) B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University (2000) His research explores how educational initiatives and science communication strategies can influence decisions about critical global issues like water quality, plastic use, and climate change. The Lamm Lab investigates topics such as: Community gardens as climate adaptation tools Grower perceptions of water contaminants Trust-building in food science communication Leadership capacity development in food systems Behavioral drivers of water conservation Systems thinking in Generation Z consumers Recent publications analyze: Climate-smart adaptations in community gardens YouTube frame analysis for pork production narratives Intrinsic motivation in water conservation Geographic audience segmentation for policy communication Art-science integration in agricultural education He advises students like Olivia Erskine, whose master's research examined community garden resilience to climate impacts. The lab collaborates with institutions including USDA ARS, Clemson University, and the African Research Network.
Nicola Hodges serves as Professor and Associate Director of Graduate Affairs in the School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Education, at the University of British Columbia. Her research integrates sport psychology and behavioral neuroscience to investigate motor skill development, with expertise in action anticipation, observational learning, and coaching science. She actively supervises graduate students in Kinesiology MA, MSc, and PhD programs while leading the Motor Skills Lab and collaborating with the Origins of Balance Deficits and Falls Research cluster. Hodges' research examines cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying motor learning through experimental paradigms in soccer, baseball, and swimming. Key interests include visual-kinesthetic motor imagery interactions , error-based observational learning , and individual differences in imagery ability . Her work reveals how practice structure, diversity, and prediction errors influence skill acquisition, with implications for optimizing coaching strategies and rehabilitation protocols. Current projects explore aphantasia's impact on motor cognition and handedness effects in sport anticipation. Recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate methodological innovation using eye-tracking, neurophysiological measures, and sport-specific tasks. Her research consistently addresses the interdependence of visual and kinesthetic representations during learning, with growing focus on real-world applications in youth sports development and clinical voice disorders. No specific scientific awards are listed in her current profile, though her extensive publication record indicates significant scholarly impact. Hodges currently supervises PhD candidate Carrie Peters (researching motor system involvement in action observation) and expresses strong interest in interdisciplinary collaborations, undergraduate research mentorship, and cluster-based grant partnerships. Her supervisory approach emphasizes purposeful practice frameworks and perceptual-cognitive skill development. She directs the Motor Skills Lab at UBC's War Memorial Gymnasium, conducting behavioral and neurophysiological research on motor control. Her affiliations include the Origins of Balance Deficits and Falls Research cluster and UBC's Exercise, Kinesiology and Health Seminar series, reflecting commitment to translational research and academic community engagement.
D. Matthew Wachowiak is a Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the University of Utah School of Medicine, where he serves as Principal Investigator of the Wachowiak Lab. His research focuses on understanding how neural circuits transform sensory representations, with particular interest in how animals actively acquire sensory information to guide behavior. He uses the mouse olfactory system as a powerful model to analyze sensory representations and investigate how the dynamics of neural circuits process incoming information to guide behavior and shape perception. Dr. Wachowiak's educational background includes: PhD from University of Florida Postdoctoral Fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine Multiple Fellowships at Marine Biological Laboratory BS from Duke University His research program centers on four interconnected areas: (1) Olfaction as an Active Sense, investigating how sniffing shapes odor representations; (2) Cracking the Olfactory Code, analyzing how odor information is represented across the olfactory bulb; (3) Organization of Inhibition in the Olfactory Bulb, studying how synaptic inhibition shapes odor processing; and (4) Top-down Modulation of Olfactory Processing, examining how neuromodulatory pathways affect early olfactory processing. His lab employs optical reporters of neural activity targeted to genetically-defined neuron populations, two-photon imaging in awake behaving animals, and custom olfactometers for precise odor delivery. Dr. Wachowiak's publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to understanding the neural basis of olfaction, with recent work focusing on how sniffing parameters affect odor representations, mitral/tufted cell processing, and olfactory bulb inhibition. His lab has developed innovative tools including high-throughput olfactometers and functional atlases of odorant responses, contributing significantly to the field's methodological toolkit. His research has received substantial funding including: NSF Neuronex Award under the BRAIN Initiative as part of the 'Odor2Action' network NSF IDEASLab funding As a mentor, Dr. Wachowiak has guided numerous students and postdoctoral fellows who have established independent research programs at institutions including Yale University, Rutgers University, University of Florida, and University of Magdeburg. His lab continues to recruit graduate students through the University of Utah's Interdepartmental Program in Neuroscience and welcomes postdoctoral researchers interested in olfactory neuroscience. The Wachowiak Lab maintains state-of-the-art facilities for in vivo imaging, including widefield and high-resolution two-photon microscopy systems, custom olfactometers, and behavioral setups combining odor presentation with locomotion tracking. They actively collaborate with researchers across the US, UK, and Canada through the 'Odor2Action' project, which addresses how high-dimensional sensory variables are represented in brain circuits and mapped to actions.
Emre Ugur is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Engineering at Bogazici University, where he serves as the head of the Cognition, Learning and Robotics (CoLoRs) laboratory. His research focuses on bridging the gap between continuous sensorimotor experiences and discrete symbolic representations in robotics. Funded by major international sources including the European Commission's Horizon 2020 program and TUBITAK, his work has significant implications for cognitive robotics and autonomous systems. Education: PhD in Computer Engineering from Middle East Technical University (METU, Turkey) Ugur's research interests center on cognitive and developmental approaches to robotics, with particular emphasis on neuro-symbolic integration, affordance learning, and symbol emergence. His work explores how robots can autonomously develop high-level cognitive capabilities through continuous interaction with their environment, similar to human cognitive development. His approach combines machine learning, cognitive science, and robotics to create systems that can learn, predict, and reason about their actions. His recent publications reveal a strong trajectory toward neuro-symbolic robotics, where he develops methods for extracting discrete symbolic representations from continuous sensorimotor experiences. This work enables robots to perform complex planning and reasoning tasks while maintaining connection to physical reality. There is also significant focus on social robotics, particularly in human-robot interaction, social navigation, and embodied cognition. Scientific Awards: The Young Scientist Award by the Science Academy (BAGEP) The Excellence in Teaching Award by the Faculty of Engineering (2023) As Principal Investigator of major projects including INVERSE (EU Horizon 2025), DEEPPLAN (TUBITAK), and previously DEEPSYM and IMAGINE, Ugur has established a robust research program that bridges theoretical advances with practical applications. He has supervised numerous PhD and Master's students who have made significant contributions to the field. His leadership extends to organizing major workshops at top robotics conferences including IROS, RSS, and ICRA. At the Cognition, Learning and Robotics (CoLoRs) lab, Ugur leads research on cognitive robotics, developmental robotics, and neuro-symbolic AI. The lab explores fundamental questions about how robots can develop understanding of their actions, learn from interaction, and form abstract representations necessary for high-level cognition. Current projects focus on symbolic reasoning, prediction, and planning in robotic systems.
David Fonseca Escudero is a Professor at the La Salle Technical School of Architecture within Ramon Llull University . His research focuses on Artificial Intelligence , Learning Analytics , and Generative AI in education, particularly addressing Self-Regulated Learning and Early Dropout Prevention in higher education. Lead researcher in projects like IA3T4DOR (AI & Machine Learning for dropout reduction) PI for ASPA4DOR (Academic Analytics for student profiling) Collaborator in Divintech (Robotics for autism support) His work integrates Augmented Reality and STEAM Education to enhance Student Engagement and Data Privacy in schools. Current projects emphasize GDPR Compliance and Collaborative Learning frameworks.
Wendy Woodson serves as the Roger C. Holden Professor of Theater and Dance at Amherst College and the Five College Dance Department, where she has taught since 1987. Founder and Artistic Director of Present Co. Inc., she has created over 100 interdisciplinary performance works presented globally at venues including the Kennedy Center, Jacob's Pillow, and LaMaMa theaters in NYC and Melbourne. Her research centers on interdisciplinary performance , exploring tensions between individual voices through mediation, reconciliation, and translation across media. She emphasizes kinesthetic empathy and collaborative improvisation, developing frameworks where movement, text, and video interact to examine belonging and identity. Her artistic practice consistently investigates how individuals navigate relationships within specific cultural and physical contexts. Analysis of her 15 most recent works reveals an evolution from stage-based choreography toward video installations addressing displacement ( NELA , DORA ) and environmental change ( Shore ), while maintaining core interests in multilingual expression and psychological archetypes. Her pieces frequently engage refugee narratives, memory reconstruction, and cross-cultural dialogue. Prestigious Recognition: Fulbright Senior Scholar (2006-07), multiple international film festival Grand Prizes Major Residencies: Rockefeller Bellagio Center, Bogliasco Foundation, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Foundation Support: National Endowment for the Arts (6 fellowships), Massachusetts Cultural Council (12 awards) Woodson has mentored through guest artist residencies at 15+ institutions worldwide while developing innovative curricula like The Art of Noticing seminar. Her Present Company Inc. has sustained 40+ years of collaborative production with over 50 associate artists across dance, theater, and visual media, creating experimental works that challenge conventional performance boundaries through interdisciplinary integration.
David G. Myers is the John Dirk Werkman Professor of Psychology at Hope College in Michigan, where he has taught for decades. His academic career spans both research and teaching excellence, with numerous 'Outstanding Professor' awards from students recognizing his dedication to education. Myers' research focuses on social psychology, psychology and religion, and personal and societal well-being. His work on group polarization earned him the prestigious Gordon Allport Prize from Division 9 of the American Psychological Association. He has published scientific articles in top journals including Science , Psychological Bulletin , Psychological Science , and the American Psychologist . His publications reveal consistent themes across social influence, well-being, and the intersection of psychology with religious perspectives. Recent works continue his exploration of happiness, intuition, and social dynamics, while maintaining his longstanding interest in how psychological principles apply to real-world contexts. Gordon Allport Prize from Division 9 of the American Psychological Association Myers has served as consulting editor for the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology . Beyond academia, he has chaired his city's Human Relations Commission, helped found a Community Action Center assisting poverty-level families, and become an advocate for people with hearing loss. His interdisciplinary approach bridges psychological science with practical community applications, reflecting his commitment to applying psychological principles to improve societal well-being.
Professor Jan Blecharz is a distinguished faculty member at the University of Physical Education in Kraków (AWF Kraków), where he serves in the Institute of Social Sciences. With over four decades of experience in sports psychology, Professor Blecharz has established himself as a leading expert in mental preparation for top-level competitions, psychological aspects of sports injuries, and stress management techniques for athletes. His work bridges academic research with practical application in elite sports settings. Professor Blecharz's research spans multiple critical domains in sports psychology, with particular emphasis on psychological aspects of physical injuries, mental preparation for elite competition, psychosomatic regeneration, and stress management techniques. His work has evolved to address contemporary challenges, including the unique psychological profiles of Generation Z athletes and self-regulation processes in sports performance. He has developed practical frameworks that translate complex psychological theories into actionable strategies for coaches, athletes, and sports organizations. His extensive publication record shows a clear trajectory from foundational work on sports injuries and mental preparation to contemporary research on self-regulated learning, burnout prevention, and the psychological impact of extreme conditions like winter swimming. This evolution reflects both his adaptability as a researcher and the changing landscape of sports psychology as a discipline. Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2002) Gold Badge of Merit for Sport (2004) Award of the Royal City of Kraków for scientific contributions (2002) Multiple team awards from Polish sports authorities (1984-2003) Professor Blecharz has mentored numerous students and collaborators, most notably Małgorzata Siekańska, with whom he has developed a robust research program spanning over 15 years. His teaching portfolio includes sports psychology, clinical psychology and psychotherapy, general psychology, and psychosomatic regeneration, reflecting the comprehensive nature of his expertise. He has also secured research funding including a significant project at the University of Physical Education in Kraków (2004-2006) and an international collaboration at Florida State University (2008).
Dr. Kristof Dhont is a Reader in Psychology and Director of Graduate Studies (Research) at the University of Kent's School of Psychology. He leads SHARKLab, studying human-animal and intergroup relations. His research focuses on social-ideological drivers of prejudice, speciesism, and the paradoxes in human-animal interactions. He has held editorial roles at journals like Psychology of Human-Animal Intergroup Relations and Group Processes & Intergroup Relations . Dr. Dhont earned his PhD in Psychology from Ghent University and held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen). His work bridges psychological theory with advocacy, addressing topics like meat consumption ethics, gender stereotypes linked to dietary choices, and the moral psychology of animal exploitation. Research interests include social dominance orientation, human supremacism, and the intersection of sexism and speciesism. Key areas of inquiry explore why people both care for and exploit animals, strategies to reduce intergroup prejudices, and the implications of human-animal relations for societal cohesion. Publications highlight themes such as meat-eating commitment's link to pandemic risks, the role of language in conveying moral commitments to animals, and the psychological barriers to clean meat acceptance. His work often integrates environmental, health, and ethical motives in dietary choices. Grants and awards include a £192,118 Leverhulme Trust grant (2018–2021) and multiple collaborative grants with Ghent University. His editorial work emphasizes advancing interdisciplinary scholarship on human-animal relations. Supervision of doctoral students has produced research on topics like emotional intelligence and prejudice, anti-veganism, and Euroscepticism. Dr. Dhont's lab fosters collaborative projects with international partners, reflecting his commitment to global academic networks.
Karl J. Friston is Professor of Imaging Neuroscience and Wellcome Principal Research Fellow at the Faculty of Brain Science, University College London. He serves as Scientific Director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging and has been a leading figure in computational neuroscience for decades. Friston previously served as President of the international Organization of Human Brain Mapping in 2000 and has received numerous prestigious awards for his groundbreaking work. Professor Friston's research centers on theoretical neuroscience with a focus on the free energy principle , active inference , and predictive coding frameworks. His work spans multiple disciplines including neuroimaging methodology , computational psychiatry , and cognitive neuroscience . Friston has developed statistical approaches like Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) that have become standard tools in brain imaging research worldwide. His theoretical contributions provide unifying frameworks for understanding perception, action, and consciousness from a computational perspective. Analysis of Friston's recent publications reveals continued innovation in applying mathematical frameworks to complex neuroscience questions. His work increasingly bridges theoretical neuroscience with clinical applications in psychiatry and expands into artificial intelligence, exploring how brain principles can inform machine learning. The articles demonstrate consistent development of the free energy principle across diverse domains from psychedelic drug action to climate change impacts on brain health. Minerva Golden Brain Award (2003) Fellow of the Royal Society (2006) Medal, Collège de France (2008) Honorary Doctorate from the University of York (2011) Fellow of the Society of Biology (2012) As Scientific Director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Friston leads a major research program that has secured substantial funding from the Wellcome Trust and other major research bodies. His theoretical frameworks have generated numerous research projects worldwide, influencing both basic neuroscience and clinical applications. Friston's work has been particularly influential in precision psychiatry, where computational approaches are being applied to understand and treat mental disorders through frameworks like the 'Bayesian Dysconnections' model. Friston is based at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London, a leading institution for brain imaging research. His work involves extensive collaborations across multiple disciplines and institutions, bringing together neuroscientists, physicists, mathematicians, and clinicians to advance our understanding of brain function through advanced imaging and computational techniques.
Prof. Dr. med. Carsten Finke is a professor specializing in cognitive neuroscience and neuroimmunology, with a focus on memory consolidation, spatial navigation, and autoimmune neurological disorders. His research employs neuroimaging and behavioral methods to investigate conditions like encephalitis, multiple sclerosis, and post-COVID cognitive deficits. Research Focus: His work spans three core areas: Memory Systems: Examining consolidation mechanisms (e.g., pharmacological modulation via propofol) and developmental trajectories of spatial/navigational memory. Neuroimmune Disorders: Characterizing cognitive outcomes and brain network reorganization in autoimmune encephalitis (anti-NMDA, anti-LGI1) and multiple sclerosis. Post-COVID Neurology: Identifying neural correlates of fatigue/cognitive impairment and contributing to large cohorts (NAPKON) for phenotyping acute/chronic morbidity. Publication Trends: Recent articles (2023–2025) emphasize: Dynamic brain network analysis in neuroinflammatory conditions Long-term cognitive sequelae of COVID-19 Multisensory influences on spatial memory Pediatric neuroimmunology (MOG-ADEM)
James Andow is a Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Manchester. He completed his PhD at Nottingham University Department of Philosophy in 2014 and maintains an active research profile in philosophical methodology, epistemology, and ethics. His work bridges traditional philosophical inquiry with empirical approaches, particularly through experimental philosophy. PhD, University of Nottingham (2014) Andow's research focuses on metaphilosophy, epistemology, environmental ethics, and normative ethics, with particular attention to the role of intuitions in philosophical methodology. His work critically examines conceptual engineering, experimental philosophy, and the relationship between philosophical analysis and empirical investigation. He has made significant contributions to understanding how philosophers use cases and intuitions, the reliability of philosophical intuitions, and the application of experimental methods to traditional philosophical questions. His publication record shows a clear trajectory toward integrating empirical approaches with philosophical analysis, particularly in the areas of conceptual engineering, epistemic normativity, and environmental ethics. Recent work explores how conceptual engineering might be fully experimental, challenging traditional distinctions between armchair and experimental philosophy. His research on climate change ethics connects philosophical analysis with psychological findings, while his work on epistemic deontology applies Kantian ethical frameworks to epistemological questions. Andow has been actively involved in collaborative projects, notably the X-Phi Replicability Project, which examined the reproducibility of experimental philosophy studies. This collaborative work demonstrates his commitment to methodological rigor in philosophical research. He serves as a PhilPapers editor for sections related to Experimental Philosophy, Critiques of Experimental Philosophy, and related subfields, indicating his recognized expertise in these areas. His work frequently appears in leading philosophy journals including Inquiry, Synthese, and Mind and Language.
Prof. Dr. Sara Hornäk is Professor for "Didactics of Fine Arts" at the Düsseldorf Art Academy (Kunstakademie Düsseldorf) since April 2020, where she also serves as Vice Rector since 2023. Previously, she was Professor of Art Education at the University of Siegen (2018-2020) and Professor of Art and its Didactics with a focus on Sculpture at the University of Paderborn (2006-2018). Her educational background includes: Studied sculpture at the Düsseldorf Art Academy under Klaus Rinke and Fritz Schwegler (1990-1997) Studied philosophy at the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf (1990-1997) Master student of Fritz Schwegler (1995) First State Examination in Art and Philosophy (1997) Second State Examination in Art and Philosophy (2000) Doctorate in Philosophy at the Düsseldorf Art Academy on "Spinoza and Vermeer. Immanence in Philosophy and Painting" (2003) Prof. Hornäk's research focuses on the intersection of artistic practice and art education, with particular emphasis on sculptural action, material studies, and spatial discourses. She explores how artistic processes can inform educational methodologies, especially in the context of inclusion and digital transformation. Her work bridges philosophy, particularly Spinozist thought, with practical art education, examining concepts of immanence, sensory perception, and the relationship between body, material, and space. Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on transmedia perspectives on bodily and spatial experiences, inclusive art education practices, and the theoretical foundations of art didactics. There's a clear trajectory from her early work on sculpture and philosophy to her current exploration of digital and analog approaches in art education, with consistent attention to materiality, spatial dynamics, and inclusive practices. Her notable recognition includes: Award for Innovation and Quality in Teaching (2014), received together with Prof. Dr. HJ Schmid, Dr. Klemp, A. Heggemann, and J. Lohn Prof. Hornäk has been deeply involved in teacher training and educational development throughout her career. She has led significant projects including the "Digital Teacher Training" project (2019-2020) funded by the BMBF and the "ComeArts" project (2023) on digital education. She has served in numerous administrative roles including Deputy Equal Opportunities Officer (2021-2023), participation in accreditation procedures, and membership in various appointment committees. Her work significantly influences art teacher education in Germany through curriculum development, particularly in the practical semester and research-based learning formats. Prof. Hornäk has organized and participated in numerous conferences and discussion forums, including the "SILOGESPRÄCHE" artistic and art-historical discussion forum at the University of Paderborn (2008-2019), various "Kunstpädagogischer Tag" (Art Education Days) events since 2008, and the "Ringvorlesung Lernen ohne Lehren – Kunst vs. Pädagogik?" (2021). These initiatives create collaborative spaces for exploring the theoretical and practical dimensions of art education.
