Smilla Maierhof

 Smilla Maierhof

Affiliation

CC15 – Clinic for Neurology with Experimental Neurology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

PhD project
Modeling chemotherapy-induced neuropathies in iPSC-derived sensory neurons

Field of research

My fields of research are experimental neurology, neurotoxicology, stem cell research and the peripheral nervous system. I investigate the molecular signaling cascades of sensory neurons in response to chemotherapeutic treatment and am eager to elucidate novel potential therapeutic targets for this burdensome disease.

Fun facts

Among my favorite hobbies are oversharing of personal information and very optimistic time planning. My colleges know minutes before I enter the office I’m there since my high-pitched laugh is audible as soon as I arrive on campus.

Year

2022

Aimee Arely Flores Sandoval

 Aimee Arely Flores Sandoval

Affiliation

Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

PhD project
rTMS for enhancing Brain Computer Interface-induced plasticity in stroke: a crossover design

Field of research

Clinical neuroscience. Keywords: brain stimulation, brain-computer interface, EEG, MRI

Fun facts

After studying motor function, I go to dance lessons to learn something new.

Year

2021

Stefano Masserini

 Stefano Masserini

Affiliation

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Faculty of Life Sciences, Institute for Theoretical Biology

PhD project
An Investigation of the Effects of Principal-Cell Heterogeneity in Network Models of SPW-Rs

Field of research

The rhythms of the brain often emerge from timely interactions between functionally and morphologically distinct neural populations. These interactions can be described by mathematical models and understood through the theory of dynamical systems. In my research, I extend classic models of Sharp Wave-Ripples to include recent and ongoing discoveries on cell-type heterogeneity and study their effects on the network dynamics. These waves originate in the hippocampus and are crucial for memory consolidation.

Fun facts

I have a name in Esperanto (Garlando), I like to write poems for important occasions, and, when I make friends from different countries, I try to learn a bit of their language and to cook some dishes from their cuisine.

Year

2022

Ikhwan Bin Khalid

 Ikhwan Bin Khalid

Affiliation

Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

PhD project
Elucidating the Role of Grid Cells in Alzheimer's Disease: A Network Model of Entorhinal-Hippocampus Interactions and Pathological Disruptions

Field of research

I aim to use analytical and numerical models to uncover the functional role of grid cells, and to link their dysfunction to behavioral deficits seen in medial temporal lobe pathologies such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Fun facts

I once taught myself to carve violin bridges, at the cost of nicking my fingers a few times. It just goes to show that violins is never the answer.

Year

2022

James Gowman

 James Gowman

Affiliation

Humboldt University Berlin

PhD project
Electrophysiological investigation of AMPA receptor auxiliary proteins

Field of research

TARPs (Transmembrane AMPAR Regulatory Proteins) are a family of auxiliary proteins which modulate many aspects of AMPA receptor physiology. I use patch-clamp recording to examine how they alter ion channel pharmacology and are regulated by phosphorylation.

Fun facts

Breakfast is the least important meal of the day.

Year

2019

Ioanna Amaya

 Ioanna Amaya

Affiliation

Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin

PhD project
Perceptual processing during altered states of consciousness

Field of research

Using flicker light stimulation to induce transient visual hallucinatory phenomena in healthy participants, I analyse resting state fMRI data to investigate the effects of flicker rhythmicity and frequency on thalamocortical and corticocortical dysconnectivity patterns.

Fun facts

Flower arranging and ashtanga yoga at oh god o’ clock (very early) are my cherished antidotes to PhD stress.

Year

2020

Sedef Karayel

 Sedef Karayel

Affiliation

Humboldt University Berlin

PhD project
Neural Mechanisms of Perceptual Decision Making in Mice

Field of research

My project is focused on the role of projections between frontal and parietal brain regions in the decision making mechanisms.

Fun facts

Year

2021

Linda Engefu Kokwaro

 Linda Engefu Kokwaro

Affiliation

Division of Translation and Neurotechnology, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

PhD project
Assessment of Digital Health Literacy and digital health service utilization among people diagnosed with bipolar disorder in Germany

Field of research

Digital Psychiatry, how do people diagnosed with bipolar disorder interact with/within the ever-evolving realm of digital health?

Fun facts

I have lived in a town that is exactly on the equator at 0° & love talking longitudes and latitudes, plus everything Geography.

Year

2019

João Pedro Parreira Rodrigues

 João Pedro Parreira Rodrigues

Affiliation

International Graduate Program Medical Neurosciences

PhD project

Field of research

My main interests lie in the neurobiology of consciousness and thought, which I plan to investigate in humans and rodents. I intend to approach consciousness from an experimental structuralist standpoint, behaviorally assessing the qualia space in different sensory modalities and using it as a map to find the neural mechanisms behind consciousness.

Fun facts

You need to use your nose to pronounce my name properly.

Year

2022

Amy Halbing

 Amy Halbing

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institut für Medizinische Psychologie

PhD project

Field of research

My research will center on the relationship between childhood maltreatment, diurnal cortisol patterns in pregnancy, and immune cell profiles in mid-gestation with a focus on how these combined factors contribute to the intergenerational transmission of childhood maltreatment.

Fun facts

I keep a spreadsheet of all the concerts I’ve ever been to. I brew my own kombucha. I used to compete on a snowboard racing team.

Year

2020

Verjinia Metodieva

 Verjinia Metodieva

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Neuroscience Research Center and NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, AG Schmitz

PhD project
Homeostatic plasticity in cortical human pyramidal neurons

Field of research

Multipatch electrophysiology, targeted repatching, some coding.

Fun facts

Year

2022

Ines Pont Sanchis

Affiliation

Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin

PhD project
Representational dynamics during working memory in Schizophrenia

Field of research

Application of dynamical systems theory and state space mappings to representational dynamics in working memory. In particular how these help us understand the cognitive deficits underpinning Schizophrenia.

Fun facts

Year

2022

Grace Viljoen

 Grace Viljoen

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Psychiatry & Neurosciences CCM, Research Group Recreational Drugs

PhD project
Psychedelic drugs for the treatment of substance-use disorder

Field of research

Classic hallucinogens, atypical hallucinogens, psychiatric disorders, clinical neuroscience, meta-analysis, questionnaire.

Fun facts

I come from the most isolated city in the world (Perth). I've been asked by multiple neuroscientists if my twin brother and I are identical :')

Year

2021

Carlotta Dörfler

 Carlotta Dörfler

Affiliation

Institute of Sexology and Sexual Medicine – Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin

PhD project
Female Orgasmic Dysfunction

Field of research

The working group Female Desire deals with the foundations of female sexuality from a biopsychosocial perspective. We aim to promote women's sexual health by working on the development of new diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive approaches.

Fun facts

Trying to come up with an answer for prompts like this always induces an existential crisis for me.

Year

2021

Mariia Mikhailenko

 Mariia Mikhailenko

Affiliation

Department of Neurology and Experimental Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin

PhD project
Investigating periodic and aperiodic cortico-subthalamic coupling with time-resolved spectral parametrization in patients with Parkinson’s disease

Field of research

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder, with the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the basal ganglia being one of the main pathologies of the disease. Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus had revealed pathological synchronization of the neural activity in the basal ganglia, within the frequency range of 8-35 Hz. However, both, the mechanism of the this synchronization remains unknown. My research focuses on investigating these fundamental mechanisms through time-resolved spectral parametrization of the brain activity and the resulting couplings of the periodic and aperiodic spectral features.

Fun facts

Not sure it’s fun, but I used to run a one-person vegan-bakery business during my Masters.

Year

2021

Siqi Sun

Affiliation

Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), Research Group Synapse Biology

PhD project
Elucidating the Nanoarchitecture of the Presynaptic proteome

Field of research

Molecular mechanisms of synaptic transmission, proximity labeling, presynaptic functions.

Fun facts

Part-time linguist and German teacher

Year

2022

Yannes Popp

Affiliation

RG Optobiology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University Berlin

PhD project
Unveiling Axonal Maturation and Unconventional Roles of Lysosomes and Autophagosomes; Understanding the Mechanism of Microtubule Acetylation

Field of research

My research is focused on the autophagosomal-lysosomal system and unconventional roles of these organelles like exocytosis. Specialized culturing vessels called microfluidic devices are used to separate and study neuronal compartments by live-cell imaging, immunocytochemistry, mass spectrometry and biochemical methods. I am also investigating the microtubule post-translational modification acetylation and the mechanism of the acetylating enzyme αTAT1 to recognize and enter the microtubule lumen.

Fun facts

I grew up on a small island.

Year

2022

Elisa Lilly Garulli

Affiliation

Department of Experimental Neurology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin

PhD project
Spinal cord stimulation for motor restoration in Parkinson’s

Field of research

I am establishing a closed-loop stimulation paradigm for amelioration of Parkinson’s symptoms. Moreover I am developing few software pipelines for analyzing neural and kinematics data.

Fun facts

I built a glitter bomb embedded in a toy-dog; I like to sketch small drawings of funny things people say.

Year

2022

María Alcobendas Liern

Affiliation

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Cognitive Neurology Lab Berlin

PhD project
Contextual modulation of spatial memory consolidation

Field of research

Navigation, Memory consolidation, Hippocampus, Cognitive Neuroscience, EEG, iEEG, Behavior.

Fun facts

I would like to be a rockstar.

Year

2022

Lara Ryan

 Lara Ryan

Affiliation

Decision Neuroscience and Nutrition department at the German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE)

PhD project
Circadian rhythms, mealtime and their influence on decision-making

Field of research

My research investigates circadian rhythms and human decision-making. Specifically, I am interested in the relationship between food intake, circadian rhythms and cognition.

Fun facts

Year

2020

Eric Moura Lonergan

Affiliation

Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University

PhD project

Field of research

I am applying methods from computational psychiatry to understand the neural mechanisms of hallucinations induced by serotonergic psychedelics.

Fun facts

I’m fascinated by plant biochemistry and am working on a database detailing the pharmacology of compounds from more than 400 herbs.

Year

2021

Ilkem Aysu Sahin

 Ilkem Aysu Sahin

Affiliation

Network Stimulation Laboratory (NetStim), Charite Universitatsmedizin Berlin

PhD project
Unraveling Diseases of the Human Connectome through Deep Brain Stimulation

Field of research

Connectomics, Deep Brain Stimulation, Fiber Filtering, Movement Disorders, Tourette’s Syndrome

Fun facts

I once had to spend 8 hours alone without phone connection in the middle of a mountain range in winter

Year

2021

Milena Philomena Maria Musial

 Milena Philomena Maria Musial

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Psychiatry & Neurosciences CCM, Research Group Learning and Cognition

PhD project
Reward Processing and Reinforcement Learning in Alcohol Use Disorder and Major Depression

Field of research

My research falls into the field of computational psychiatry: I aim to capture reward learning and decision making in psychiatric disorders by means of computational parameters and to link them to their neurobiological correlates.

Fun facts

Staying up late or getting enough sleep – struggle of my life.

Year

2021

Jiameng Wu

 Jiameng Wu

Affiliation

Larkum Lab, Humboldt University of Berlin

PhD project
Psychedelics and Neuronal Circuit

Field of research

I am interested in neuronal and circuit mechanisms underlying psychedelic actions with a particular emphasis on dendro-somatic processing in cortical layer 5b pyramidal neurons and the circuit involving layer 6b and higher-order thalamus.

Fun facts

Year

2019

Yasat Hacibaloglu

 Yasat Hacibaloglu

Affiliation

Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie im Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FMP), Robert-Roessle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany

PhD project
Synaptic diversity in health and disease

Field of research

I work in molecular and network neuroscience, trying to understand the effects of MUNC13 patient mutations and how they affect Synaptic Function.

Fun facts

I got lost in a forest in Kyoto after a typhoon hit the city. Did you know I lived in Japan?

Year

2021

Subhi Arafat

 Subhi Arafat

Affiliation

Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) Department of Computational Neurology

PhD project
Exploring the relationship between intrinsic and evoked brain activity from a dynamical systems perspective

Field of research

Ongoing Brain Activity, Brain Stimulation, Dynamical Systems Theory, Complex Systems

Fun facts

By the time you read this, it will describe a previous iteration of this person.

Year

2020

Ștefania Cionca

 Ștefania Cionca

Affiliation

German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIFE) Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Department of Neuroscience of Decision and Nutrition

PhD project
Disturbances in Body Image and The Role of Interoception

Field of research

Body image, body ownership, interoception, virtual reality and eating disorders. The main aim of my research is to better understand body image disturbances in eating disorders and to investigate the interaction between body ownership and interoception. In my research I use virtual reality technology to investigate ways to reduce body image disturbances.

Fun facts

I’ve been known for badly singing Evanescence in inappropriate situations, when I don’t realize that I am unmuted.

Year

2020

Alessandro Thomas Gifford

 Alessandro Thomas Gifford

Affiliation

Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Education and Psychology, Neural Dynamics of Visual Cognition Group

PhD project
Computational modeling of vision-related neuroimaging data

Field of research

Computational cognitive visual neuroscience, M/EEG, fMRI, deep learning, human visual object recognition.

Fun facts

Not sure it is fun, but I’m into playing Frisbee, arthouse movies and mountains.

Year

2020

Natalie Gloveli

 Natalie Gloveli

Affiliation

International Graduate Program Medical Neurosciences (MedNeuro) PhD

PhD project

Field of research

Neural correlates of play behavior in rodents

Fun facts

Year

2020

Eugenio Graceffo

 Eugenio Graceffo

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Pediatrics with a focus on Neurology, AG Schülke Group

PhD project
THRA deficiency and Allan-Herndon-Dudley-Syndrome: Defects of local Thyroid Hormone function during human brain development

Field of research

The main goal of the PhD project is to characterize, by means of molecular and bioinformatic tools, the epigenomic landscape that regulates the timely and spatial expression and splicing of SLC16A2 and THRA, the 2 main genes involved in the developmental diseases Allan Herndon Dudley Syndrome (AHDS) and Thyroid Hormone Receptor Alpha deficiency (THRA-deficiency) respectively.

Fun facts

When I´m not hopping around the lab, I´m doing artistic gymnastics. Also, my favorite dish is pasta (yes, I am Italian indeed)

Year

2020

Agnessa Karapetian

 Agnessa Karapetian

Affiliation

Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Education and Psychology, Neural Dynamics of Visual Cognition Group

PhD project
Scene processing in biological and artificial networks

Field of research

Vision neuroscience, cognitive computational neuroscience

Fun facts

Year

2020

Hugo McGurran

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Cell and Neurobiology, Neurodegeneration and Neuroimmunology Research Group

PhD project
Understanding microRNAs as signalling molecules and modulators of neurodegeneration

Field of research

I am researching the role of microRNAs within the context of neurodegeneration, particularly in Alzheimer’s disease. These molecules may be novel regulators of inflammatory processes in the disease and provide the opportunity for therapeutic and biomarker discovery for Alzheimer’s.

Fun facts

Year

2020

Fiona O’ Donovan

 Fiona O’ Donovan

Affiliation

Institute of Medical Psychology

PhD project
Maternal Cortisol Concentrations During Pregnancy and Infant White Matter Microstructure

Field of research

Diffusion tensor imaging, human brain development, stress

Fun facts

I have a kombucha factory in my kitchen. Just ask me if you’d like some. I’d be very happy to free up some space.

Year

2019

Emin Serin

 Emin Serin

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin Department Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

PhD project
Predicting psychiatric disorders using machine learning and normative modelling

Field of research

Computational psychiatry, MRI, machine learning.

Fun facts

I live in an endless loop of re-learning and forgetting mathematical notations and performance metrics.

Year

2020

Kirsten Stark

 Kirsten Stark

Affiliation

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychology, Neurocognitive Psychology

PhD project
Why not only the nose is getting longer: Behavioral and neurocognitive investigations on speech production during lying

Field of research

language, speech production, social interaction, emotion perception, EEG, cognitive neuroscience

Fun facts

I used to speak Nicaraguan Sign Language

Year

2020

Selina Yogeshwar

 Selina Yogeshwar

Affiliation

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Cognitive Neurology Lab Berlin

PhD project
Auto-immune driven progressive CNS atrophy in anti-IgLON5 disease: from genetics to neu-rodegeneration

Field of research

Brain atrophy, MRI, HLA-conferred risk, Mechanisms of autoimmunity

Fun facts

A crocodile was once named after me

Year

2020

Bilge Askin

 Bilge Askin

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Psychiatry & Psychotherapy

PhD project
Genomic instability in age-related neurodegenerative diseases

Field of research

Genomic alterations, Neurodegenerative proteinopathies, Tau and TDP-43 pathology

Fun facts

I like planning and I plan my day around coffee breaks

Year

2019

Caroline Beyer

 Caroline Beyer

Affiliation

Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB), Gouti Lab (Stem Cell Modeling of Development and Disease)

PhD project
Modeling of neuromuscular and vascular development using neuromuscular organoids

Field of research

Developmental Biology, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Fun facts

My apartment has more plants then square meters.

Year

2019

Tony Carricarte

 Tony Carricarte

Affiliation

Neural dynamics of visual cognition group, Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin

PhD project
Laminar communication in the human ventral visual cortex during veridical and intrinsically-driven perceptual experiences

Field of research

Object perception, visual cognition, object recognition, computational neuroscience, face perception, scene perception, ultra-high field MRI.

Fun facts

Year

2019

Carina Forster

 Carina Forster

Affiliation

Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Neurology Department, Somatosensory Group

PhD project
Somatosensation, perception and decision making with a focus on subliminal stimuli and metacognition

Field of research

Clinical psychology/neurology, computational neuroscience, psychophysics

Fun facts

Yoga teacher and climbing addict like every other person in Berlin/Neukoelln

Year

2019

Sophie Fromm

 Sophie Fromm

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, AG Learning and Cognition

PhD project
Neurobiological and behavioral substrates of decision making under uncertainty in the context of (subclinical) psychosis

Field of research

Computational Psychiatry, Decision Making, Reinforcement Learning

Fun facts

Neuroscience is no fun (No Fun et al. , 2020). But I have a scientific publishing joke, please purchase PDF for $39 for 24h access or 70$ for full access.

Year

2019

Barbara Hollunder

 Barbara Hollunder

Affiliation

Larkum Lab, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

PhD project
Towards the Definition of an Optimal Convergent Deep Brain Stimulation Circuit Target for Individual Non-Motor Symptom Constellations in Parkinson’s Disease

Field of research

My scientific interests include symptom-specific connectomic deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the therapy of neurological and psychiatric circuitopathies, patient-centered precision neuromodulation, optimal DBS target modeling, and transdiagnostic / dimensional approaches in neuropsychiatry.

Fun facts

If you were to draw a Venn diagram of former unicycle club members and people who happen to be good at assembling IKEA furniture, you would find me in its slim center.

Year

2019

Victor Kumbol

 Victor Kumbol

Affiliation

Charité-Universitatmedizin Berlin, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, AG Lehnardt,

PhD project
A role beyond gene regulation: how extracellular miRNAs affect neuronal structure and function.

Field of research

neuroimmunology, toll-like receptors, neurodegeneration

Fun facts

I tinker with electronics in my spare time.

Year

2019

Nir Moneta

 Nir Moneta

Affiliation

Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Research Group NeuroCode

PhD project
Representation and distortions in cognitive maps of task states

Field of research

Value-based decision making and task representation in the brain. Human fMRI and multivariate analysis methods

Fun facts

On an ongoing search for non-scientific hobbies, suggestions are welcome!

Year

2019

Kai Standvoß

 Kai Standvoß

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (CCM), Visual Perception Lab

PhD project
The effect of environmental uncertainty on visual metacognition

Field of research

Cognitive computational neuroscience, visual perception, metacognition, decision making under uncertainty, hierarchical predictive coding

Fun facts

Year

2019

Anna-Lena Eckert

 Anna-Lena Eckert

Affiliation

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Visual Perception Lab

PhD project
Predictions in schizophrenia across perceptual domains

Field of research

I am generally interested in the computational foundations of psychiatric disorders

Fun facts

I grow spider plants – approach me if you’d like to have one

Year

2018

Clémence Bergerot

Affiliation

Romanczuk lab, Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

PhD project
Influence of cognitive biases on collective adaptation to changing environments

Field of research

My research lies at the interface between computational neuroscience and complex systems science, while borrowing concepts from other fields, such as game theory and experimental psychology. I use multi-agent reinforcement learning to investigate collective adaptation to change, when individuals exhibit biased decision-making.

Fun facts

Although I study decision-making, I am quite bad at making decisions.

Year

2021

Lilly von Kalckreuth

Affiliation

Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Institute of Biology Humboldt University

PhD project

Field of research

Applying computational models to understand intelligent decision-making on a behavioral systems and a neurophysiological circuit level in animals. Incorporate dopamine and serotonin sensors to elucidate the role of these neuromodulators in decision-making, as well as their contribution to related behavior in models of psychiatric conditions.

Fun facts

I collect swords and hang them up in my apartment

Year

2021

Stefanie Mayer

Affiliation

Experimental Neurology/Centre for Stroke Research

PhD project
Post Stroke Pial Collateral Remodeling and Neuronal Plasticity in Motor Recovery

Field of research

Collateral circulation refers to the cerebral blood flow of artery-to-artery anastomotic vessels that may act as endogenous circumventers during large vessel occlusion. Collateral remodeling is a major determining factor of stroke outcome as patients with good collateral circulation have better prognoses and benefit greatly from reperfusion. Factors that give rise to differences in individual collateral circulatory systems are not well understood, nor is the correlation between post-stroke collateral remodeling and post-stroke neural rewiring. Therefore, this project aims to answer the questions: how and why does collateral remodeling differ so vastly between individuals, and how are these differences linked to functional readouts.

Fun facts

I was named after my mum’s favourite tennis star, but now people tend to notice more the similarities I share with the author of Twilight.

Year

2021

Fiona O’ Donovan

 Fiona O’ Donovan

Affiliation

Institute of Medical Psychology

PhD project
Maternal Cortisol Concentrations During Pregnancy and Infant White Matter Microstructure

Field of research

Diffusion tensor imaging, human brain development, stress

Fun facts

I have a kombucha factory in my kitchen. Just ask me if you’d like some. I’d be very happy to free up some space.

Year

2020

Elisa Pedersen

Affiliation

Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin

PhD project
Molecular determinants of neocortical development

Field of research

We are interested in identifying the mechanisms that regulate the normal timing, extent and final maturation of the dendritic tree during formation of the mammalian neocortex. Furthermore, we also investigate how defects in these mechanisms contribute to the development of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Fun facts

In my free time I really like to swim, and I once swan across a 1 km fjord for fun.

Year

2021

Lois Hew

Affiliation

Department of Experimental Neurology

PhD project
Human Schwann cell myelinated sensory and motor neuron co-cultures as disease models of inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathies

Field of research

I work with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and we differentiate them into peripheral sensory neurons (iPSC-DSN) to model chemotherapy-induced polyneuropathy. Expanding on this model, we will differentiate iPSCs to Schwann cells and to motor neurons, to study inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathies (IDP) such as chronic IDP, Guillain-Barré syndrome, immune checkpoint inhibitor-related neuropathies and paraneoplastic neuropathies.

Fun facts

I like pandas!

Year

2021

Thomas Samuel Binns

Affiliation

Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) Department of Computational Neurology

PhD project
Parkinson’s disease: Invasive investigations of connectivity-based biomarkers for closed-loop deep brain stimulatio

Field of research

I am investigating the interaction between the cortex and basal ganglia using electrocorticography and local field potential recordings from Parkinson’s disease patients having undergone surgery for deep brain stimulation (DBS). This will inform our understanding of the mechanisms of DBS and dopaminergic agents in Parkinson’s, as well as highlight potential biomarkers for next-generation DBS treatments.

Fun facts

: I am the proud owner of an authentic Black Watch military kilt which I never pass up the opportunity to wear. The only question is: am I a true Scotsman?

Year

2021

Melina Engelhardt

 Melina Engelhardt

Affiliation

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurosurgery, Image Guidance Lab

PhD project
Preconditioning of the motor network with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to reduce the mortality risk in neurosurgery

Field of research

Noninvasive brain stimulation, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), clinical neuroscience, glioma, motor system, plasticity, reorganization

Fun facts

My “second PhD project” is improving the anatomic accuracy of the brain cakes I bake.

Year

2018

Gisela Govaart

 Gisela Govaart

Affiliation

Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology

PhD project
Voice–Speech Interactions in Infant Phoneme Acquisition

Field of research

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Early Language Acquisition, Phoneme acquisition and voice processing in infancy. In my PhD project, I investigate how infants learn the vowels and consonants of their native language, and how this learning process interacts with the processing of the voices of the speakers the infants are listening to.

Fun facts

Year

2018

Greta Häberle

 Greta Häberle

Affiliation

Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Education and Psychology, Neural Dynamics of Visual Cognition Group

PhD project
How does each of the core regions active during vision represent objects?

Field of research

Cognitive neuroscience, vision, fMRI, DNNs, object representations, ventral visual stream

Fun facts

Year

2018

Majed Kikhia

 Majed Kikhia

Affiliation

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Experimental Neurology

PhD project
Fate mapping of myeloid cell subsets following ischemic stroke.

Field of research

Neuroimmunology and inflammation in animal models of ischemic stroke. Specifically, the involvement of microglia and monocyte-derived macrophages in the pathophysiology of stroke injury.

Fun facts

Although I think I am usually funny, I could not find one fun fact about myself!

Year

2018

Robert Tjarko Lange

 Robert Tjarko Lange

Affiliation

Technische Universität Berlin, Sprekeler Lab

PhD project
Learning of Intelligent Swarm Behaviour

Field of research

Deep Reinforcement Learning, Cognitive Neuroscience, Animal Psychology

Fun facts

I used to do freestyle wrestling in the state team of North Rhine-Westphalia before deciding to play Magic: The Gathering semi-professionally

Year

2018

Sara Moberg

 Sara Moberg

Affiliation

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Larkum Lab

PhD project
Learning-related plasticity in layer 1 apical dendrites

Field of research

Neuronal circuitry, animal behavior, calcium imaging, apical dendrites

Fun facts

Year

2018

Nelson Niemeyer

 Nelson Niemeyer

Affiliation

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Theoretical Biology, Computational Neurophysiology Group

PhD project
Pattern generation in noisy neural systems

Field of research

Biophysical neuron models, central pattern generators

Fun facts

Year

2018

Jan Stasinski

 Jan Stasinski

Affiliation

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology with Experimental Neurology, Brain Stimulation Section

PhD project
How the brain creates beliefs - Brain Simulation approach

Field of research

I am interested in high-order cognitive functions and general theories explaining cognition such as hierarchical predictive processing

Fun facts

Re-learning math when you are a graduate student hurts, a lot

Year

2018

Lara Wieland

 Lara Wieland

Affiliation

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, AG Learning and Cognition

PhD project
Reinforcement Learning in Schizophrenia

Field of research

Computational Psychiatry

Fun facts

Year

2018

Yuanwei Yao

 Yuanwei Yao

Affiliation

Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Education and Psychology, Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Group

PhD project
How does effort investment influence subjective value?

Field of research

Decision-making, reward function, motivation

Fun facts

Year

2018

Ashraf Abdo

 Ashraf Abdo

Affiliation

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Medical Immunology, Achim Kramer Lab

PhD project
Human chronotyping

Field of research

Chronobiology and Circadian rhythms

Fun facts

I love what I study (Sleep) and I spend the whole weekend studying

Year

2017

Isabella Paola Boux

 Isabella Paola Boux

Affiliation

Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Philosophy and Humanities, Brain Language Laboratory

PhD project
Communication beyond form: how the brain processes communicative intention

Field of research

Language, neuropragmatics, speech acts, communication

Fun facts

Year

2017

Meida Jusyte

 Meida Jusyte

Affiliation

Leibniz Forschungsverbund Berlin, Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, Molecular and Theoretical Neuroscience

PhD project

Field of research

Molecular mechanisms underlying synaptic transmission and plasticity.

Fun facts

Year

2017

Graham Cooper

 Graham Cooper

Affiliation

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Tranlational Neuroimaging Group (DIAL)

PhD project
Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Multi-Parameter Mapping in Multiple Sclerosis.

Field of research

Quantitative MRI, Cognitive Neuroscience, Multiple Sclerosis, Experimental Autoimmune Encephalitis, Lesion Classification, Myelin Imaging, Experimental MRI.

Fun facts

Graham is a keen performer but his career peaked at 16 when he directed and starred in his parody of Grease! with the puppet ministry team in his local church.

Year

2017

Andrea Knop

 Andrea Knop

Affiliation

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Medical Psychology

PhD project
Experience-driven plasticity of the genital somatosensory field

Field of research

Early life stress, childhood adversity, sexual abuse, neural plasticity, plastic reorganization, developmental programming, sensitive periods.

Fun facts

Year

2017

Joram Keijser

 Joram Keijser

Affiliation

Technische Universität Berlin, Sprekeler Lab

PhD project
perceptual decision making with a continuum of alternatives

Field of research

theoretical neuroscience, statistical analysis of neural data, plasticity , inhibition

Fun facts

I think we should ‘solve the worm first’ before trying to understand the human brain.

Year

2017

Daniela Palleschi

 Daniela Palleschi

Affiliation

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of German Language and Linguistics

PhD project
Interaction of linguistic and non-linguistic context in language processing.

Field of research

The main aim is to investigate the interaction between world knowledge and temporal verb morphology in language processing. A secondary aim is to investigate this effect in non-native speakers of diverse linguistic backgrounds to determine how the grammar of a native language can affect the on-line processing of a second language when multiple sources of information are involved.

Fun facts

Year

2017

Hung Lo

 Hung Lo

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Neuroscience Research Center and NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, AG Schmitz

PhD project
Odor representation and adaptation in rodents.

Field of research

Neuronal circuitry, animal behaviors, calcium imaging

Fun facts

Hung thought he was a master of Rubik's cube until he realized he is actually color blind.

Year

2017

Kathrin Radscheit

 Kathrin Radscheit

Affiliation

Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Izsvák Lab

PhD project

Field of research

Fun facts

Year

2017

Irene Sophia Plank

 Irene Sophia Plank

Affiliation

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

PhD project
Are parents really better at it? Measuring social competencies regarding children in parents and non-parents.

Field of research

Social Cognition, Social Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience, Theory of Mind, Empathy, Compassion.

Fun facts

Year

2017

Raquel Suárez Grimalt

 Raquel Suárez Grimalt

Affiliation

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurophysiology, Owald Lab

PhD project
Cellular mechanisms of drug preference in Drosophila melanogaster

Field of research

neuroscience/behavioral neuroscience/drug addiction

Fun facts

Year

2017

Kazi Atikur Rahman

 Kazi Atikur Rahman

Affiliation

German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Synaptopathy

PhD project
“Role of pre-synaptic autophagy in clearance of pathogenic alpha-Synuclein aggregates”, “Neuroimmune response modulation in Alzheimer’s Disease”

Field of research

Neurodegeneration, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Microglia, Autophagy, alpha-Synuclein, Neuroinflammation.

Fun facts

I did not know what my name really meant until I came to Berlin.

Year

2017

Alexandra Tzilivaki

 Alexandra Tzilivaki

Affiliation

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Neuroscience Research Center and NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, AG Schmitz

PhD project

Field of research

Electrophysiological characterisation and connectivity analysis of interneurons in the mouse parasubiculum.

Fun facts

Year

2017

Rafaela Vieira da Silva

 Rafaela Vieira da Silva

Affiliation

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute for Medical Immunology, AG Infante

PhD project
Extracellular Matrix Alterations in Multiple Sclerosis

Field of research

Glycosaminoglycans, MRI/MRE, Multiple

Fun facts

Year

2017