Berlin School of Mind and Brain: Doctoral candidates

Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer
Prof. Dr. Felix Blankenburg

The role of functional connectivity and EEG rhythms on nonconscious processing of tactile stimuli

Doctoral project	The role of functional connectivity and EEG rhythms on nonconscious processing of tactile stimuli
Description	The project investigates the neural correlates of nonconscious tactile stimuli localization. An EEG experiment is designed to observe whether specific EEG oscillations correlates with the ability to correctly localize undetected tactile stimuli. A TMS study will be designed to observe a possible pathway bypassing primary somatosensory cortex and allowing participants to localize undetected tactile stimuli. Finally, an fMRI experiment will be performed to understand the role of prestimulus functional connectivity on the localization of undetected stimuli.
Funding	Mind & Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer Prof. Dr. Felix Blankenburg
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 2: Decision-making
Degrees obtained	B.Sc. Molecular Biology and Genetics
Institute	Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Cohort	2016
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	esra.al.mbg-please remove this text-@gmail.com

Arbuzova, Polina

Elisa Filevich Ph.D.
Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
Prof. Dr. Andrea Kühn

Metacognition of action in Parkinson’s disease

Arbuzova, Polina

Doctoral project	Metacognition of action in Parkinson’s disease
Description	Metacognition is introspection into our own cognitive processes. Up to date, metacognitive research has been focusing on visual and memory domains, with little attention given to the motor domain. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an interesting case for metacognition of action, as it is characterized not only with motor, but also with cognitive symptoms. Some metacognitive deficits have been observed in PD as well. However, it is not clear how far they extend. In my project, I will first study metacognitive ability in PD. If it is poorer in PD than in healthy participants, it can be a potential point for intervention. Second, I will look how metacognition of action relates to metacognition in other domains. This will inform us about domain-specificity or generality of metacognitive mechanisms.
Funding	65% research position, Freigeist fellowship Elisa Filevich, Volkswagen Stiftung
Supervisors	Elisa Filevich Ph.D. Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen Prof. Dr. Andrea Kühn
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 2: Decision-making Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction
Degrees obtained
Institute	Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience / Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Cohort	2018
Status	Doctoral candidate
Phone	030 / 2093-6266
E-mail	polina.arbuzova-please remove this text-@bccn-berlin.de
Homepage	https://twitter.com/polinaarb
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Polina_Arbuzova

Balzus, Luisa

Prof. Dr. Norbert Kathmann
Prof. Dr. Stephan Brandt

Efficacy of physiological stimulation in modulating neurobiological markers of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Balzus, Luisa

Doctoral project	Efficacy of physiological stimulation in modulating neurobiological markers of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Description	The aim of my project is to elucidate the role of overactive error monitoring in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Hyperactive error monitoring is one of the most robust psychophysiological alterations in OCD and may qualify as a neurobiological marker for the disorder. In my project, EEG will be used to assess electrophysiological correlates of error processing in patients with OCD. By employing a neurophysiological stimulation technique, I aim to answer the question whether neural correlates of error processing can be modulated in these patients and how this modulation affects obsessive-compulsive symptomatology. The overarching goal of my thesis is to increase our understanding of how specific neurocognitive functions contribute to complex psychopathological symptoms.
Funding	Mind and Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Norbert Kathmann Prof. Dr. Stephan Brandt
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction
Degrees obtained
Institute	Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Cohort	2017
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	luisa.balzus-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de

Baum, Julia

Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman
Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek

Untrustworthy gossip: Effects on person perception and moral judgement

Baum, Julia

Doctoral project	Untrustworthy gossip: Effects on person perception and moral judgement
Description	When gossiping with colleagues, reading news, or browsing social media, we constantly encounter verbal information about other people that may or may not be true and meaningful. I investigate how unreliable affective information about a person influences how we perceive and morally judge them. I use electrophysiological correlates of brain activity (ERPs) to study how perceiving their face and appraising their character is shaped by what we’ve heard about them.
Funding	Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 3: Language Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained
Institute	Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychology, Neurocognitive Psychology; Berlin School of Mind and Brain
Cohort	2017
Status	Doctoral candidate
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Julia_Baum2

Boux, Isabella

Prof. Dr. Dr. Friedemann Pulvermüller
Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman

Communication beyond form: How the brain processes communicative intention

Boux, Isabella

Doctoral project	Communication beyond form: How the brain processes communicative intention
Description	Language interacts with the context in which it occurs, meaning that a same linguistic expression can be used by a speaker to communicate different things. In other words, the communicative action of an utterance and its physical form can be considered independent to a certain degree. The aim of my doctoral project is to understand how the brain encodes different communicative intentions (speech act types) conveyed by the same physical utterance and to elucidate whether certain brain regions play a causal role in disambiguating between different possible interpretations of the same utterance (for example in the case of indirect speech acts).
Funding	Einstein Center for Neurosciences
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Dr. Friedemann Pulvermüller Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman
M&B topics	Topic 3: Language Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained
Institute	Freie Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Deutsche und Niederländische Philologie, Brain Language Laboratory
Cohort	2017
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	boux-please remove this text-@zedat.fu-berlin.de

Charalampaki, Angeliki

Elisa Filevich PhD
Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen

Sense of agency within a metacognitive framework

Charalampaki, Angeliki

Doctoral project	Sense of agency within a metacognitive framework
Funding	DAAD scholarship
Supervisors	Elisa Filevich PhD Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 2: Decision-making Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Institute	Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychology
Cohort	2019
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	charalaa-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de
Homepage	http://metamotorlab.filevich.com/profile_AngelikiCharalampak...

Chidambaram, Shambhavi

Prof. Dr. York Winter
Prof. Dr. Dr. Andreas Heinz
Prof. Dr. Randolf Menzel

The value of information in decision-making in nectar-drinking bats

Chidambaram, Shambhavi

Doctoral project	The value of information in decision-making in nectar-drinking bats
Description	Animals have been seen to violate the principles of rationality by choosing informative but low-energy rewards instead of non-informative, high-energy rewards. The question is whether Glossophaga soricina, a nectar-drinking bat which should value both information and energetic reward highly, also behaves irrationally. The free-flying animals will be studied using an electronic operant wall, and hypotheses, explanations and mathematical models underlying their behaviour will be explored.
Funding	DAAD scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. York Winter Prof. Dr. Dr. Andreas Heinz Prof. Dr. Randolf Menzel
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 2: Decision-making
Degrees obtained
Institute	Institute of Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Cohort	2017
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	shambhavi.chidambaram-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de

Dabas, Aroma

Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren
Dr. Roland Benoit

Role of emotion in future episodic thinking

Dabas, Aroma

Doctoral project	Role of emotion in future episodic thinking
Description	The focus of my project is towards gaining insights into the link between episodic memories and episodic future thinking. The key questions of my project are: Does the valence of our episodic memories play a significant role in simulating future episodic events? If yes, what are the neural correlates of this past-future link? Can aberrations of this past-future link influence decision-making processes?
Funding	DAAD
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren Dr. Roland Benoit
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 2: Decision-making
Degrees obtained
Institute	Freie Universität, Berlin; Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig; Berlin School of Mind and Brain
Cohort	2017
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	aroma.dabas-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Aroma_Dabas
Academia.edu	https://mind-and-brain.academia.edu/AromaDabas

Doppelbauer, Lea

Prof. Dr. Dr. Friedemann Pulvermüller
PD Dr. Thomas Picht

Neurorehabilitation of language: Functional interaction of language and action in aphasia

Doppelbauer, Lea

Doctoral project	Neurorehabilitation of language: Functional interaction of language and action in aphasia
Description	Aphasia, a very common impairment following stroke, affects language and communication abilities as well as emotional well-being and participation in everyday life. The aim of my PhD project is to identify fundamental features of successful therapies in chronic post-stroke aphasia. I am particularly working with treatment approaches built on a neuroscience basis emphasizing the linkage between the brain’s language and action system. To achieve further knowledge on the underlying neuronal mechanisms of language breakdown and rehabilitation, I am additionally working with neurocomputational models simulating healthy and impaired language processing.
Funding	Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Dr. Friedemann Pulvermüller PD Dr. Thomas Picht
M&B topics	Topic 3: Language Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained
Institute	Brain Language Laboratory, Institut für Deutsche und Niederländische Philologie, Freie Universität zu Berlin
Cohort	2018
Status	Doctoral candidate
Phone	+49 (30) 838-63245
E-mail	l.doppelbauer-please remove this text-@fu-berlin.de

Duncan, Caitlin

Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek
Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter

Neural correlates of stereotypes and prejudice

Duncan, Caitlin

Doctoral project	Neural correlates of stereotypes and prejudice
Description	This project examines how social biases are created through both prejudice (affective response) and stereotypes (semantic associations). Some of the essential questions are: Are these dissociable processes with distinct neural networks? Does the brain react similarly or differently across different social divisions? Do stress/arousal affect both processes or just the affective component?
Funding	Mind and Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 2: Decision-making Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained
Institute	Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychology
Cohort	2016
Status	Doctoral candidate

Ghani, Amna

Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer
Prof. Dr. Klaus-Robert Müller

State-dependent enhancement of creative cognition

Ghani, Amna

Doctoral project	State-dependent enhancement of creative cognition
Description	Creative cognition involves distinct mental processes that map to multiple brain states across different spatio-temporal scales. To disentangle, we aim to use a brain state dependent task (BSDT) based close loop framework during creative problem solving. BSDT monitors brain states in real time and alters the environment (e.g., presenting a new stimulus) based on target brain state(s); thus, it provides a crucial causal link between specific brain activation pattern(s) and mental processes.
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer Prof. Dr. Klaus-Robert Müller
M&B topics	Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained	MSc Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience, Goldsmiths University of London
Institute	Technische Universität Berlin; Charite - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Cohort	2015
Status	Doctoral candidate
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Amna_Ghani
Academia.edu	https://goldsmiths.academia.edu/AmnaGhani

Gijsen, Sam

Prof. Dr. Felix Blankenburg
Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer

The functional architecture of somatosensation: a predictive coding account

Gijsen, Sam

Doctoral project	The functional architecture of somatosensation: a predictive coding account
Description	The predictive coding framework suggests that the brain resolves situations of perceptual uncertainty by continuously updating a generative model of the world. The implementation of predictive coding may be studied via a detailed investigation of the functional architecture of human somatosensation and the asymmetry between bottom-up and top-down signalling. This will be accomplished through a series of two experiments using fMRI while applying somatosensory stimuli. First, 3 Tesla fMRI will allow for whole brain coverage, which will be followed up with high resolution 7 Tesla fMRI to study layer-specific connectivity. Computational modelling based on predictive coding will be employed to study the connectivity.
Funding	DAAD Graduate School Scholarship Programme
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Felix Blankenburg Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness
Degrees obtained
Institute	Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit, Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
Cohort	2018
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	samgijsen-please remove this text-@gmail.com

Govaart, Gisela

Prof. Dr. Angela Friederici
Prof. Dr. Pia Knoeferle

Voice–speech interactions in infant phoneme acquisition

Govaart, Gisela

Doctoral project	Voice–speech interactions in infant phoneme acquisition
Description	In my PhD project, I investigate phoneme acquisition in infants: The process in which an infant learns which sounds (vowels and consonants) are the relevant building blocks of words in their native language. When acquiring phonemes, infants are presented with a very variable input: Speakers differ widely in how they produce a given phoneme. However, in order to distil meaning, infants need to ignore this speaker variation. Since variability within one speaker is considerably smaller than within a group of speakers, the project investigates whether infants use voice information to distinguish speakers in order to reduce this acoustic variation. Specifically, we will test how the number of speakers and the familiarity of these speakers influence phoneme acquisition by means of EEG and fNIRS.
Funding	Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Angela Friederici Prof. Dr. Pia Knoeferle
M&B topics	Topic 3: Language
Degrees obtained
Institute	Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig
Cohort	2018
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	govaart-please remove this text-@cbs.mpg.de
Homepage	https://www.cbs.mpg.de/employees/govaart

Graumann, Monika

Dr. Radoslaw Cichy
Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes

Objects and space: understanding how object and location information are processed in the real world

Graumann, Monika

Doctoral project	Objects and space: understanding how object and location information are processed in the real world
Description	In my research, I aim to characterize the neural dynamics of object and scene perception in a spatio-temporally resolved manner. Extensive research on object recognition in the brain has shown that visual object representations hierarchically emerge along the regions of the ventral visual stream while category-orthogonal information is gradually lost. In this PhD project I will investigate how object representations and object category-orthogonal information change in the ventral stream when objects are presented embedded in naturalistic scenes. To address this, I will apply multivariate pattern analysis and representational similarity analysis to human electrophysiology and neuroimaging data.
Funding	Research position, Emmy Noether grant
Supervisors	Dr. Radoslaw Cichy Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 2: Decision-making Topic 3: Language
Degrees obtained
Institute	Freie Universität Berlin, AG Neural Dynamics of Visual Cognition; Berlin School of Mind and Brain
Cohort	2017
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	monikag-please remove this text-@zedat.fu-berlin.de

Grundei, Miro

Prof. Dr. Felix Blankenburg
Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer

The role of recurrent processing in somesthesis

Grundei, Miro

Doctoral project	The role of recurrent processing in somesthesis
Description	My project is concerned with the relation of feedforward and feedback processing in the hierarchy of the somatosensory cortex to tactile stimulation. Using electrophysiological measures like EEG and/or ECoG, combined with computational modelling approaches the project aims to identify neuronal processes involved in conscious somatosensory perception. Hierarchical recurrent processing is an important feature of predictive coding accounts of perception which can thus provide an interesting explanatory framework for putative findings of neuronal interactions in the somatosensory system.
Funding	Berlin School of Mind and Brain
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Felix Blankenburg Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 2: Decision-making
Degrees obtained
Institute	Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit, Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
Cohort	2018
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	m.grundei-please remove this text-@fu-berlin.de
Homepage	http://www.ewi-psy.fu-berlin.de/einrichtungen/arbeitsbereich...

Guendelman, Simón

Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek
Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian Deter

Does mindfulness modulate empathy and mentalization processing?

Guendelman, Simón

Doctoral project	Does mindfulness modulate empathy and mentalization processing?
Description	The aim of this study is to determine whether a psychological intervention (mindfulness) may have an impact in the brain processing of basic social abilities such as empathy and mentalization. To address these questions will be conducting a prospective study, with pre-post measurements of neural correlates of empathy and mentalization, using functional magnetic resonance imaging under particular social cognition paradigms.
Funding	CONICYT – Chile / Mind and Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian Deter
M&B topics	Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained	Medical degree & Adult Psychiatry (University of Chile)
Institute	Institute of Psychology & Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Cohort	2014
Status	Doctoral candidate
Academia.edu	https://hu-berlin.academia.edu/SimonGuendelman

Guseva, Maja

Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes
Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren

Top-down interference in human random sequence generation

Guseva, Maja

Doctoral project	Top-down interference in human random sequence generation
Description	The ability to generate random or unpredictable behaviour is adaptive but cognitively demanding. It is central e.g. for exploration, improvisation under novel situations, breaking a deadlock when facing indecision and an optimal strategy when a predator’s ability to predict the next move is costly. It has been reliably shown that animals and humans are able to switch into a stochastic mode when it is implicitly advantageous for them. However, when explicitly instructed to produce random response sequences, the performance is significantly worse and resulting sequences departure from randomness in predictable ways. We want to investigate how top-down control processes interfere with the human ability to produce randomness which will aid in understanding whether and how the brain flips a coin.
Funding	Mind & Brain Scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 2: Decision-making
Degrees obtained
Institute	Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin / Charité
Cohort	2019
Status	Doctoral candidate
Phone	+49 173 5348389
E-mail	maja.guseva-please remove this text-@bccn-berlin.de

Häberle, Greta

Cohort	2018
Status	Doctoral candidate

Iamshchinina, Polina

Dr. Radoslaw M. Cichy
Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes

An interplay of feedforward and feedback signals supporting visual cognition

Iamshchinina, Polina

Doctoral project	An interplay of feedforward and feedback signals supporting visual cognition
Description	When we are shopping for clothes and are too lazy to try on another t-shirt, we often just imagine how it looks on us. This everyday task as well as many others, is mediated by feedback signals, that alter the incoming feedforward signals. The current project will study the spatiotemporal dynamics of feedforward and feedback information flows in the human brain using high-resolution 7-Tesla fMRI and M/EEG. We will use an imagery paradigm to induce feedback signals and multivariate pattern analysis to explore neural feedforward and feedback information separately. Furthermore, merging the data from the fMRI and M/EEG experiments using representational similarity analysis, we will obtain a complete spatiotemporal mapping for both processes.
Funding	DFG Emmy Noether-Grant CI241/1-1 awarded to Radoslaw M. Cichy
Supervisors	Dr. Radoslaw M. Cichy Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness
Degrees obtained
Institute	Department of Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
Cohort	2018
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	iamshchinina-please remove this text-@gmail.com
Homepage	http://www.ewi-psy.fu-berlin.de/en/einrichtungen/arbeitsbere...
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Polina_Iamshchinina

Jochaud (neé Miller), Natalie

Prof. Dr. Friedemann Pulvermüller
Prof. Dr. Felix Blankenburg

Neurolinguistic investigations of causal links between the mechanisms for language and perception

Jochaud (neé Miller), Natalie

Doctoral project	Neurolinguistic investigations of causal links between the mechanisms for language and perception
Description	Can language influence our perception? Does labelling something make it easier for us to perceive it? These questions are central to my thesis project, in which I investigate the causal links between language and perception. The crux of my research involves tactile perception and discrimination before and after associating labels with tactile patterns.
Funding	Mind & Brain Scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Friedemann Pulvermüller Prof. Dr. Felix Blankenburg
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 3: Language
Degrees obtained	BA Spanish, MA German and Theoretical Linguistics, MA European Linguistics
Institute	Freie Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Deutsche und Niederländische Philologie, Brain Language Laboratory
Cohort	2015
Status	Doctoral candidate
Phone	+49 30 83851170
E-mail	tally.miller-please remove this text-@fu-berlin.de
Homepage	http://www.geisteswissenschaften.fu-berlin.de/v/brainlang/te...

Klanke, Jan-Niklas

Prof. Dr. Martin Rolfs
Elisa Filevich, PhD

The role of volition and awareness in sense of agency

Klanke, Jan-Niklas

Doctoral project	The role of volition and awareness in sense of agency
Description	Whenever we perform an action, this action is accompanied by the faint and elusive feeling of being the cause of an event in the outside world. This so-called sense of agency (SoA) is thought to strongly rely on the conscious decision for, as well as the voluntary control over the action. Interested in the role of volition and awareness in sense of agency, I want to examine whether these two components are necessary prerequisites for SoA or whether we can experience agency even in the absence of volitional control and action-awareness. In my PhD project, I plan to investigate this issue by means of very small fixational eye movements that are performed in the absence of voluntary control and awareness but nevertheless bear the potential to influence sense of agency.
Funding	Mind & Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Martin Rolfs Elisa Filevich, PhD
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness
Degrees obtained
Institute	Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Psychology
Cohort	2019
Status	Doctoral candidate
Phone	+49 30 2093-6789
E-mail	jan.klanke-please remove this text-@posteo.de
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jan_Nikolas_Klanke

Klotzsche, Felix

Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer
Prof. Dr. Werner Sommer

Virtually real cognition? Assessing human cognition in virtual environments

Klotzsche, Felix

Doctoral project	Virtually real cognition? Assessing human cognition in virtual environments
Description	What is the epistemological and ontological status of human cognitions that are elicited in virtual reality (VR) environments? Are they just as real as non-virtual cognitions (Chalmers, 2017)? How much can they tell us about cognition in the “real” world (or vice versa)? Are the underlying processes significantly shaped by the level of presence in the VR? The rise and the propagation of immersive VR technologies poses important questions to the research on mind and brain, and provides a new quiver of tools to approach traditional issues of the cognitive sciences. During my doctoral project I want to examine these tools and their interaction with our cognition. I will use virtual environments with different degrees of immersion, behavioural measures, and neuroimaging techniques (EEG/fNIRS).
Funding	BMBF Project
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer Prof. Dr. Werner Sommer
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 2: Decision-making Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction
Degrees obtained
Institute	Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Psychologie; Berlin School of Mind and Brain
Cohort	2017
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	felix_klotzsche-please remove this text-@web.de
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Felix_Klotzsche
Academia.edu	https://hu-berlin.academia.edu/FelixKlotzsche

Knop, Andrea

Prof. Dr. Christine Heim
Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes

Experience-driven plasticity of the genital somatosensory field

Knop, Andrea

Doctoral project	Experience-driven plasticity of the genital somatosensory field
Description	A variety of studies demonstrated that different forms of childhood maltreatment are associated with regionally highly-specific cortical thinning, precisely affecting areas that are critical to the perception and processing of behaviors implicated in the type of adversity. With the aim of getting insights into the neurobiological underpinnings of decreased cortical representation of the genital somatosensory field after exposure to childhood sexual abuse (CSA), we will (1) examine the relationship between sexual behavior and cortical thickness of the genital field in healthy, non-abused female adults with precise location of the field using fMRI, and (2) investigate cortical organization in this field in adult women with and without CSA, depending on sexual behavior and sexual dysfunction.
Funding	Einstein Center for Neurosciences
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Christine Heim Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes
M&B topics	Topic 4: Brain plasticity and lifespan ontogeny Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction
Degrees obtained
Institute	Charité Universitätsmedizin Campus Mitte, Institute of Medical Psychology
Cohort	2017
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	andrea.knop-please remove this text-@charite.de

Komnenić, Darko

Prof. Dr. Carsten Finke
Prof. Dr. Friedemann Paul

Differences in functional and structural brain alterations between aquaporin-4-antibody-positive and aquaporin-4-antibody-negative neuromyelitis optica

Komnenić, Darko

Doctoral project	Differences in functional and structural brain alterations between aquaporin-4-antibody-positive and aquaporin-4-antibody-negative neuromyelitis optica
Description	Neuromyelitis optica is an autoimmune disease that primarily manifests itself in inflammation of optic nerves and spinal cord. It is mostly caused by antibodies for aquaporin-4, a water channel protein found in central nervous system. However, some patients repeatedly test negative for the presence of this antibody. In my project, I compare the structural and functional imaging data, as well as measures of mood and cognitive functioning between these two groups of patients. This will help us understand how different antibodies can bring about alterations not only in brain structure, but also in what are traditionally considered to be purely psychological phenomena.
Funding	Elsa Neumann scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Carsten Finke Prof. Dr. Friedemann Paul
M&B topics	Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction
Degrees obtained
Institute	Charité - Universtätsmedizin Berlin, Cognition in neurological disorders group
Cohort	2017
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	komnenicd-please remove this text-@gmail.com
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Darko_Komnenic

Kröll, Lisa

Prof. Dr. Martin Rolfs
Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman

Attention and sensory integration in active vision of moving objects

Kröll, Lisa

Doctoral project	Attention and sensory integration in active vision of moving objects
Description	Our project aims to investigate how visual stability is established despite object motion and eye-movement induced shifts of the retinal image. We hope to demonstrate that visuospatial attention plays a major role in establishing stability and optimizing oculomotor behavior. Specifically, we intend to show that before a saccade to a moving target, attention shifts (i) to the target’s predicted spatiotopic position at saccade landing, and (ii) to its predicted retinal location, thereby alerting neuronal cells of an incoming stimulus. We hope to derive a computational model in which saccade and object motion vectors are integrated to enable a predictive shift of neuronal activation as evidenced by single-cell recordings.
Funding	Humboldt-Universität
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Martin Rolfs Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 4: Brain plasticity and lifespan ontogeny
Degrees obtained
Institute	Institute of Psychology, Humboldt-University Berlin
Cohort	2018
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	lisa.m.kroell-please remove this text-@gmail.com

Kuper, Clara

Prof. Dr. Martin Rolfs
Dr. Radoslaw Cichy
Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen

Perceptual decisions for fast motor responses under uncertainty

Kuper, Clara

Doctoral project	Perceptual decisions for fast motor responses under uncertainty
Description	In my PhD-project I am looking into the links between perception and action. The project investigates, how fast new information can be integrated into an ongoing motor plan. In particular, I will look at motor plans in different movement effectors (eyes, hands) and compare the perceptual processes feeding into these movement plans. For my PhD project, I use psychophysical methods combined with eye- and motion-tracking.
Funding	Mind & Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Martin Rolfs Dr. Radoslaw Cichy Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 2: Decision-making
Degrees obtained
Institute	Faculty of Life Sciences / Institute of Psychology
Cohort	2019
Status	Doctoral candidate
Phone	030/2093-4864
E-mail	clara.kuper-please remove this text-@posteo.de
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Clara_Kuper

Lin, Hsin-pei

Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman
Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek

Neural mechanisms of lexical access in conversational context

Lin, Hsin-pei

Doctoral project	Neural mechanisms of lexical access in conversational context
Description	In dialogues, interlocutors come to align their global representations, or so-called situation models, of the topic under discussion. I investigate what consequences an established situation model may have for lexical access during subsequent word production. Specifically, I examine whether a thematic context introduced by the narrative of a task partner can create a transient semantic space, where objects, perceived as unrelated without the thematic context, are treated as semantically-related. In my project, the flexibility of human semantic system in a dialogue-like situation is first tested via reaction time measurement. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) will also be applied to pinpoint the underlying brain mechanisms.
Funding	Elsa-Neumann-Stipendium
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek
M&B topics	Topic 3: Language Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained
Institute	Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Cohort	2018
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	hsin-pei.lin-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de
Homepage	https://www.psychologie.hu-berlin.de/de/personal/91680521
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hsin_Pei_Lin

Maier, Patrizia

Prof. Dr. Carsten Finke
Prof. Dr. Christoph Ploner

Mechanisms and disturbances in spatial memory consolidation

Maier, Patrizia

Doctoral project	Mechanisms and disturbances in spatial memory consolidation
Description	In my PhD project, I want to investigate the temporal dynamics of spatial learning and memory consolidation. I will develop 3D virtual navigation tasks to examine (1) potentially disturbing effects of anaesthetics on the early consolidation phase, (2) alterations in spatial learning and consolidation in neurological patient groups (e.g. ALS, MTL resection) and (3) the neural dynamics of spatial memory consolidation in healthy subjects over time with fMRI.
Funding	SFB 1315 doctoral research position
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Carsten Finke Prof. Dr. Christoph Ploner
M&B topics	Topic 2: Decision-making Topic 4: Brain plasticity and lifespan ontogeny Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction
Degrees obtained
Institute	Klinik für Neurologie, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Cohort	2019
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	patrizia.maier-please remove this text-@charite.de

Mantwill, Maron

Prof. Dr. Carsten Finke
Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes

Functional connectivity profiles and relational memory deficits in patients with limbic encephalitis

Mantwill, Maron

Doctoral project	Functional connectivity profiles and relational memory deficits in patients with limbic encephalitis
Description	In my PhD project I investigate resting-state functional connectivity in patients with autoimmune diseases of the brain. First, I want to use resting-state fMRI data to identify a patient's disease earlier than usual based on functional connectivity measures. Secondly, I will examine functional connectivity differences in distinct variants of autoimmune encephalitis and their effect son cognitive functioning. Thirdly, I will assess relational memory in patients with limbic autoimmune encephalitis as a model for bilateral hippocampal damage. The goal of my PhD project is to facilitate clinical diagnostics using fMRI, help to elucidate differences in autoimmune encephalitis variants and generate knowledge about both the processing of relational memory and the effects of functional connectivity variations on cognition in the human brain.
Funding	Mind and Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Carsten Finke Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes
M&B topics	Topic 2: Decision-making Topic 4: Brain plasticity and lifespan ontogeny Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction
Degrees obtained
Institute	Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychology
Cohort	2016
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	mantwill.m-please remove this text-@googlemail.com

Margiotoudi, Konstantina

Prof. Dr. Dr. Friedemann Pulvermüller
Prof. Dr. Christine Mooshammer

The mechanism of sound symbolism in the action-perception network of language

Margiotoudi, Konstantina

Doctoral project	The mechanism of sound symbolism in the action-perception network of language
Description	Sound symbolism is a universal linguistic phenomenon of nonarbitrariness in human language. The present project aims to explore the mechanisms of sound symbolism in the action-perception networks of language. In parallel we would like to test sound symbolism in NHM exploring further the origins of human language.
Funding	Mind and Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Dr. Friedemann Pulvermüller Prof. Dr. Christine Mooshammer
M&B topics	Topic 3: Language
Degrees obtained
Institute	Freie Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Deutsche und Niederländische Philologie, Brain Language Laboratory
Cohort	2016
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	konstantina.margiotoudi-please remove this text-@gmail.com

Martin, Joshua

Prof. Dr. Philipp Sterzer
Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes

The effects of affective salience and prior probability in binocular rivalry

Martin, Joshua

Doctoral project	The effects of affective salience and prior probability in binocular rivalry
Description	If perception is a result of probabilistic inference, how is that we may come to perceive objects of behavioural importance that may be relatively rare? Using predictive coding as a theoretical framework, this project proposes that the behavioural significance of an object may be encoded via its affective salience, which may act as a source of top-down modulation in perceptual inference. To investigate this, a binocular rivalry study will be conducted to investigate how affective salience and prior probability interact in the formation of visual percepts, while a follow-up fMRI study will be conducted to probe how these different processes may be represented in the brain.
Funding	DAAD International Scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Philipp Sterzer Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 2: Decision-making
Degrees obtained
Institute	Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Cohort	2019
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	joshua.martin2902-please remove this text-@gmail.com

Matyjek, Magdalena

Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek
Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman

Reward-related processing of social non-verbal cues in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Matyjek, Magdalena

Doctoral project	Reward-related processing of social non-verbal cues in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Description	The aim of my project is to better understand how individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) process social non-verbal cues (facial expressions, gestures, and body posture). To address this issue, I will design a paradigm suitable for measuring both neural (ERPs) and other psychophysiological indicators of social and non-social reward processing (e.g. eye-tracking measures). Furthermore, I will investigate whether motion (videos instead of static pictures) and complexity (all of, or one of the following: facial, hand and posture cues) of social stimuli aid or impede feedback responsiveness in individuals with ASD.
Funding	Mind & Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained
Institute	Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Cohort	2016
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	matyjekm-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de

Medawar, Evelyn

Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer
Prof. Dr. Soyoung Q Park

Unconventional eating behaviour and its effect on brain circuits and on mind-gut-feedback

Medawar, Evelyn

Doctoral project	Unconventional eating behaviour and its effect on brain circuits and on mind-gut-feedback
Description	In this project, we want to study the effects of an unconventional diet on food decision-making, brain connectivity and other cognitive and sensory processes implicated in choosing between food items. It has been shown that a change in diet affects our intestinal microbial composition and other metabolic markers, however, cognitive effects have not been fully investigated yet. We suggest that unconventional eaters manifest changes not only on a biological but also on a cognitive level (i.e. more self-control). We are interested in whether gut microbiotic status is predictive of brain connectivity in brain regions related to the adoption of an unconventional diet.
Funding	Mind and Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Arno Villringer Prof. Dr. Soyoung Q Park
M&B topics	Topic 2: Decision-making
Degrees obtained
Institute	Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig & Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Cohort	2017
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	medawar-please remove this text-@cbs.mpg.de
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Evelyn_Medawar2

Naumann, Sandra

Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek
Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman

Empathy plasticity and the empathic brain: an EEG-accompanied training study employing the computer-assisted program Zirkus Empathico with preschoolers

Naumann, Sandra

Doctoral project	Empathy plasticity and the empathic brain: an EEG-accompanied training study employing the computer-assisted program Zirkus Empathico with preschoolers
Description	My doctoral project examines the development and plasticity of empathy looking at both the construct’s behavioral and neuronal correlates. Mental health problems in children have dramatically increased. A first indicator of dysfunctional, psychological, and behavioral patterns are deficient social and emotional competences. Continuous fostering of these competences should therefore already start at a very young age to prevent, correct, or compensate problematic thoughts and behaviors. Therefore, the computer-assisted program Zirkus Empathico will be employed in a longitudinal study design within my PhD project, with children’s behavioral and neuronal variables measured before and after the training to examine if improvements in empathic responses can be achieved.
Funding	Scholarship from Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman
M&B topics	Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained
Institute	Department of Psycholgoy, AG Social Cognition, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin
Cohort	2017
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	sandra.naumann-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sandra_Naumann3

Palleschi, Daniela

Prof. Dr. Pia Knoeferle
Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman

Linguistic and non-linguistic context effects on language processing in native and non-native speakers

Palleschi, Daniela

Doctoral project	Linguistic and non-linguistic context effects on language processing in native and non-native speakers
Description	Event representations and morpho-syntactic violations of tense/aspect distinctions. I use EEG and Eye Tracking to investigate on-line processing and prediction of events based on grammatical tense/aspect forms. The main aim is to investigate how morphological verb forms and semantic time reference interact and affect how we perceive events and process temporal relations. A secondary aim is to see how this differs between groups with diverse linguistic profiles.
Funding	Einstein Center for Neurosciences
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Pia Knoeferle Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman
M&B topics	Topic 3: Language
Degrees obtained
Institute	Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of German Studies and Linguistics: Psycholinguistics
Cohort	2017
Status	Doctoral candidate

Paul, Mariella

Prof. Dr. Angela D. Friederici
Prof. Dr. Isabell Wartenburger

The sensitive period for associative learning of non-adjacent dependencies in verbal and non-verbal material

Paul, Mariella

Doctoral project	The sensitive period for associative learning of non-adjacent dependencies in verbal and non-verbal material
Description	Young children are able to learn the rules of their native language in an associative, automatic way. Adults, on the other hand, have to learn a second language in a more explicit, controlled way. One kind of rules that have to be learned when acquiring a language are non-adjacent dependencies. These are grammatical dependencies that span across one or more other elements of a sentence, for example the “is” and “-ing” in: “The sister is singing.” In my thesis, I want to investigate when in development the ability to learn non-adjacent dependencies in natural language associatively is lost. By also investigating non-adjacent dependency processing for non-linguistic material, I want to further find out whether this developmental trajectory is specific to language or domain-general.
Funding	Mind and Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Angela D. Friederici Prof. Dr. Isabell Wartenburger
M&B topics	Topic 3: Language
Degrees obtained
Institute	Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Cohort	2016
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	paulm-please remove this text-@cbs.mpg.de

Plank, Irene Sophia

Prof. Dr. Felix Bermpohl
Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek

Measuring social processing regarding children in parents and non-parents

Plank, Irene Sophia

Doctoral project	Measuring social processing regarding children in parents and non-parents
Description	Of all the skills parents teach their children, social competences are among the most important. Theory of mind, empathy and compassion are crucial to master social interactions. However, if parents have deficits in these areas, they could pass them on to their children. To investigate such an effect, one needs appropriate tasks that feature children in their stimuli, do not rely on self-report and do not have ceiling effects. My project aims to develop such tasks and evaluate them in healthy parents. The tasks will then be used to investigate outcomes of mentalization-based interventions on parents and shed further light on the nature of social competences in the context of parenting and mental disorders.
Funding	Einstein Center for Neurosciences
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Felix Bermpohl Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek
M&B topics	Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained
Institute	Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of psychology
Cohort	2017
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	irene-sophia.plank-please remove this text-@charite.de

Rekers, Sophia

Prof. Dr. Carsten Finke
Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren

Memory independent spatial navigation in clinical and experimental settings

Rekers, Sophia

Doctoral project	Memory independent spatial navigation in clinical and experimental settings
Description	In my doctoral project, I will study impaired and unimpaired memory independent topographical orientation in old age. I developed an assessment, which integrates core cognitive processes of navigation like mental rotation, sense of direction and the synchronisation of ego- and allocentric perspective, without the necessity for subjects to memorise routes or landmarks. I intend to use this tool, to differentiate between subjects with and without difficulties in topographical orientation and to explore neural activation patterns in successful vs. insufficient orientation using fMRI. Building on these findings, I plan to study the effects of enhanced excitability of neurons in regions that are involved in successful orientation on behavioural performance in navigation with tDCS.
Funding	Mind and Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Carsten Finke Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren
M&B topics	Topic 4: Brain plasticity and lifespan ontogeny Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction
Degrees obtained
Institute	Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin; Berlin School of Mind and Brain
Cohort	2017
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	sophia.rekers-please remove this text-@charite.de

Reuter, Lucia

Prof. Dr. Christoph Möllers
Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter
Prof. Dr. Tade Spranger

Fixing broken brains – The human right to mental self-determination of legally incompetent persons in favor of or against psychiatric neurosurgery

Reuter, Lucia

Doctoral project	Fixing broken brains – The human right to mental self-determination of legally incompetent persons in favor of or against psychiatric neurosurgery
Description	In my PhD thesis standard questions like the legal requirements for the information duties of doctors and the need for the ascent of legally incompetent persons will be discussed. The focus will lie on relatively new issues like the possibilities of psychiatric patients to obtain PNS without or against their proxy’s consent (when patient prefers PNS over other medical treatment or detention). Moreover, the thesis will contain suggestions as to the establishment of an effective control system (monitoring patient care, study setup and outcomes). In an outlook, I will address the regulation of legally relevant behavior induced by functional and/or psychiatric neurosurgery (buying binge, gambling addiction, criminal behavior, …) and the possibility of applying PNS beyond the strictly clinical setting.
Funding	Mind & Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Christoph Möllers Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter Prof. Dr. Tade Spranger
M&B topics	Topic 2: Decision-making Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained	1. juristisches Staatsexamen, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Maitrise en droit (international law), Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas; Licence en droit (law of the European Union), Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas
Institute	Juristische Fakultät, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Cohort	2015
Status	Doctoral candidate
Phone	+49 (0) 173 7028358
E-mail	lucia.reuter-please remove this text-@posteo.de
Homepage	http://mindandbrain.charite.de/en/people/team_rg_mab/lucia_r...
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lucia_Reuter

Riepenhausen, Antje

Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter
Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian Deter

Resilience to stress – a positive account

Riepenhausen, Antje

Doctoral project	Resilience to stress – a positive account
Description	In my project, I want to investigate the effects of positive reappraisal on stress resilience. Specifically, I postulate that a quick and complete psychological, cardiovascular, and endocrine recovery from a laboratory stressor can be seen as an index for resilient stress processing, and I hypothesize that this recovery can be enhanced by setting participants into a state of positive reappraisal before they undergo the stress test. Moreover, using resting state fMRI, I plan to investigate how this relates to flexible interactions between neural networks during the recovery phase.
Funding	Mind and Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian Deter
M&B topics	Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained
Institute	Charité Universitätsmedizin Campus Mitte, Department for psychiatry and psychotherapy, Division of Mind and Brain research
Cohort	2018
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	antje.riepenhausen-please remove this text-@charite.de
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Antje_Riepenhausen

Scherpenberg, Cornelia van

Prof. Dr. Hellmuth Obrig
Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman

Semantic context effects in healthy and language impaired participants

Scherpenberg, Cornelia van

Doctoral project	Semantic context effects in healthy and language impaired participants
Description	Semantic relations between objects can influence how easily an object’s name is retrieved in language production. Categorical relations usually inhibit, whereas associative relations facilitate object naming. In my thesis I investigate these effects in detail using eye tracking and reaction time measures in healthy participants and people with language impairments. Individuals with aphasia following stroke or progressive aphasia due to dementia show particular difficulties in naming certain items. I aim to show how the processing of semantic relations between these items (as seen in eye movements) correlates with the speed and success of naming them in inhibitory or facilitative conditions. These behavioural insights can improve diagnosis and treatment strategies for these impairments.
Funding	Mind and Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Hellmuth Obrig Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman
M&B topics	Topic 2: Decision-making Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction
Degrees obtained
Institute	Day Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, Leipzig; MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig; Berlin School of Mind and Brain
Cohort	2017
Status	Doctoral candidate
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cornelia_Van_Scherpenberg

Schwanenflug, Nina von

Prof. Dr. Carsten Finke
Prof. Dr. Christoph Ploner

Dynamic functional connectivity in patients with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis

Schwanenflug, Nina von

Doctoral project	Dynamic functional connectivity in patients with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis
Description	My project aims to investigate temporal dynamics of functional connectivity in patients with autoimmune encephalitis. Two main hypotheses will be tested (a) do patients show symptomatic patterns of dynamic functional connectivity that distinguishes them from healthy controls? and (b) do these alterations account for the patients’ compromising long-standing memory deficits?
Funding	Cusanuswerk
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Carsten Finke Prof. Dr. Christoph Ploner
M&B topics	Topic 2: Decision-making Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained
Institute	Neurology Department, Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Cohort	2018
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	nina.schwanenflug-please remove this text-@charite.de

Schweitzer, Richard

Prof. Dr. Martin Rolfs
Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes
Prof. Dr. Felix Blankenburg

Perceptual and motor consequences of intrasaccadic perception

Schweitzer, Richard

Doctoral project	Perceptual and motor consequences of intrasaccadic perception
Description	Whenever we humans make rapid, step-like eye movements - so-called saccades – the visual image shifts across our retina at high velocities. Why do we never perceive some kind of blurred visual input while we move our eyes? Previous studies have related this observation to an effect, or mechanism, termed saccadic suppression. This has led to the rather common belief that perception during saccades is shut down, which is not true. In contrast, some experiments suggest that intrasaccadic perception is not only well possible but also quite efficient. Using psychophysical methods combined with eye tracking and EEG, we will investigate the potential functional role of intrasaccadic perception in a range of visual processes.
Funding	Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, Mind and Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Martin Rolfs Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes Prof. Dr. Felix Blankenburg
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness
Degrees obtained
Institute	Institute of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin & Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience
Cohort	2016
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	richard.schweitzer-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de

Settembrino, Luca

Prof. Dr. Vittorio Gallese
Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen

Interpersonal mirroring: Towards an empirically informed account of the second-person perspective

Settembrino, Luca

Doctoral project	Interpersonal mirroring: Towards an empirically informed account of the second-person perspective
Description	The aim of my project is to provide a full-developed epistemological account of the second-person perspective, based on both philosophical reflection and neuroscientific evidence – with particular regard to the role played by the mirror mechanism. Furthermore, I will try to make use of this account of the dyadic relation I-Thou in order to explain a wider range of intersubjective phenomena, from shared intentionality to joint action.
Funding	Einstein Stiftung Berlin
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Vittorio Gallese Prof. Dr. Michael Pauen
M&B topics	Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained	B.A. and M.A. in Philosophy (Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan)
Institute	Berlin School of Mind and Brain & Institute of Philosophy, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Cohort	2016
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	luca.settembrino-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Luca_Settembrino
Academia.edu	https://hu-berlin.academia.edu/LucaSettembrino

Sofroni, Razvan

Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmidt
Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter

Emotions as a source of moral knowledge

Sofroni, Razvan

Doctoral project	Emotions as a source of moral knowledge
Description	Recent empirical research in moral psychology has underscored the importance of emotions in determining either all or some class of our moral judgments. This can be taken to justify skepticism with regards to the truth of such judgments. My project aims to explore the empirical underpinnings of moral emotions with the goal of ascertaining whether they can function as legitimate evidence for moral judgment and belief. Taking my cue from research in the model-based learning mechanisms involved in generating and refining emotional reactions, I will investigate whether moral emotions are also the upshot of such learning, and whether this can be a way of vindicating emotions as a source of moral knowledge.
Funding	Elsa Neumann Stipendium des Landes Berlin
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmidt Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 2: Decision-making Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained
Institute	Department of Philosophy, HU Berlin
Cohort	2018
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	sofronir-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de
Academia.edu	https://hu-berlin.academia.edu/RazvanSofroni

Trilla, Irene

Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek
Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter

Interactions between oxytocin and the reward system on social cognition

Trilla, Irene

Doctoral project	Interactions between oxytocin and the reward system on social cognition
Description	To date, understanding the role of oxytocin in empathy and other pro-social behaviours has been a primary focus in social cognition research. How this neuropeptide exerts its effects is, however, not yet fully understood. Animal studies hint at oxytocinergic modulations of neurotransmitter systems underlying social-affective behaviours, such as serotonin and dopamine. In humans, however, these interactions are still not well identified. My project aims to further elucidate oxytocin’s mechanisms of action in humans, with special focus on the interactions with the dopaminergic-reward system.
Funding	Mind & Brain scholarship
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Isabel Dziobek Prof. Dr. Dr. Henrik Walter
M&B topics	Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained	B.A. in Psychology (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain) M.Sc. in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience (Maastricht University, The Netherlands)
Institute	Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Cohort	2015
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	irene.trilla-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Irene_Trilla

Vogt, Anne

Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman
Prof. Martin Fischer, Ph.D.
Prof. Dr. Barbara Kaup

Embodiment and speech production

Vogt, Anne

Doctoral project	Embodiment and speech production
Description	In my PhD-project I want to investigate if previously established effects of sensorimotor simulations on language comprehension can be extended to speech production. Behavioural as well as electrophysiological measures shall be used to investigate this issue. First, I want to see if stimuli sharing experimental dimensions with a presented picture influence the accessability of the picture’s name measured by means of naming latencies. Based on these results, I want to explore the temporal characteristics of these effects by measuring participants´ EEGs during speech production. Thereby, I want to extend the database for the role of sensorimotor processes during speech production and include embodiment and the role of sensorimotor simulations into current models of speech production.
Funding	Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Rasha Abdel Rahman Prof. Martin Fischer, Ph.D. Prof. Dr. Barbara Kaup
M&B topics	Topic 1: Perception, attention, consciousness Topic 3: Language
Degrees obtained
Institute	Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of psychology, Neurocognitive psychology
Cohort	2018
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	anne.vogt.1-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de

Wyrobnik, Michelle

Prof. Dr. Elke van der Meer
Prof. Dr. Fabian Klostermann

Event segmentation and temporal event sequencing of patients with Parkinson’s disease

Wyrobnik, Michelle

Doctoral project	Event segmentation and temporal event sequencing of patients with Parkinson’s disease
Description	The aim of the project is the better understanding of the cognitive impairments and the underlying neural mechanisms in patients with Parkinson’s disease regarding event segmentation and temporal event sequencing. Both processes are highly important for remembering and executing daily activities and thus, for the patients quality of life. The project includes behavioural tasks, e.g. the event segmentation task where participants segment movies into meaningful events. Furthermore, the project includes a neurophysiological measurement (ERP) where participants identify contentual or temporal errors in event sequences (event triplet task). The long-term objective of the project is the development of specific rehabilitative training programs that aim to improve the daily competence of the patients.
Funding	Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk (ELES)
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Elke van der Meer Prof. Dr. Fabian Klostermann
M&B topics	Topic 5: Brain disorders and mental dysfunction
Degrees obtained
Institute	Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychology / Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Neurology
Cohort	2018
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	michelle.wyrobnik-please remove this text-@hu-berlin.de
Homepage	https://www.psychologie.hu-berlin.de/de/personal/91680356
Researchgate	https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michelle_Wyrobnik

Yao, Yuanwei

Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren
Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes

How does effort investment influence subjective value?

Yao, Yuanwei

Doctoral project	How does effort investment influence subjective value?
Description	Effort investment is critical for optimal decision-making and is typically regarded as a type of cost. However, an item may become more rewarding when more effort is invested for it, suggesting that the effort investment could also be valuable. In my project, I will systematically examine the role of effort investment in valuation and the underlying neural mechanisms, using a combination of behavioural experiment, fMRI, and computational modelling.
Funding	Einstein Center for Neurosciences
Supervisors	Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes
M&B topics	Topic 2: Decision-making Topic 6: Social cognition / human sociality and the brain
Degrees obtained
Institute	Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
Cohort	2018
Status	Doctoral candidate
E-mail	yywyao-please remove this text-@gmail.com