I am a neuroscientist:

Until 2008 I studied biochemistry at the University of Tübingen and got in touch with neuroscientific topics during my diploma thesis (equivalent to a master thesis). Supported by a PhD scholarship granted by the Hertie Foundation I started my doctoral thesis at the Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research in Tübingen. I finished my research project at the Institute for Physiological Chemistry at the University of Ulm and did my PhD in neuroscience in 2012 at the Graduate School of Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience. Additionally, I acquired an international diploma in project management at the University of California, Berkeley and worked for small companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. Meanwhile, I live and work in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

… Science Slammer:

Since 2011 I’m competing at Science Slam events and deliver brain research in this most modern form of a scientific presentation contest. In my talk “Speed up your mind” I show parts of the dynamic interplay in our brain – and how this sets the biological basis for thinking at all.

Based on the Science Slam idea, i.e. to show science as a blend of entertainment and content, I develop talks, workshops and books that show how fascinating the world in our head is: namely, witty and constantly curious.

… speaker:

Everybody wants to talk “neuro”. But brain research is nothing catchy by itself. Fortunately, it’s not rocket science but just neuroscience and one doesn’t have to talk complicated to explain the thinking world in our skull. Thus, I combine current science with a thrilling presentation in order to meet people’s most burning questions:

• The biology of inspiration: Where does creativity come from?
• Brain vs. artificial intelligence: Who’s holding the upper hand?
• Are you learning or understanding already? How to deliver knowledge into the brain.
• To err is useful: Why are the brain’s flaws giving us the ultimate cognitive edge?

… and author:

Giving talks is great. But sometimes you want to know it exactly. To comply with this curiosity I write books, articles and features in an enjoyable but scientifically sound way. In periodically columns in economic as well as popular science magazines I apply most recent research to current topics in the media.

My recent book “To err is useful. Why the brain’s flaws are our cognitive edge“ will be published in English in fall 2018. Therein I show why we get distracted so easily, fail to concentrate sometimes or are oblivious more often than we want to be. Because all these cognitive weaknesses cover the truth of our mental abilities. Since it’s the mistake in our thinking, not the perfection, that separates us from the non-creative machine world.