Our Research

The quest of unraveling a person’s motive has captivated our imagination since the dawn of humankind. To parse motivated behavior, our lab is using functional neuroimaging techniques in combination with detailed behavioral, physiological, and psychological assessments. Based on these rich assessments, we build statistical and computational models decoding motivation and latent desires. By capitalizing on big data from many different modalities, we envision predicting future actions in everyday life. Such detailed knowledge is indispensable in improving treatments for many mental disorders, which are characterized by seemingly inappropriate actions or desires: Why is he no longer enjoying his favorite dish? Why can she not stop eating the cake although she is no longer hungry?

Our Mission

Our mission is to decompose the neurobiological mechanisms of action and desire using cutting-edge tools of data science to evaluate their translational potential in improving aberrant motivation in patients.

Our Approach

To foster rapid translation of our insights, our lab is fully committed to open research practices. We are happy to share our work, help you implement a new technique, or receive your feedback on how we can do better. Moreover, we are committed to scientific outreach. If you are interested in learning more about our work, please get in touch with us and follow us for regular updates.

Our lab is affiliated with the Section of Medical Psychology at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, and the Section of Translational Psychiatry at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health, University of Tübingen.