Research interests

My main research focus is on neuro-cognitive mechanisms contributing to addictive behavior.
Within a longitudinal approach we aim to understand the development, maintenance and recovery from addiction. In order to elucidate the apparent dysfunction of action control we investigate cognitive processes such as executive functions, decision making, learning, or motivation. Underlying cognitive processes are then inferred by computational modelling of overt behavior. Mapping the dynamic cognitive computations to brain activity assessed with functional MRI finally allows to identify the involved brain systems.

Career

since 2019	Spokesperson Dresden Collaborative Research Center 265 (TRR 265)
since 2016	Deputy Spokesperson Collaborative Research Center 940 (SFB 940)
since 2009	Full Professor for Systems Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany
since 2007	Head Section of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany
2001 – 2006	Senior researcher, attending, Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany
1996 – 2001	Residency in Psychiatry and Neurology, research fellow, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
1994 – 1996	Residency in Psychiatry, Krankenhaus Neukölln, Berlin, Germany