I am currently doing my PhD at the Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology under the joint supervision of both Prof. Dr. Susanne Becker (HHU) and Prof. Dr. Esther Florin, within the context of a DFG grant awarded to both my supervisors. My research mainly focuses on endogenous pain modulation in health and pathological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and chronic pain. Pain should ideally be avoided as much as possible. Conversely, when in pain, the relief of pain should be sought after as much as possible. Hence, pain and its modulation carry crucial information that helps guiding decision-making away from harm. Such processes of decision-making and endogenous pain modulation have been shown to contribute to the development and maintenance of chronic pain. To further investigate this relationship between adaptive behavior and endogenous pain modulation I use a combination of computational behavioral methods (such as reinforcement learning and drift diffusion models) and non-invasive neuroimaging techniques (such as magnetoencephalography and magnetic resonance imaging).
Education and previous affiliations
- Research Assistant, Department of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 2022
- Master Thesis Student, Integrative Spinal Research Group, Balgrist University Hospital Zürich (Switzerland), 2021-2022
- Master of Science (MSc) in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Fribourg (Switzerland), 2020-2022
- Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Psychology, University of Lausanne (Switzerland), 2017-2020