Research Groups

 Prof. Dr. Rainer Mühlhoff 's team engages with what is socially and politically at stake in the AI-driven transformation of our societies.

 Prof. Dr. Tim Kietzmann 's research group aims to understand the computational processes by which the brain and artificial agents can efficiently and robustly derive meaning from the world around us.

The Neurocomputation Lab, led by  Prof. Dr. Pascal Nieters, studies how neurons process information through active dendrites and network dynamics, applying these insights to develop more efficient and powerful brain-inspired computing and AI technologies

 Prof. Dr. Gordon Pipa 's team investigates how the brain enables cognitive functions. It uses models and analyses of complex neuronal systems - from the human brain to artificial networks - to understand the underlying information processing processes.

Neurobiopsychology investigates how the human brain controls perception and behavior through the integration of different sensory impressions and the coupling of sensory and motor functions. To this end,  Prof. Dr. Peter König 's research group uses a variety of methods such as EEG, eye-tracking, VR and fMRI, both in the laboratory and in natural environments, supplemented by theoretical modeling and philosophical analyses.

In the  SPA lab, we research how people understand unspoken meanings such as irony, politeness or negation. We investigate how language and communication develop and function - in children, adults and people with communication disorders. We use experiments, computer models and real conversation data.

 We explore the computational foundations of human thought. In doing so, we as researchers ourselves come up against cognitive limits. To overcome these, we develop AI systems that support us as scientific partners - they help us test more theories, discover new patterns and advance science itself.

The research group of  Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Simone Pika investigates the diversity of communicative systems of humans and animals in the wild and their underlying cognitive mechanisms.

 Prof. Dr. Sven Walter 's research group is primarily concerned with the relationship between the human mind and physical or physiological processes in the brain, body and environment.

The research group of  Prof. Dr. Elia Bruni asks how language emerges, evolves, and operates as a system for conveying structured, grounded meaning. They investigate how computational systems can acquire, represent, and use this system

The  Cognitive Modeling Group focuses particularly on higher-order cognitive phenomena such as decision-making, language use and processing, as well as social thinking. They also engage with cognitive development and models of cognitive/language evolution.