German Research Foundation approves "MultiSenses-MultiScales" Research Training Group
JARA-BRAIN Scientist Receives Confirmation for Research Training Group
The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved 15 proposals for new Research Training Groups. Prof. Marc Spehr was also successful with his project. The JARA-BRAIN scientist received a funding commitment for the Research Training Group "MultiSenses-MultiScales: Novel approaches to decipher neural processing in multisensory integration".
The human brain is capable of simultaneously processing – effortlessly, it seems – a large number of sense impressions. However, science is far from understanding how the brain is able to achieve this. The group seeks to achieve a conceptual and mechanical understanding of multisensory neuronal processing at different levels of analysis. Eleven RWTH professors are involved in the group, whose spokesperson is Marc Spehr, Lichtenberg Professor of Chemosensation at RWTH and Member of JARA-BRAIN.
“Multi-sensory perception is omnipresent in our everyday lives. Whether it is driving to work in the morning or visiting a restaurant in the evening, we have to simultaneously process a vast number of sense impressions. We understand too little about how this can be achieved within fractions of a second,” says Spehr.
“We want to train and educate our doctoral candidates in such a way that they are able to follow different career paths, regardless of their area of expertise. A comprehensive qualification strategy provides the basis for this – in a modular approach, we teach neuroscientific core competencies while also providing innovative elements, and there is sufficient flexibility to create individually tailored training programs.”
A press release from RWTH Aachen University.