Starting this September 2022, Robert Schmidt joins us as the Professor for Neural Data Science. His research focusses on neural mechanisms of cognitive function using advanced data analysis techniques and computational modeling.  His goal is to understand the neurobiological mechanisms of motivation, memory and decision-making processes, focussing on prefrontal and basal ganglia circuits and the neuromodulator dopamine.

Robert Schmidt studied Cognitive Science at the University of Osnabrück, including a semester abroad in Australia, then continued his studies with a Postgraduate Diploma and a Master in Neuroscience at the University of Otago in New Zealand, and finally received his PhD summa cum laude in 2010 at the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience of Humboldt-Universität, Berlin. His career included stints at the University of Michigan,  at the Cluster of Excellence called BrainLinks-BrainTools of the University of Freiburg and most recently a lectureship at the University of Sheffield (UK).