After spending 6 semesters studying neurobiology and analysing neural correlates of basic motor and cognitive functions, I realized the importance of a better understanding of the neural processes underlying human behavior and its dysfunctions. Therefore, in parallel to neurobiology, I applied for the Master Program “Elite Study of Neuro-Cognitive Psychology” at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University and was very happy to be accepted into the first cohort of students.
After one year of intensive courses in cognitive and clinical psychology I have been given a chance to write my bachelor thesis at the Department of Psychiatry under the supervision of Prof. Dr. R. Engel. I investigated the suppression of unwanted memories in post-traumatic stress disorder using behavioural and brain imaging methods, which additionally strengthened my interest in clinical research.
I received my doctoral degree from the Graduate School of Systemic Neuroscience at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University. My dissertation focused on motor resonance and goal attribution during action observation of biological and artificial agents. After finishing my PhD I have been offered a postdoc position at the University Hospital of Psychiatry in Bern, which I gladly accepted, because it allowed me to work with clinical patients. I am currently investigating social behaviour in individuals suffering from depression. To this end, I perform experiments using fMRI to detect changes in neural activity related to competition avoidance in depressed individuals vs. healthy controls. Further, I am interested in testing the effect of cognitive training of mental health and social behaviour. In a new study which has been brought to life based on the cooperation with various scientific departments, I aim to test the effect of multimodal hearing therapy offed by KOJ-institute on mental health, life satisfaction and relationships with family and friends in hearing-impaired individuals.
Dr. Alexandra Kupferberg, Head of Science, Medical Science Liaison, Associate University of Fribourg