Affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main, DE
Keywords: Computational neuroscience, Neural networks, Protein distribution, mRNA, Spiking, Synapse
Full profile:
Tatjana started her research career as a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen, Germany, followed by a position at the Center for Theoretical Neuroscience at Columbia University, USA. Since 2013, she is the leader of the group “Theory of Neural Dynamics” at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt, Germany.
The aim of her research group is to combine mathematics, physics and computer science to provide a better understanding of how neurons encode incoming information, and how they organize their global dynamics to achieve this. Her work focuses on modelling spiking activity in neurons, which includes the development of tools to quantify and interpret spiking patterns in both individual neurons and whole neural networks. Recently, the group has widened their focus area to include the study of dendritic protein distribution along neurons and how this influences their functionality. As part of her research, Tatjana has established several collaborations with scientists from institutions all over the world, which resulted in many interdisciplinary projects.
Tatjana wants to promote scientific advancement and provide the opportunity for her peers to thrive in their academic and research careers. Therefore, she has mentored over thirty MSc, BSc and PhD students since she started her position as a group leader. Moreover, not only does she promote scientific research among students, she also plays an active role in encouraging women in science by introducing integrative plans in multiple institutions.
Alongside her teaching and researching duties, Tatjana is also a member of the review editorship of several renowned journals, as well as a committee member for various institutions within the field of neuroscience. Her responsibilities include organizing and participating on the jury of various conferences and events, such as the Bernstein Conference 2019, organized by the Bernstein Network for Computational Neuroscience.
Her research is supported by grants provided by notable institutions, including the Max Planck Society, the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Hessian Ministry of Science and Arts. Furthermore, she has been awarded several prizes, fellowships and grants for her work including the Computational Sciences Fellowship of the Volkswagen Foundation in 2011, the Dollwet Foundation Award in 2016, the Behrens-Weise-Foundation Award from 2013, and the Heinz-Maier-Leibnitz Prize in 2016. Recently, she was selected by the Focus Magazine as one of 25 young innovators who will shape Germany in the next 25 years.
Research interests: neurons, networks, computations, mathematics, physics, spikes, mRNA, proteins, neural computation, activity correlations, dynamics, synaptic transmission