The PhD program includes seminars and courses on cognitive research. Each semester, IRTG offers a wide range of lectures and workshops. The curriculum is complemented by external lectures, seminars and summer schools led by world-leading experts who come to Magdeburg to discuss the latest scientific trends.
Since theory is followed by practice, we organize technical workshops including experimental training, where the students are given the opportunity to gain hands-on experience. Our students also have the opportunity to take soft skills courses to advance their professional future – such as project management, professional presentations and conflict resolution.
Technical Workshops
Practical trainings to acquire new methods and novel technologies are organized by CRC 1436 project leaders.
If you want to register for the upcoming workshops, please send an email to
Advanced MRI methods
Date: 04 October 2022
| Time | Topic | Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Introduction to MRI | Oliver Speck |
| 13:00 – 14:00 | fMRI and PET | Anne Maass |
| 14:15 – 15:15 | Structural MRI | Marco Taubert |
| 15:15 – 16:15 | Vascular MRI | Stefanie Schreiber |
Foundations of Bayesian Inference
Date: 05-07 October 2022 – Dirk Ostwald
| (0) Introduction | |
| (1) Foundations | |
| (2) Conjugate inference | |
| (3) Numerical inference | |
| (4) Variational inference |
State-of-the-art – EEG/MEG Analysis Workshop
Date: 13-17 June 2022
| Topic | Instructor |
|---|---|
| Introduction to FieldTrip, EEGlab – Preprocessing I | Max Stenner, Christian Merkel, Korka |
| Preprocessing II & III | Max Stenner, Christian Merkel |
| Spectral analysis | Stefan Dürschmid |
| SSVEP | Christian Merkel |
| Statistics | Max Stenner |
| Source analysis | Max Hopf |
| Multivariate analyses | Radoslaw Martin Cichy, Reichert |
| Connectivity analyses | Stefan Dürschmid |
| Visit to MEG labs | Nönnig, Knape |
| What to keep in mind when designing EEG/MEG research | Mandy Bartsch |
Neuro-image Modelling Workshop
Date: 21-24 March 2022
| Date | Topic | Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| 21-22 March 2022 | Introduction to fMRI Analysis (GLM) | Dirk Ostwald |
| 23-24 March 2022 | Basics on Predictive Modelling | Gabriel Ziegler |
IRTG Lecture Series
These lectures are mainly aimed at our PhD students and postdocs. They serve as an educational module for them to develop a deep understanding of the theoretical concepts of cognition and to connect the basic micro, meso and macro levels of the research area.
Students are highly encouraged to attend lectures on CRC 1436 relevant topics as concepts of cognition, cellular & molecular mechanisms of aging and super-aging, transferable enhancement of cognitive functions, systemic imaging technologies on brain aging, sleep deprivation, vascular reserve, and cognitive adaptations to acquire a common basic knowledge and learn state-of-the-art methods and techniques. Our young researchers are also regularly informed about the lectures of other graduate programs.
| PI | Title | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Constanze Seidenbecher | Loosen the corset – brain ECM dynamics and cognitive flexibility | 04.11.2021 |
| Thomas Wolbers | Spatial Cognition – a unique window into mechanisms of ageing and dementia | 18.11.2021 |
| Gabriel Ziegler | Cognitive Reserve | 02.12.2021 |
| Michael R. Kreutz | Excitation-transcription coupling: An unexplored neural resource | 20.01.2022 |
| Stefanie Schreiber | Mechanisms and emerging concepts of vascular cognitive impairment | 03.02.2022 |
| Anne Albrecht | Neuropeptides controlling emotion and cognition | 17.02.2022 |
| Magdalena Sauvage | Neural resources for spatial, temporal and event memories | 03.03.2022 |
| Marco Taubert | Training-induced plasticity in the human brain | 17.03.2022 |
| Anne Maass | Effects of Alzheimer’s Pathology on memory dysfunction in ageing | 31.03.2022 |
| Alexander Dityatev | Molecular mechanisms of neuroplasticity | 14.04.2022 |
Professionalism Courses
Professionalism training courses serve to acquire key competences in scientific management and soft skills, e. g. in scientific writing, grant application, good scientific practice, data management, oral presentation, conflict management, animal handling.
Additionally, transferable skills training courses are offered to students for various future career paths. These courses enable integration into a multidisciplinary and collaborative research field and successfully overcome the boundaries between academic and industrial paths.
IRTG Neuroscience Summer School
22. – 24. August 2022
Festung Mark, Magdeburg
The PhD candidates of the Integrated Research Training Group 1436 are thrilled to host their first summer school! Join us this August for an exciting opportunity to expand your knowledge in neuroscience in the micro, meso and macro level! The event is geared to neuroscience students with a diverse background. We are offering talks from experts, fun social activities, soft skill workshops and the opportunity to network with fellow researchers.
Registration is free of charge and will be open until 05.08.2022.
For more information check our flyer and the schedule.
Keynote Lectures:
- “How AD affects the brain from sub cellular to network level – lessons from animal experiments”
Prof Dr Martin Fuhrmann – DZNE Bonn – Germany
- “Inter-individual differences in stress susceptibility: what can we learn from animal models?”
Prof Dr Marloes Henckens – Donders Institute – Netherlands
- “Negative results”
Dr Christian Schnell – Cell Press
- “Adult neurogenesis across time”
Dr Chiara de Lucia – King’s College London – UK
- “Memory and Attention”
Dr Nahid Zokaei – University of Oxford – UK
- “Cognitive Reserve”
Dr Eider Arenaza Urquijo – Barcelona Beta Brain Research Center (BBRC) – Spain
Panel Discussions:
Growing up in science
Workshops:
Poster design – Dr Philipp Jordan
Open Data & BIDS – Prof Dr Dirk Ostwald
Mental Health during PhD- Suzanne Jones
Designing skills for scientific papers – Dr Philipp Jordan
Entrepreneurship – Dr Gerald Böhm
Time management – Dr Anne Wolfes
IRTG Retreats
IRTG retreats take place annually outside of Magdeburg. We use this opportunity to review the current status of our educational activities and the research results of the students. The students of each project present and discuss their recent research outcomes, as well as technical challenges and possible collaborations.