Category: Profile

I am a PhD student in the MMNI group and joined the lab in April 2025. I am interested in the neurobiological underpinning of PD and their involvement in motivation. I work with neuroimaging methods ranging from functional MRI to QSM data. I program behavioural tasks to test the relationship between motoric effort and motivation during the early phase of PD.

Professional links: LinkedIn, GitHub

Academic education:

Period	Institution	Degree / Topic
04.2025 – Present	Univ. Hospital Cologne	Ph.D. in Neuroimaging
2021 – 2024	Humboldt- Univ. Berlin	M.Sc. Psychology
2022	Stockholm University	Semester abroad
2017 – 2021	Univ. of Cologne	B.Sc. Psychology

Professional experience:

Period	Institution	Role / Focus
2024	MPI Metabolism	Internship – Neuroimaging of reward/effort
2021	Univ. Hospital Cologne	Internship – Neuropsychology
2018	Univ. Cologne	Research assistant

Ask me about:

Imaging analysis with FSL or SPM. Programming with Python or Matlab.

As a leader of this group, I am dedicated to empowering young scientists to find their vocation and to achieve their full professional potential. 

Professional links: LinkedIn

Professional experience:

Period	Institution	Focus / Role
Since 2015	University Clinic Cologne	Professor of Multimodal Brain Imaging
Since 2015	University Clinic Cologne	Consultant Neurologist
2012		Board Certification Neurology (“Facharzt”)
2010-2015	University of Kiel	Professor of Functional Brain Imaging
2007-2010	University of Toronto	Postdoctoral Researcher
2007-2010	University Klinik Hamburg	Postdoctoral Researcher

I joined the MMNI lab as a PhD candidate in January 2022. I am interested in resilience mechanisms in PD. For this purpose, I work a lot with resting state fMRI together with dopamine sensitive PET imaging. By using multimodal approaches I investigate the mechanistic link between dopaminergic degeneration and alterations in dynamics of large-scale functional networks. Furthermore, I am highly involved in the implementation of the currently ongoing DoMoCo study. Finally, I am committed to building and maintaining a reliable IT structure for the MMNI lab.

Professional links: LinkedIn, ResearchGate, GitHub

Academic education:

Period	Institution	Degree / Topic
01/2022 – Present	Univ. Hospital Cologne	Ph.D. in Neuroimaging – Resilience in PD
2019 – 2021	Univ. of Cologne	M.Sc. Neuroscience – Dynamic FC in PD
2015 – 2019	Univ. of Bonn	B.Sc. Biology – Multimodal electrophysiology

Professional experience:

Period	Institution	Role / Focus
2021	Univ. Hospital Cologne	Internship – Neuroimaging preprocessing
2020	Life & Brain Center Bonn	Internship – Patch clamp in epilepsy model
2020	Univ. of Cologne	Lab rotation – Multi-array recordings
2019	Univ. Hospital Cologne	Lab rotation – DBS electrode stability
2018	Univ. of Bonn	Study Assistant – Electrophysiology & teaching

Ask me about: Coding in Python and R. Resting state fMRI techniques, such as dynamic functional connectivity, graph therory and basically any IT related issues.

CV as PDF

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/magdalena-banwinkler
• https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Magdalena_Banwinkler

Julia Lothmann completed her master’s thesis on the predictability of regional amyloid burden for the progression to preclinical and clinical Alzheimer’s disease in 2020 at the MMNI group. She has recently joined the group and will investigate molecular and functional mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease, such as tau and amyloid accumulation in the brain. Her research interests further extend into the domain of cognitive reserve as well as the effects of lifestyle factors in regard to the development of neuropathology in Alzheimer’s disease.

CV as PDF

LinkedIn profile

I am interested in resilience mechanisms (the body’s own coping mechanisms to counteract disease-related alterations) in Parkinson’s disease. In this context, I am also exploring the utility of dopamine transporter imaging as a suitable monitoring biomarker of disease progression.

CV as PDF

Ask me about:

– python coding problems, including implementation of new MRI or non-MRI tasks (if you have problems with MATLAB I will help you, but you need to bring chocolate because I hate it)

– statistics, I love to discuss statistics, most preferably linear mixed models

– graph theory

– theoretical machine learning for practical implementation please ask Elena Doering

Philipp Schlüter is a research fellow at the INM-2 at the Research Center Jülich and a researcher in the Multimodal Imaging Group.
He investigates the molecular mechanism in Alzheimer’s disease, such as production and transport of tau in the brain, using numerical models.
His research interest is in machine learning and AI methodologies.

CV as PDF

 

My scientific curiosity is directed at structural and molecular determinants of brain function in health and disease. I am particularly invested in applying and combining molecular and functional imaging methods to understand mechanisms of pathology in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinsonian Disorders and Alzheimer’s disease. I am also highly engaged in the translation of research in my field from basic to clinical science and the deployment of more advanced clinical standards of neuroimaging. For example, I coordinate national and international groups for the harmonization of imaging standards and organize a symposium on translational molecular imaging in neurodegeneration (MINC symposium).

As a leader of this group, I am dedicated to empowering young scientists to find their vocation and to achieve their full professional potential. 

Professional links: LinkedIn

Professional experience:

Period	Institution	Focus / Role
Since 2015	University Clinic Cologne	Professor of Multimodal Brain Imaging
Since 2015	University Clinic Cologne	Consultant Neurologist
2012		Board Certification Neurology (“Facharzt”)
2010-2015	University of Kiel	Professor of Functional Brain Imaging
2007-2010	University of Toronto	Postdoctoral Researcher
2007-2010	University Klinik Hamburg	Postdoctoral Researcher

My research focuses on improving imaging-derived diagnosis of Parkinsonian Syndromes via artificial intelligence. Therefore, I explore tools of automatizing the image analysis process by implementing various methods in the field of machine learning and deep learning.

Download CV as PDF

Contact:

Michelle Meier
MD student

 

Omer Reiner’s primary research focus is the role of dopaminergic pathways in reinforcement learning. He is investigating the effect of nourishment as a primary reinforcer and it’s significance in neural mechanisms underlying behavioral patterns that lead to obesity.

Download CV as PDF

Contact: omerreiner@gmail.com

I am a resident physician in the Department of Neurology and a clinician scientist in the MMNI group. I have been working in the MMNI group for almost ten years. My main research area is molecular imaging of atypical Parkinsonian syndromes with a special focus on Tau-PET in progressive supranuclear palsy. Additionally, I use Tau-PET imaging in IgLON5 and I am also interested in examining nonmotor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease with multimodal imaging. I am the study physician of our DoMoCo study. My clinical focus is movement disorders, botulinum toxin therapy, and neurological intensive care medicine.

Professional links: LinkedIn, ResearchGate

Academic education:

Period	Institution	Degree / Topic
2016-2021	University of Cologne	M.D.
2015-2019	University of Cologne University of Bern	Medicine, clinical part
2013-2015	University of Cologne	Medicine, preclinical part

Professional experience:

Period	Institution	Role / Focus
2023-today	University of Cologne	Cologne Clinician Scientist
2022-2022	University of Cologne	Gerok position
2020-today	University Hospital of Cologne Department of Neurology	Resident Physician

Ask me about: Atypical Parkinsonism, PET imaging, especially Tau-PET, IgLON5, nonmotor symptoms in PD, DoMoCo

I’m a trained cognitive scientist and neuropsychologist, who has been working in the MMNI lab for almost 10 years now. My PhD was focused on the role of education and functional connectivity on tau spreading in Alzheimer’s disease. As a postdoc and now deputy group leader, I use behavioral, wearable technology and multimodal neuroimaging methods to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying resilience and resistance towards the two extremes of the aging process, namely super aging and pathological aging such as Alzheimer’s disease. Aside from my research interest, I’m mentoring medical students and PhD candidates and try to share my wisdom 😉

Professional links: ORCHID, LinkedIn

Academic education:

Period	Institution	Degree / Topic
01/2016-12/2019	University Clinic Cologne	PhD
09/2013-08/2015	Maastricht University	M.Sc., Clinical and cognitive neuroscience
10/2010 – 08/2013	University of Osnabrueck	B.Sc., Cognitive science

Professional experience:

Period	Institution	Focus / Role
Since 2024	University Clinic Cologne	Deputy group leader
Since 2021	University Clinic Cologne	Co-PI C03 project “Dopamine and Motor Control” in CRC1451
Since 2010	Research Center Juelich, INM-2	Postdoctoral researcher
2015-2019	University Clinic Cologne	PhD candidate
2015	Research Center Juelich, INM-1	Research assistant
2014	Medtronic	Research assistant
2012-2013	Pacific Parkinson’s Research Center	Research assistant

Ask me about:
Soft skills: Being a younger woman in science, how to stay on top of things (time management, patience, etc.)

Other skills: PET processing, statistics, administrative stuff

I am a neuroscientist and scientific project manager in the MMNI group and at the Research Center Jülich interested in improving our understanding of pathogenic and therapeutic mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. I coordinate a variety of investigator-initiated studies and industry-sponsored trials, ultimately aiming to improve patient therapy and care. In this context, I support my team in organizational, regulatory, ethical and legal questions. Finally, I am passionate about increasing the recognition for data collection and sharing within the neuroimaging community.

 

Professional links: LinkedIn, ResearchGate

Academic education:

Period	Institution	Degree / Topic
2015–2020	University Hospital Cologne	PhD – Health Sciences, focus on cognition in Parkinson’s disease
2012–2014	Free University Amsterdam	MSc – Cognitive Neuropsychology, focus on cognitive neurology
2010–2013	Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main	BSc – Biological Sciences, focus on animal physiology

Professional experience:

Period	Institution	Role / Focus
2019 – present	Research Center Jülich	Scientific project manager & neuroscientist
2015 – present	University Hospital Cologne	Scientific project manager & neuroscientist
2014 – 2015	University of Oxford	Research associate

Ask me about: Experimental design, fMRI, project management, clinical trials and their challenges and chances

Dr. Jochen Hammes has completed his residency at the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the University Hospital of Cologne and now is an external member of the Multimodal Imaging Group. He is especially interested in developing algorithmic methods in multimodal imaging research.

Jochen Hammes‘ profile on Researchgate.

 

Selected publications:
Hammes, J, Bischof, GN, Bohn, KP, Onur, O, Schneider, A, Fliessbach, K et al.. One stop shop: Flortaucipir PET differentiates amyloid positive and negative forms of neurodegenerative diseases. J. Nucl. Med. 2020

Hammes, J, Theis, H, Giehl, K, Hoenig, MC, Greuel, A, Tittgemeyer, M et al.. Dopamine metabolism of the nucleus accumbens and fronto-striatal connectivity modulate impulse control. Brain. 2019;142

Hammes J, Täger P, Drzezga A; EBONI: A tool for automated quantification of bone metastasis load in PSMA PET/CT, J. Nucl. Med. 2017

Hammes J, Leuwer I, Bischof GN, Drzezga A, van Eimeren T; Multimodal correlation of dynamic [18F]-AV-1451 perfusion PET and neuronal hypometabolism in [18F]-FDG PET; Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2017.

Hammes J, Bischof GN, Drzezga A: Molecular imaging in early diagnosis, differential diagnosis and follow-up of patients with neurodegenerative diseases; Clin Transl Imaging, 2017; 5: 465.

 

Curriculum vitae

2020
Board certification as Nuclear Medicine specialist (“Facharzt für Nuklearmedizin”) and Habilitation

2015-2020
Resident physician and postdoctoral researcher at Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Cologne
Algorithmic methods in imaging research
Imaging in neurodegenerative diseases

2014-2015
Manager for product development and IT at BetterDoc GmbH, Cologne
Product development, Database design, Userinterface design,
head of development team

2013-2014
Resident physician in neurology
Clinic for Neurology and Palliative Medicine, Clinics of the City of Cologne

2009-2013
Doctoral studies at Physics Group, Dept. of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Cologne
Thesis: GATE based Monte Carlo simulation of planar scintigraphy to estimate the nodular dose in radioiodine therapy for autonomous thyroid adenoma

2007-2013
Medical school
University Hospital Cologne, St. Claraspital Basel (CH), Kantonsspital St. Gallen (CH)