The Department N3 has close interactions with the other departments of the HIH, and with the University Clinic Tübingen (UKT), translating fundamental research and technical innovations into clinical applications. Close connections with the CyberValley and the University of Stuttgart, and the interuniversity center Bionic Intelligence Tübingen-Stuttgart (BITS) makes the department part of the innovation area for AI and physical intelligence in Tübingen-Stuttgart. The department collaborates closely with the Max Planck Institutes for Intelligent Systems and Biological Cybernetics.
The Department N3 is formed by four groups with complementary expertise, all of which have a strong interest in systems neuroscience and clinically relevant applications. The method spectrum ranges from experimental research in animals, including rodents and nonhuman primates, experimental research in humans and patients, to approaches from theoretical neuroscience, biomechanics, and engineering, including machine learning. The complementary expertise of these groups allows to develop novel approaches and technologies to address questions about various aspects of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including the development of behavioral markers, technical systems supporting diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation, and novel technologies for brain stimulation and sensing.
Research Groups within the N3 Department
The “Section Theoretical Sensomotorics” (headed by Prof. Martin Giese) focuses on theoretical neuroscience and on quantitative methods for the characterization and modeling of body motion, and non-invasive neural stimulation. One focus of the work is the development of disease-specific, everyday-relevant motor performance measures for rare neurodegenerative diseases. Further work together with the Department of Psychiatry contributes to the quantitative assessment of behavioral parameters relevant for mental health disorders, exploiting multi-sensor systems in real-world situations. In collaboration with the MPI for Intelligent Systems and the ‘Systems Neurophysiology’ group, technologies for cortical neural stimulation using microagents and micro-robots are explored.
Link to the "Section Theoretical Sensomotorics"
The group “Neuromechanics and Rehabilitation Robotics” (headed by Prof. Daniel Häufle) develops computational models and simulations of the neuro-musculoskeletal system. In a multi-level approach, the group considers the different hierarchical levels contributing to movement generation. This interdisciplinary approach is mainly based on biophysics, biomechanics, and computational motor control. The group applies their expertise in neuromechanics to study neurological origins of movement disorders and in the design and control of assistive devices.
Link to the group “Neuromechanics and Rehabilitation Robotics”
The “Active Perception Laboratory" (headed by Prof. Ziad Hafed) investigates the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying active sensing in animal models, as well as the links of these investigated mechanisms to human perceptual and cognitive performance. The group employs techniques for monitoring and focally perturbing neural activity in individual brain circuits, in order to understand the functional contributions of specific circuits and anatomical pathways in coordinating perception and behavior. The group’s expertise in the neurophysiology of sensory and motor systems allows the development of advanced brain stimulation techniques in animals, and for advanced sensorimotor tasks. The group also has sophisticated expertise about eye movements and the detailed neural mechanisms of their control. This complements the expertise of the other groups in modeling of body movements, and also provides critical knowledge about the neural mechanisms that integrate the visual modality with motor control.
Link to the "Active Perception Laboratory"
The group “Systems Neurophysiology” (headed by Prof. Cornelius Schwarz) studies the sensorimotor system in rodents (whisker and paw movements) with a focus on the neuronal and behavioral levels, using state of the art behavioral observation, neural recording and stimulation, as well as imaging on the single and sub-neuronal levels. Their aim is the elucidation and differentiation of predictive neuronal systems. In a cooperative effort with the groups of Giese and Hafed and the MPI-IS/Stuttgart, they aim at establishing novel, non-invasive methods of brain stimulation using micro/nano-agents.
Link to group “Systems Neurophysiology”
Achievements of the N3 group leaders
The N3 group leaders are also members of national and international research networks, and networks fostering industrial partnerships. All four group leaders are founding members of the newly established interuniversity Center for Bionic Intelligence Tübingen Stuttgart (BITS) that concentrates research on physical, software and human intelligence at the universities of Stuttgart and Tübingen.
Martin Giese is a member of the board of the Bernstein Center (BCCN) of Tübingen, co-speaker of the Else Kröner Medical Scientist Kolleg ‘ClinBrAIn: Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Brain Research’. He is one of the three initiators of the interuniversity center ‘Bionic Intelligence for Health (BITS),’ as well as a board member of the’ Competence Center Biointelligence’ of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Automation (Stuttgart) with many industrial partners. He has obtained an ERC Synergy grant and multiple fundings from the Human Frontiers Science Program (HFSP).
Daniel Häufle was appointed as a Professor at Tübingen University in 2024 and is member of Cyber Valley and Faculty of the Max-Planck-Research School for Intelligent Systems. He leads and participates in several projects bridging HIH, CIN, University of Tübingen, University of Stuttgart, and MPI for Intelligent Systems.
Ziad Hafed is a member of the SFB 1233 (‘Robust Vision’) and the Cognitive Science Center (CSC) of the University of Tübingen. He is also part of multiple Special Priority Programmes (SPPs) of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), exploring topics related to internal state modulations in active organisms.
Cornelius Schwarz chairs the board of the Graduate Training Centre for Neuroscience and is a member of the DFG SPP 2411.
The new Department is an outstanding addition to the HIH’s current research profile and an excellent development in shaping the future of the HIH realizing the ‘Hertie 2030 Strategy’.
