Executive Board

Emily Zoe Burlon is a PhD student in Project C1, supervised by Prof. Gamer. 

Her research focuses on decision-making processes during social situations characterized by high uncertainty. Specifically, she aims to identify the precursors of social decisions. To achieve this, she will develop a task where participants must choose between social interactions, each followed by either a rewarding or punishing consequence. During the task, EEG, autonomic, and eye-tracking data will be collected to identify relevant correlates. In the next phase of her research, she plans to experimentally manipulate these processes to test the causality of the observed correlations.

Before beginning her PhD, Emily completed her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Psychology at the University of Cologne. Her interest in bridging social psychology and cognitive neuroscience was sparked during an internship and the completion of her Master's thesis at the Forschungszentrum Jülich.

Kartik Rai is a PhD researcher in project C2 under the supervision of Prof. Grit Hein. His research focuses on an approach-avoidance conflict paradigm to explore how the presence of a social partner and empathy influence decision-making when faced with facial ambiguity, utilizing behavioural, computational and neuroimaging modalities.

He has an academic background in Computer Science and later pursued a Master’s in Mental Health Psychology at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Before joining the RTG, he worked as a mental health practitioner in Edinburgh, supporting individuals with complex psychiatric disorders. 

Beyond research, Kartik enjoys dancing, cooking, hiking, discovering new cafes and is passionate about mental-wellbeing.

Antonia Rausch has a background in neuroscience and is deeply passionate about the dynamic interplay between physiology, cognition, and psyche and their influence on health maintenance and well-being.

For her PhD project, she will explore approach-avoidance conflicts in developmental populations, focusing on how children and adolescents navigate learning and decision-making. This will involve behavioural analysis, functional imaging, and cognitive mapping techniques.

In her spare time, you can find Antonia in nature, hiking and cycling. Besides outdoor activities, she is interested in crafting and enjoys game nights with friends.