Psychologist awarded ERC Starting Grant
The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded an ERC Starting Grant to Dr Daniel Kluger. The EU funding of around 1.5 million euros will enable the scientist from the University of Münster’s Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis to pursue the research project entitled “A Multimodal Framework for Body–Brain Dynamics in Health and Disease” (“DYNABODY” for short) over the next five years. Starting in spring 2025, the psychologist will investigate the interplay between brain activity and various dynamic processes in the body.
In addition to fulfilling vital functions, rhythmic processes such as breathing and heartbeat have a significant influence on neural processing in the brain and thus on human behaviour. Through the DYNABODY project, Daniel Kluger and his team aim not only to understand these complex interactions of brain–body states, but also to develop applications in the context of various neuropsychiatric disorders. “The close relationship between mental and physical health shows that our world of thought is not just a matter of the mind, but is inextricably linked to the dynamic physical system,” comments Daniel Kluger.
The ERC project combines various physiological signals, including the activity of the lungs, heart and stomach, with high-resolution brain research methods. The University of Münster is one of the few German institutions to have a “magnetoencephalogram” (MEG), a highly sensitive instrument for measuring neuronal activity in the brain. The data obtained in this way forms the basis for computer-based explanatory models, for example, and is intended to provide insights into the course of disorders such as focal epilepsy in selected patient groups. Daniel Kluger works closely with colleagues from the University Hospital Münster, the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Berlin, LMU Munich and international experts from Denmark, Sweden, Scotland, Italy and the USA.
Daniel Kluger, who was born in Oberhausen in 1989, has been working as a postdoc at the University of Münster’s Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis since 2019. He also completed his undergraduate and doctoral studies at the University of Münster.
ERC Grants
The ERC Starting Grants funding line supports young researchers who wish to establish their own independent research group. Other ERC funding lines include the Consolidator Grant and the Advanced Grant.