PhD candidate

Xaver has joined the PRSM lab in 2022 as a PhD candidate focusing on the cognitive and neural mechanisms of psilocybin in healthy volunteers. He believes in the merit of interdisciplinary integration, with interests broadly encompassing the brain at all levels of description. Especially when pharmacology influences perception, cognition and consciousness, such integration is warranted.

In terms of his academic background, Xaver followed a general interest in life and the mechanisms supporting it by acquiring a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Hamburg, centered around molecular and microbiology. For his Master’s he switched gears, organisms and approaches by obtaining a master’s degree in integrative and cognitive systems neuroscience from Philipps-University Marburg and the University of Zürich. During this time, he worked on the mechanisms of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy as revealed by resting-state fMRI.

Outside work, Xaver likes to learn and practice languages, both natural and formal, as well as developing his own interpretations of Asian cuisines.