Mission Statement

The establishment of the doctoral program BeCog reflects the increasing importance of research into human and animal behavior and its underlying processes. BeCog can be seen as complementary to GGNB’s doctoral programs in biophysics, neurosciences and molecular biology. The aim of BeCog is to combine various research approaches in an integrative and interdisciplinary platform for research and education. To achieve this, BeCog unites students from biology, linguistics, psychology, neurosciences and computer science. Research questions deal with the influence of social and ecological factors on human and non-human behavior and its underlying emotional, physiological, neurological and cognitive processes. Empirical, theoretical and model-based approaches are applied and contribute equally to the goals of BeCog.

Under the guidance of our members, PhD students develop their own research project. Through the participation in method courses, seminars and summer schools, they acquire an understanding for their own field of research and develop the skills for autonomous scientific work and critical thinking. Furthermore, they get acquainted with the structures, tasks and processes of the international scientific community. In preparation for an independent scientific career, students are involved in teaching; to practice presentation skills and to connect themselves within the scientific community, they present their work at national and international meetings. With the aid of the university’s key qualifications program, participants can obtain qualifications in areas outside their research project (e.g. rhetoric, didactics, etc.). This enables students to obtain the required abilities for a career within and outside of science.