Andreea-Maria Gui joins the Blanke Lab as PhD candidate
We are thrilled to announce that Andreea-Maria Gui is joining the prestigious Blanke Lab as a PhD candidate. With a strong educational background and diverse research experience under her belt, Andreea’s work is set to make significant contributions to the understanding of the brain’s complex mechanisms. Her focus will be on investigating the neural coupling between autobiographical episodic memory and self-consciousness using a cutting-edge combination of fMRI data acquisition and virtual reality (VR) techniques.
Andreea completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, a solid foundation that has served her well in her subsequent academic pursuits. She went on to earn a joint Master of Science degree in Computational Neuroscience from a collaboration of esteemed institutions including the Technical University Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and the Berlin Center for Computational Neuroscience.
Her academic journey reflects her broad interest in understanding memory and information processing within the human brain. Throughout her career, Andreea has explored a rich variety of research topics and techniques across multiple research groups, enriching her expertise and honing her skills in various aspects of neuroscience and cognitive science.
As a research assistant at the Distributed Cognition and Memory Lab, under the guidance of Dr. Thomas Christophel, Andreea investigated the role of semantic distractors in visual working memory. Her work focused on the application of both categorical and continuous encoding models in fMRI analysis, contributing valuable insights into how our brains process and retain visual information amid distractions.
In another significant project at the Neural Dynamics of Visual Cognition Lab, led by Professor Radoslaw Cichy, Andreea delved into how humans visually and semantically process short video sequences. Using deep neural network (DNN)-based encoding models, her research shed light on the intricate process of how we comprehend and interpret moving images, bridging the gap between visual perception and semantic understanding.
Not one to shy away from diverse fields, Andreea also embarked on a unique study of the elephant brain’s myelination at the Animal Physiology Lab under the supervision of Professor Michael Brecht. This research offered a fascinating glimpse into the comparative anatomy and physiology of neuronal development and adaptation in non-human subjects.
Andreea’s interdisciplinary approach and dedication to advancing our understanding of the human brain make her a valuable addition to the Blanke Lab. As she embarks on her PhD journey, she will utilize her rich background and innovative techniques to unravel the complexities of memory and self-awareness, potentially paving the way for breakthroughs in neuroscience.
We are eager to see the pioneering work that Andreea-Maria Gui will undertake and the subsequent impact she will undoubtedly have in the field of neuroscience.
Her arrival at the Blanke Lab marks a new chapter in her research career, one that promises to bring fresh perspectives and exciting discoveries. We wish her the best of luck in her endeavors and look forward to the fruits of her labor as she embarks on this promising journey.
