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EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf is committed to equal opportunity and diversity. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic or social background, religion, disability, age, or sexual orientation.

Applications should be sent by email to Tobias Kalenscher (office.comparative@hhu.de).
Application deadline: May 17, 2026
Interviews: June 2026

APPLICATION
Please submit the following documents as a single PDF file:
• A short motivation letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Brief statement of research experience and interests
• Academic transcripts and achievements
• Contact details of at least two referees.
[...]

[...]
• Solid background in statistics and experience with statistical software (e.g., R, SPSS, MATLAB)
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Excellent command of English; German language skills are not necessary, but the willingness to learn German is expected

REQUIREMENTS
• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in neuroscience, psychology, or a related field
• Experience with animal research (required)
• Experience with optogenetics is an advantage
• Strong interest in decision-making, economics and/or neuroeconomics
[...]

Using a rodent model of consumer choice (van Wingerden et al., 2015; Hu et al., 2021), the project combines optogenetic manipulation with behavioral and neuroeconomic analyses to better understand the neural mechanisms underlying value-based decisions.

We will investigate the role of the rat anterior cingulate cortex in representing the purchasing value of rewards during economic decision-making. In particular, it examines how dopaminergic mechanisms contribute to the effects of price inflation and wage adjustments on demand elasticity in rats.

PhD Position available! We are seeking a motivated PhD candidate to join our team at the Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. The position is funded by the German Research Foundation and is available from 10/2026.

Foto des Artikels

„Haltung zeigen“
In einem großen Interview mit der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung spricht HHU-Rektorin Anja Steinbeck über die Gefährdung der Wissenschaftsfreiheit und die Grenzen der Neutralitätspflicht dort, wo die Freiheitlich-Demokratische Grundordnung bedroht wird. 1/2

Wie unsere Psyche Schmerzen beeinflusst Schmerz nervt, ist aber wichtig. Die Schmerzforscherin Susanne Becker erklärt, wie Schmerz funktioniert und wie wir ihn beeinflussen können.

Einige unserer Veranstaltungen gibt's regelmäßig im Podcast #Hörsaal vom Deutschlandfunk Nova zu hören. Im neuen Beitrag geht's um Schmerzen.
Sie sind lästig, niemand hat sie gern. Dennoch brauchen wir sie. Sie sind ein Warnsignal des Körpers und ein Zeichen von Wachstum - Stichwort Muskelkater. 1/2

Stress macht aggressiv und großzügig Stress macht uns oft unfreundlich und aggressiv, aber auch großzügig und hilfsbereit. Diese beiden Reaktionen widersprechen sich nur scheinbar.

#Stress führt häufig dazu, dass wir gereizt(er) sind – er kann uns aber auch hilfsbereit oder großzügig machen.
In der neuen Folge des Podcasts #Hörsaal vom Deutschlandfunk Nova geht es um das Thema Stress mit Prof. Tobias @kalenscher.bsky.social. ⤵️ 1/2

www.deutschlandfunknova.de/beitrag/psyc...

Stress bestimmt den Alltag vieler Menschen. Doch wie wirkt er sich im sozialen Miteinander aus? Die Vergleichende Psychologie kommt zu verschiedenen Ergebnissen - von Aggressivität bis hin zu Hilfsbereitschaft.
Verantwortlich dafür sind verschiedene Botenstoffe im Gehirn. 1/3

Aber was genau passiert in unserem Körper, wenn wir gestresst sind? Und wie wirkt sich Stress auf unser soziales Miteinander aus?
In unserer Reihe “Forschung im Fokus” blickt Tobias Kalenscher (@kalenscher.bsky.social), Professor für Vergleichende Psychologie an der @hhu.de, auf das Thema. 2/3

Increased prosocial value orientation in autistic adults - Paul AG Forbes, Gillian Hughes, Leonhard Schilbach, Sarah White, Tobias Kalenscher, 2025 Social discounting describes the tendency to give fewer resources to those we feel less close to. Previous work suggests autistic individuals show a flatter dec...

#autism #neuroscience #social #prosocial #fairness #ucl #socialneuroscience #neuroeconomics

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

...higher prosocial orientations than neurotypical controls. Key message: Autism is not only linked to social challenges but also to greater fairness and generosity. Congratulations, Paul!
@hhu.de @socforneuroecon.bsky.social @decisionneurop.bsky.social @leoschilbach.bsky.social @ucl.ac.uk

...In our new study, using a very different task and a new UK sample, we replicated the effect: Autistic participants again showed greater prosociality toward socially distant others. Crucially, this wasn’t due to repetitive responding or money attitudes. Autistic adults have genuinely...

Increased prosocial value orientation in autistic adults - Paul AG Forbes, Gillian Hughes, Leonhard Schilbach, Sarah White, Tobias Kalenscher, 2025 Social discounting describes the tendency to give fewer resources to those we feel less close to. Previous work suggests autistic individuals show a flatter dec...

New paper out in Autism! Last year, we showed that Autistic adults are more generous toward strangers than neurotypical people. But this finding raised the question: was this true generosity or just an artefact of task design? Quick answer: true generosity! ...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Social Reward Learning Deficits and Concordant Brain Alterations in Rats Overexpressing Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) Social deficits are a hallmark of schizophrenia, often characterized by impairments in processing and integrating socially transmitted information. However, translational models that accurately captur...

@sfnjournals.bsky.social , @hhu.de , @ckorth.bsky.social , @socforneuroecon.bsky.social , @sfn.org , @decisionneurop.bsky.social
#neuroscience #schizophrenia #sociallearning #social #socialneuroscience #neuroeconomics

doi.org/10.1523/JNEU...

…alongside altered connectivity in limbic brain regions. A translational step toward understanding social dysfunction in schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric diseases. Congratulations, José, Yuliya and @ckorth.bsky.social !

Social Reward Learning Deficits and Concordant Brain Alterations in Rats Overexpressing Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) Social deficits are a hallmark of schizophrenia, often characterized by impairments in processing and integrating socially transmitted information. However, translational models that accurately captur...

New paper out in the Journal of Neuroscience! What happens when the brain’s “social reward” circuits go off track? Rats overexpressing human DISC1 show specific deficits in social reward learning, but intact nonsocial learning, …
doi.org/10.1523/JNEU...

👉 Register: www.soscisurvey.de/tutorial4620...

ℹ️ Info: www.psychologie.hhu.de/en/arbeitsgr...

#neuroeconomics #prosocial #neuroscience

🧠✨ Düsseldorf Symposium on Decision Neuroscience.
📅 Sept 26, 2025 | 📍 Düsseldorf
A one-day, high-level event with leading speakers on dopamine, empathy, prosociality & neuroforecasting.
💸 Free! | 🌍 In person + online

@hhu.de @socforneuroecon.bsky.social @decisionneurop.bsky.social

Mom, Don't Meddle In My Love Life - July 31, 2025 The Last Show with David Cooper · Episode

Yesterday I talked to David Cooper of The Last Show about our recent paper published in PNAS.
Listen here (starting around minute 51): open.spotify.com/episode/2tt9...

@luca-luepken.bsky.social
@hhu.de @socforneuroecon.bsky.social @pnas.org @decisionneurop.bsky.social #prosocial #socialneuroscience #PNAS #Stress #Cortisol #populism

Us Versus Them Does stress make us more aggressive or more helpful? New research suggests it does both. This dual effect may drive growing societal polarization and the persistence of conflict.

New blog post! I summarize our recent paper (www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...) how stress concurrently fosters ingroup support and outgroup competition, and what this has to do with societal polarization and conflict.
Us Versus Them | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-...

Stress enhances cooperation within groups while simultaneously increasing hostility toward outsiders Stress is known to affect social behavior, but how exactly it does so is still unclear. In the past, its effects were contradictory: stress has been linked to either more aggressive reactions (fight-o...

Read Stress enhances cooperation within groups while simultaneously increasing hostility toward outsiders on Kudos: www.growkudos.com/publications...

How stress strengthens group bonds—and fuels intergroup conflict Why do violent conflicts between groups persist—even when all sides suffer as a result? Researchers from psychology and medicine at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have now examined the dual effect of physiological stress messengers on social behavior in intergroup conflicts.

Acute stress can enhance cooperation within groups while simultaneously increasing hostility toward outsiders, driven by distinct neurochemical pathways. doi.org/g9s8sw

With Damon Dashti, Luca Lüpken, Douman Seidisarouei, Paul Forbes & Alfons Schnitzler
@hhu.de @socforneuroecon.bsky.social @pnas.org @hhu.de.web.brid.gy @decisionneurop.bsky.social #prosocial #socialneuroscience #PNAS #Neuroscience #Stress #Social #Polarization #ParochialAltruism #Cortisol #populism

4/4
Our results, thus, offer a neurobiological mechanism for the populist playbooks how fear and stress contributes to rising polarization in society. It also sheds light on why intergroup conflicts escalate, and why they persist even among rational actors. Link: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...