Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Ernst Pöppel, ML, MAE

Personal Information

Office Address:
Institute for Medical Psychology, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich
Goethestr. 31, 80336 Munich, Germany

Tel. (Office): +49 89 2180 75 635
Mobile: +49 172 8808 777
Email: Ernst.Poeppel@med.uni-muenchen.de

Place of Birth: Schwessin, Pomerania (now Poland)
Date of Birth: April 29th, 1940

Academic Career

  • 1976: Professor of Medical Psychology (Ordinarius)
  • 1976: Habilitation in Psychology (Dr. phil. habil.), Faculty of Natural Sciences, Leopold-Franzens-Universität, Innsbruck, Austria
  • 1974: Habilitation in Sensory Physiology (Dr. med. habil.), Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
  • 1968: Ph.D. in Psychology (Dr. phil.), Innsbruck, Austria
  • 1962 – 1968: Academic Education in Psychology and Biology, Universities of Freiburg/Breisgau (Germany), Munich (Germany), Innsbruck (Austria)
  • 1960 -1961: Military Service (German Navy)
  • 1959: Abitur (Graduation from High School), Kepler-Gymnasium, Freiburg/Breisgau, Germany

Positions Held (Past and Present)

  • 2018: Member of the Board of Directors, Federation of German Scientists, Berlin
  • 2016 - 2023: Editor-in-Chief of the PsyCh Journal (published by WILEY and the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences)
  • Since 2009: Founder and Director of the "Parmenides Center for Art and Science", Germany
  • 2007 - 2018: Member of the International Sounding Board of the Knowledge and Human Development Authorities (KHDA), Dubai, UAE
  • 2006 - 2010: Board Member of the Festo Program of Applied Knowing, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
  • Since 2002: Guest Professor, Peking University, Department of Psychology (renamed School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences), Beijing, China
  • Since 2001: Co-Director of the "Parmenides Center for the Study of Thinking", Munich and Pöcking, Germany
  • 2000 - 2014: Founder and Director of the Generation Research Program (GRP), Bad Tölz, Germany
  • 1997 - 2020: Co-Founder and first Chairman of the Human Science Center, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
  • 1992 – 1997: Member of the Board of Directors, Research Center Jülich, Germany
    Responsibilities: Life Sciences (Brain Research and Biotechnology), Environmental Research, Mathematical Modeling
  • 1977 - 2008: Founder and Chairman of the Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
  • 1976 - 2008: Professor of Medical Psychology (Ordinarius)
  • 1973 – 1976: Research Associate and Group Leader, PI, Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
  • 1972 – 1973: Staff Scientist, Neuroscience Research Program (NRP), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, USA
  • 1971 – 1973: Research Associate, Department of Psychology and Brain Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, USA
  • 1969 – 1970: Postdoctoral Fellow of the Volkswagen Foundation, Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Neurophysiology, Munich, Germany
  • 1966 – 1968: Fellowship of the Max-Planck-Society, Max-Planck-Institute of Behavioral Physiology, Andechs and Seewiesen, Germany
  • 1965 – 1966: NASA Fellowship, Max-Planck-Institute of Behavioral Physiology, Andechs and Seewiesen, Germany

Honors

  • 2024: Certificate of Honor, School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University
  • 2020: Doctor honoris causa, UNED, Madrid, Spain
  • 2016: Doctor honoris causa, Russian State University of the Humanities (Moscow)
  • 2016: Member of the Russian Academy of Education (Moscow)
  • 2015: Member of the Academia Europaea (London) (MAE)
  • 2013: Visiting Professorship for Senior International Scientists, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • 2012: Jean Henley Memorial Lecture, HAI-Congress Berlin
  • 2011: Overseas Renowned Scholar Lecture Program, Peking University
  • 2008: Honorary Lecturer, European Society of Radiology, Vienna
  • 2007: Golden Medal of the Peutinger Collegium, Bavaria
  • 2005: Bayerische Verfassungsmedaille in Silber (Bavarian Constitutional Medal in Silver)
  • 2004: Dean of Science, European Academy of Sciences and Arts
  • 2002: Humboldt Professor, University of Ulm
  • 1997: Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (Salzburg)
  • 1995: Exhibit in the Deutsches Museum Bonn
  • 1993: Member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina ("Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina") (ML)
  • 1988: J. E. Purkinje Medal of the Czech Medical Societies
  • 1984: Levinson Award of the American Poetry Association
  • 1983: Award of the Association of German Medical Journalists
  • 1975: Offer of Professorship (Chair) of Medical Psychology, RWTH Aachen, Germany (not accepted)
  • 1959: Scheffel-Preis (best student for German in high school)

Memberships (Past and Present)

  • Psychonomic Society
  • International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)
  • European Brain and Behavior Society (EBBS)
  • European Neuroscience Association (ENA)
  • Society for Neuroscience
  • Neurowissenschaftliche Gesellschaft
  • Deutsche Physiologische Gesellschaft
  • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Medizinische Psychologie (Past President)
  • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie
  • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Naturforscher und Ärzte
  • Deutscher Hochschulverband

Teaching (Since 1968)

  • Medical Psychology
  • Neuropsychology
  • Psychophysics
  • Sensory Physiology
  • Systems Neuroscience
  • Neuro-Aesthetics
  • Special Topics of Philosophy

At the:

  • Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
  • Faculty of Science, Leopold-Franzens-Universität, Innsbruck, Austria

Academic Supervision

  • Habilitation: Supervised 30 scientists at the Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
  • Doctoral Supervision: Approximately 250 doctoral dissertations (Ph.D. and M.D.) and diploma theses from the Institute of Medical Psychology, Munich, and the Institute of Psychology, Innsbruck, Austria

Institutional Reviewing Activities

  • European Research Council (ERC)
  • European Union (EU)
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
  • Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung (AvH-Stiftung)
  • Bundesminister für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
  • Bayerische Forschungsstiftung
  • Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (MPG)
  • Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
  • Wissenschaftskolleg Berlin
  • Bosch-Stiftung
  • Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes
  • EXPO 2000, Hannover
  • Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
  • Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung
  • Cusanus-Werk
  • Carl Friedrich von Siemens-Stiftung
  • National Science Foundation (NSF), USA
  • National Institute of Health (NIH), USA
  • The Rockefeller University, New York, USA
  • Neurosciences Research Program (NRP), Boston, USA
  • Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
  • RIKEN Institute, Tokyo, Japan
  • Kyoto University, Japan
  • The Wellcome Trust, London, UK

Research Activities (Past and Present)

  • Visual Perception
    Structure of the Visual Field, Construction of Spatiotemporal Maps, Attentional Control in the Visual Field, Perception of Brightness and Color, Neurophysiological Studies in the Visual Pathway

  • Neuropsychology
    Residual vision (“blindsight”), Restitution of function after brain injury, Plasticity and rigidity of neural representations

  • Time and Timing
    Experimental description of the 3-second time window (“subjective present”), Discrete temporal “system states” of the human brain, Development of a hierarchical model of temporal perception

  • Neuro-Anaesthesiology
    Development of a new method to monitor the depth of anesthesia

  • Chronobiology
    Circadian rhythms in humans; desynchronization of functions, 24-hour-rhythm of physiological and psychological functions

  • Theory
    Development of a taxonomy (classification) of psychological functions, Description of modes of knowledge and their unifying principles

  • Statistics
    Development of non-parametric statistics to detect oscillations and temporal regularities in short and long time series

  • Art and Science
    Neuroscientific aspects of aesthetics in visual art, music, and poetry, Anthropological universals and cultural specifics in art appreciation

Publications and Public Appearances

  • Some 400 publications in internationally reviewed journals and invited contributions
  • 30 books and monographs as author or editor for the scientific community and the general public
  • More than 1000 presentations worldwide (many for the general public)
  • Interviews for print media, radio, or television and scientific advisor for the international TV series The Magic Universe of the Brain

International Academic Cooperations (Past and Present)

  • Chinese Academy of Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
  • Peking University, School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Beijing, China
  • Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
  • Honda Research and Development, Tochigi, Japan
  • Korea University, Seoul, Korea
  • Sassoon Hospital, Psychiatric Department, Puna, India
  • DSO Laboratories, Singapore
  • UNED, Madrid, Spain
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Psychology and Brain Science, and the Neuroscience Research Program, USA
  • Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City
  • Nencki Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
  • Czech Academy of Science, Prague, Czech Republic
  • University of Innsbruck, Department of Psychology, Austria
  • University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
  • Russian Academy of Science, Pawlow Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Center for Speech Pathology and Neurorehabilitation, Moscow, Russia
  • Russian State University of the Humanities, Moscow, Russia
  • Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

Advanced Academic Positions of Present and Previous Co-workers (from 15 countries)

  • Anthuber, Matthias – Professor of Surgery, Chief Surgeon, Klinikum Augsburg, Germany; President of the German Surgical Society 2018/19 (Doctoral Student)
  • Arias-Carrión, Oscar – Professor of Neurology, UNAM, Mexico City (Postdoctoral Fellow)
  • Bao, Yan – Associate Professor of Psychology, School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University (Postdoctoral Fellow)
  • Barth, Erhardt – Professor of Neuro- and Bio-Informatics, Universität Lübeck, Germany (Doctoral Student)
  • Brandt, Stephan – Professor of Neurology, Charité Berlin, Germany (Doctoral Student)
  • Brettel, Hans – Private Docent of Medical Psychology and Psychophysics, Research Scientist, CNRS Paris (Habilitation)
  • Bullinger, Monika – Professor of Medical Psychology, UKE Hamburg, Germany (Habilitation, Heisenberg-Stipend)
  • Chen, Lin – Professor, Elected Member of the Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China (Humboldt Fellow, long-term coworker)
  • Cieza, Alarcos – Professor of Medical Psychology, University of Southampton, UK; WHO Coordinator, Disability and Rehabilitation, Geneva (Doctoral Student, Habilitation)
  • de Langen, Ernst Gilles – Private Docent of Linguistics, University of Potsdam, Germany (Doctoral Student)
  • Deng, Tzu-Shing – Professor, Department of Agronomy, National Chung-Hsing University, Taiwan (Doctoral Student)
  • Distel, Hans – Professor of Medical Psychology and Neurobiology, LMU München, Germany (Habilitation)
  • Eisenbarth, Werner – Professor of Optometry, Hochschule München, Germany (Doctoral Student)
  • Fries, Wolfgang – Professor of Medical Psychology and Neurobiology, Munich-Pasing, Germany (Habilitation)
  • Glünder, Heinz – Honorary Professor of Information Technology, Technical University Darmstadt, Germany (long-term coworker)
  • Gross, Manfred – Professor of Internal Medicine, Munich, Germany (Doctoral Student)
  • Gutyrchik, Evgeny – Private Docent of Medical Psychology, LMU München, Germany (Habilitation)
  • Haase, Vitor Geraldi – Professor of Psychology, Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Doctoral Student)
  • Han, KyungHun – Professor, Pusan National University, Division of Sports Science, Pusan, Korea (Doctoral Student)
  • Härtel, Ulla – Professor of Medical Sociology, LMU München, Germany (long-term coworker)
  • Hermsdoerfer, Joachim – Professor of Sports and Health Science, Technical University München, Germany (Doctoral Student, Habilitation)
  • Hudson, Robyn – Professor of Biological Psychology, UNAM, Mexico City (Habilitation, Heisenberg-Stipend)
  • Ilg, Rüdiger – Professor of Neurology, Chief Neurologist, Asklepios Clinic Bad Tölz, Germany (Doctoral Student)
  • Jokeit, Hennric – Professor of Neuropsychology, Neurocenter Zürich (Postdoctoral Fellow)
  • Jüttner, Martin – Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Aston University, Birmingham, UK (Habilitation)
  • Kagerer, Florian – Professor, Michigan State University, USA (Doctoral Student)
  • Kohls, Niko – Professor for Health Sciences, Hochschule Coburg, Germany (Habilitation)
  • Lancel, Mareike – Private Docent of Medical Psychology and Neurobiology, Oegstgeest, Netherlands (Habilitation)
  • Landes, Miriam – Professor of Economic Psychology, Erding, Germany (Doctoral Student)
  • Laska, Matthias – Professor of Zoology, University Linköping, Sweden (Habilitation, Heisenberg-Stipend)
  • Lauer, Christoph – Professor of Medical Psychology, Deggendorf, Germany (Habilitation)
  • Logothetis, Nikos – Professor, Director of Max-Planck-Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany; Co-Director of the International Center for Primate Brain Research (ICPBR), Shanghai, China (Doctoral Student)
  • Lotze, Martin – Professor of Neuro-Radiology, Greifswald, Germany (Doctoral Student)
  • Madler, Christian – Professor of Anaesthesiology, Clinical Director, Kaiserslautern, Germany (long-term coworker)
  • Mai, Norbert – Professor of Neuropsychology, LMU München, Germany (Habilitation)
  • Meissner, Karin – Professor for Health Sciences, Hochschule Coburg, Germany (Doctoral Student, Habilitation)
  • Merrow, Martha – Professor of Medical Psychology and Chronobiology, LMU München, Germany; previously Groningen, Netherlands (Habilitation)
  • Mitzdorf, Ulla – Professor of Medical Psychology and Neurobiology, LMU München, Germany (Habilitation, Heisenberg-Stipend)
  • Miyake, Yoshihiro – Professor of Computational Intelligence and Systems Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology (Long-Term Guest Professor)
  • Muto, Takeshi – Professor, Faculty of Information and Communications, Bunkyo University, Chigasaki, Kanagawa, Japan (Postdoctoral Fellow)
  • Plischke, Herbert – Professor for Health Science, Hochschule München (Long-term co-worker)
  • Ravens-Sieberer, Ulrike – Professor of Health Sciences, Director of Child Public Health, UKE Hamburg, Germany (Postdoctoral Fellow)
  • Reinisch, Maria – Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Federation of German Scientists, Berlin, Germany (Doctoral Student)
  • Rentschler, Ingo – Professor of Medical Psychology and Psychophysics, LMU München, Germany (Habilitation, Heisenberg-Stipend)
  • Roenneberg, Till – Professor of Medical Psychology and Chronobiology, LMU München, Germany (Doctoral Student, Habilitation)
  • Rubia, Katja – Professor, King’s College, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK (Doctoral Student)
  • Sabel, Bernhard – Professor of Medical Psychology and Neurobiology, University Magdeburg, Germany (Habilitation)
  • Sauer, Sebastian – Professor for Psychology of Economics, FOM Hochschule Nürnberg (Long-term coworker)
  • Schiefenhövel, Wulf – Professor of Medical Psychology and Ethnomedicine, Max-Planck-Institute of Behavioral Physiology, Erling-Andechs, Germany (Habilitation)
  • Schill, Kerstin – Professor of Cognitive Neuroinformatics and Dean of Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, University Bremen; Rector of the Hanse-Wissenschafts-Kolleg; Vice-President of Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Doctoral Student)
  • Schmidtke, Klaus – Professor of Neurogeriatrics, Klinikum Offenburg-Gengenbach (Doctoral Student)
  • Schmielau, Fritz – Professor of Medical Psychology and Neurobiology, University Lübeck, Germany (Doctoral Student, Habilitation)
  • Schwender, Dierk – Professor of Anaesthesiology, Friedrichshafen, Germany (Long-term coworker)
  • Sinz, Rainer – Private Docent of Medical Psychology, LMU München (Umhabilitation)
  • Steinbüchel, Nicole von – Professor of Medical Psychology, University Göttingen, Germany (Doctoral Student)
  • Stoerig, Petra – Professor of Biological Psychology, University Düsseldorf, Germany (Habilitation, Heisenberg-Stipend)
  • Strasburger, Hans – Professor of Medical Psychology, LMU München, Germany (Doctoral Student, Habilitation)
  • Szelag, Elzbieta – Professor of Psychology, Nencki Institute of the Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw, Poland (Humboldt-Stipend and long-term coworker)
  • Toelle, Thomas – Professor of Neurology, Technical University München, Germany (Habilitation)
  • Walter, Maria Hildegard – Professor of Clinical Psychology, University Innsbruck, Austria (Doctoral Student)
  • Werth, Reinhard – Professor of Medical Psychology, LMU München, Germany (Habilitation)
  • Wittmann, Marc – Private Docent of Medical Psychology, Freiburg/Breisgau, Germany (Doctoral Student, Habilitation)
  • Zetzsche, Christoph – Group Leader in Cognitive Informatics, Universität Bremen (Doctoral Student)
  • Zhang, Jinfan – Assistant Professor, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang, China (Doctoral Student)
  • Zhou, Bin – Associate Professor of Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing (Doctoral Student)
  • Zihl, Josef – Professor of Neuropsychology, LMU München, Max-Planck-Institute for Psychiatry (Postdoctoral Fellow, Habilitation)
  • Zulley, Jürgen – Professor of Biological Psychology, University Regensburg, Germany (Habilitation)