Grit Hein | Social Neuroscience | Best Paper Award

prof. Grit Hein | Social Neuroscience | Best Paper Award

 

Universität Würzburg, Germany

Profile

Education

She studied Psychology at Humboldt-University in Berlin, Germany, and City College in New York, USA, completing her diploma in 1999 with a grade of “very good.” She earned her doctorate in 2002 at the Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig and Humboldt-University in Berlin. Her academic and professional career progressed through various prestigious positions. In 2002, she began as a research associate at MRC Cambridge, UK, and the University Hospital Frankfurt/M. She then received a DFG-Research Stipend in 2006, conducting research at the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of Berkeley, USA. In 2008, she was awarded the Society-in-Science Stipend and became a Principal Investigator in an independent research project at the University of Zürich, Switzerland. She completed her habilitation and obtained her Venia Legendi in Psychology at Goethe-University Frankfurt/M. in 2014. She later served as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Bern, Switzerland, in 2015. In 2017, she was appointed as a Heisenberg Professor at JMU Würzburg, where she continued to advance her research. In 2021, she became a Professor of Translational Social Neuroscience at JMU Würzburg and a Steering Committee Member of the Research Training Group RTG 2660, working alongside Professor Dr. Matthias Gamer in Psychology.

Work experience

Since 2024, she has served as the President of the European Social and Affective Neuroscience Association (ESCAN) – Special Interest Group Social Neuroscience and as the spokesperson for the Neuroscience section at the Graduate School of Life Sciences (GSLS), JMU. Previously, from 2021 to 2024, she held the position of Vice President of ESCAN. Since 2022, she has been a board member of the China-Competence Center at JMU, and since 2021, she has been an Executive Board and Steering Committee Member of the Research Training Group RTG 2660. Her engagement in the research system extends further, as she has been a board member of ESCAN since 2019 and a member of the mentoring program for young female scientists at UKW, JMU. Additionally, she holds a double affiliation with both the Medical Faculty and the Faculty of Human Science at JMU. Since 2018, she has contributed as a panel member of the Hillary Green Research Fund at the University of Birmingham, a standing member of the dissertation committee at UKW, JMU, and a member of the Degree Subject Committee of the Elite Graduate Program in Translational Neuroscience at JMU. She has also supervised numerous early-career researchers, including Anne Saulin, who completed her PhD in 2023 with magna cum laude and is now a DFG postdoctoral fellow at the University of Birmingham, UK; Marthe Gründahl, who also earned her PhD in 2023 with magna cum laude and is now a consultant at Bain & Company; and Dorothee Bruch, who obtained her MD in 2022 with magna cum laude and is currently practicing as a gynecologist.

She has received several prestigious academic distinctions throughout her career. In 2023, she was honored with an award for her extraordinary contribution to teaching by the Medical Faculty and the President of JMU. In 2015, she was awarded the Heisenberg Fellowship by the German Research Foundation, recognizing her outstanding research achievements. Earlier in her career, she received the Branco-Weiss Fellowship from ETH Zürich in 2008 and the Emmy-Noether Fellowship from the German Research Foundation in 2005, both of which supported her innovative research endeavors.

Publication

Emmanuel Kaboja Magna | Cognitive | Cognitive Rehabilitation Impact

Dr. Emmanuel Kaboja Magna | Cognitive | Cognitive Rehabilitation Impact

CSIR-Water Research Institute, Ghana

Dr. Emmanuel Kaboja Magna is a Research Scientist at the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute (CSIR-WRI). He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences (Oceanography and Fisheries) from the University of Ghana in 2007, followed by a Master’s degree in Health Informatics from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, in 2014. He completed his PhD in Environmental Science in 2020 at the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies (IESS), University of Ghana. His doctoral research focused on the ecological and human health implications of contaminants linked to cage aquaculture on the Volta Basin of Ghana. He investigated the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, and heavy metals in water, sediment, and cage tilapia, highlighting the ecological risks and pollution status of sediment, as well as the health risks of consuming such fish. Dr. Magna has also conducted research on solid waste, the impact of climatic variables on crop yield, malaria distribution, and a review of Ghana’s mental health policy. His research has resulted in thirteen publications in reputable international journals. Apart from his work at WRI, he has participated in various research activities focusing on pesticides, antibiotics, PBDEs, and PAHs in different environmental matrices, wastewater quality treatment, and reuse. He is known for his innovation, intellectual acumen, and high research curiosity. Dr. Magna has jointly supervised undergraduate students at several Ghanaian universities and serves as a reviewer for the international journal Food Chemistry Advances. He also has about eight years of teaching experience at the senior high school level.

 

Profile

Education

Dr. Emmanuel Kaboja Magna holds a PhD in Environmental Science from the University of Ghana, which he completed between 2016 and 2020. His doctoral thesis focused on the ecological and human health implications of contaminants linked to cage aquaculture in the Volta Basin of Ghana. He earned a Master’s degree in Health Informatics from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in 2014, with his thesis exploring the implementation of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems at Tema General Hospital, addressing the potential benefits and challenges. Dr. Magna obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Oceanography and Fisheries from the University of Ghana in 2007, where he completed his dissertation on the application of GIS to coastal tourism in Ghana. He also completed his SSSCE in General Science at St. Mary’s Seminary Secondary School in 2001. In addition to his academic qualifications, Dr. Magna has earned several professional certificates, including a certificate in System Thinking for Sustainable Development in Ghana from the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies (IESS), University of Ghana, and North Carolina State, in June 2017. He also completed training on pesticide, PAH, PCB, and antibiotic analysis using LC-MS/MS and GC-MS at the Ghana Standard Authority in Accra from December 2017 to April 2018.

MERITORIOUS AWARDS

Dr. Emmanuel Kaboja Magna has received several meritorious awards and recognitions for his academic and professional achievements. In 2000, he was awarded the Distinguished Award for being the 3rd Year Best Mathematics Student at St. Mary’s Seminary Secondary School in Lolobi, Ghana. He has also been actively involved in outreach and community service. In 2023, he earned a Certificate of Excellence as the 1st Runner-up for a poster presentation at the FDA Scientific Forum, where he presented on the risk assessment of antibiotics in cultured Nile tilapia at Tema Roundabout. Additionally, he served as a panel discussant at the 2023 National Fish Festival on promoting safe fish consumption, as well as at the 2023 National Budget Dialogue on Agro-Based Policy Interventions focusing on Fisheries and Aquaculture. Dr. Magna has contributed to the review of manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals such as Food Chemistry Advances, Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, and Heliyon. His co-supervision of student dissertations includes work on the physicochemical and heavy metals analysis of the Birim River impacted by illegal small-scale mining, completed by Cecelia Asimah at the University for Development Studies in 2023.

Research Project

Dr. Emmanuel Kaboja Magna is currently involved in several research projects, including assessing the impact of environmental change on freshwater species in River Oti, studying algal dynamics in freshwater ecosystems in the Saboba districts, and conducting a comparative analysis of the nutritional composition of different fish species cultured in Ghana, all under the CSIR-WRI, Ghana. His coursework and research modules cover a wide range of topics, including coastal ecology, freshwater ecology, aquatic biology, aquaculture, biodiversity and conservation, fish stock assessment, coastal hydrology, marine biogeochemistry, environmental management, and coastal management, with a particular focus on community aspects. He has also studied advanced quantitative research methods, emerging environmental issues for the 21st century, coastal ecosystems of West Africa, and the applications of remote sensing and GIS to fisheries and marine science. Dr. Magna is affiliated with the Ghana Chemical Society (GCS) since 2017 and was a member of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) from 2009 to 2016. He holds leadership positions as the Deputy Secretary of the CSIR-Research Staff Association of Ghana since November 2023 and was the President of the St. Mary’s Old Boys Association (UG Charter) from September 2006 to May 2007.

Publications