Mission Statement

IMPRS for Brain and Behavior is a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar (MPINB), the University of Bonn, and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn, Germany. The program aims to recruit outstanding doctoral students and immerse them in a stimulating environment that provides novel technologies to elucidate the function of brain circuits from molecules to animal behavior.

One of the central questions of biology is how brain circuitry enables animals to make sense of their environment by integrating relevant sensory signals to generate appropriate behaviors. Establishing the link between brain circuits and behavior is known as ‘neuroethology’, which aims to understand how the collective activity of the vast numbers of interconnected neurons in the brain gives rise to the diversity of animal behaviors. To gain a full understanding of brain circuitry underlying a specific behavior requires the combination of research approaches focusing on different levels of detail - ranging from the anatomical reconstruction of neural circuits to the quantitative behavioral analysis of freely moving animals and natural behavior. The IMPRS for Brain and Behavior is unique and distinguishes itself from other graduate schools in the field of neuroscience by focusing its efforts on providing theoretical and methodological training in neuroethology and modern neuroscience methods.

IMPRS for Brain and Behavior faculty guides students to develop the critical and creative mindset required for a successful scientific career. The comprehensive and diverse expertise of the faculty in the exploration of brain-circuit function using advanced imaging and optogenetic techniques combined with comprehensive training in fundamental neurobiology provides students with an exceptional level of knowledge to pursue a successful independent research career.