Profile

Professional career

• since 02/2022
  Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute for Psychology (Cognitive and Biological Psychology), Leipzig University• Teaching in Cognitive and Biological Psychology• Research on the representation and processing of conceptual-semantic knowledge in the human brain (fMRI, TMS, EEG)
• 03/2021 - 01/2022
  Postdoctoral Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig • Post-doctoral research on adaptive plasticity within the conceptual-semantic system (fMRI & TMS)• Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity (PD Dr. Gesa Hartwigsen)
• 09/2016 - 07/2021
  Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences & University of Potsdam, Germany • Grade: Summa Cum Laude (highest honors)• Thesis: The Neural Basis of Conceptual Knowledge Retrieval – Insights from fMRI and TMS in the Healthy Human Brain• Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Angela D. Friederici, PD Dr. Gesa Hartwigsen
• 02/2015 - 06/2015
  University of Trento, Italy• Semester abroad• Courses and Research Internships in Cognitive Neuroscience
• 08/2013 - 12/2013
  Harvard University, Cambridge, USA• Neurolinguistic Research in Prof. Kreiman’s Lab for Computational Neuroscience• Analysis of electrophysiological data (ECoG) of epilepsy patients watching a movie in order to discriminate speech-selective areas in the human brain• Courses in Neuroscience, Linguistics & Computer Science

Education

• 10/2014 - 09/2016
  M.Sc. in Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Germany• Grade 1.0 (A, with distinction)• Focus: Cognitive Neuroscience, Linguistics• Study project: “Development of Auditory Rule Learning from Childhood to Adulthood” (EEG / ERP)• Thesis: The Neural Basis of Argument-Verb Dependency Processing – A Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study. Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Jutta L. Müller (Uni Osnabrück), PD Dr. Gesa Hartwigsen (MPI CBS Leipzig)
• 10/2011 - 09/2014
  B.Sc. in Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Germany• Grade 1.0 (A, with distinction)• Focus: Neuroscience, Cognitive Psychology Linguistics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence• Thesis: The Functional Neuroanatomy of Speech Perception – Insights from Electrocorticography on an Epilepsy Patient Watching a Movie. Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Jutta L. Müller, Prof. Dr. Peter Bosch (Uni Osnabrück), Prof. Dr. Gabriel Kreiman (Harvard University)
• 08/2004 - 06/2011
  Grammar School “Ursulaschule”, Osnabrück, Germany• A-Level (Grade 1.3 / A)

Dr. Philipp Kuhnke researches the representation and processing of conceptual-semantic knowledge in the human brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Philipp-Kuhnke

His work shows that conceptual-semantic processing involves both modality-specific and multimodal brain regions (https://doi.org/10.25932/publishup-51441). An fMRI study revealed that modality-specific and multimodal regions are engaged in conceptual knowledge retrieval in a task-dependent fashion (https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhaa010). A follow-up study showed that modality-specific and multimodal areas are functionally connected during concept retrieval (https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhab026). In a TMS study, Dr. Kuhnke and colleagues found that a multimodal region - the left inferior parietal lobe - is causally relevant for action knowledge retrieval (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117041).

Dr. Philipp Kuhnke conducts teaching in the bachelor and master programs of psychology. In the bachelor of psychology, he teaches the introductory seminar to biological psychology. In the master of psychology (specialization for brain and behavior), he teaches courses on the programming of experiments and fMRI analysis (e.g. using Matlab).

• Seminar & Practice: Application 1: Running psychological experiments [SuSe 2022; Module 11-PSY-21049; 3 SWS]

  In this practical module, the students learn the computional programming of psychological experiments using Matlab and Psychtoolbox. For the exam, students design and program their own experiment, and write a report.

• Seminar Biological Psychology [WiSe 2022/2023; Module 11-PSY-11003; 2 SWS]

  This seminar accompanies the introductory lecture in biological psychology. The main goals of the seminar are to teach students to comprehend, concisely summarize and criticize scientific articles in the area of biological psychology. In a first phase, students are taught the required techniques. In a second phase, students present their summaries of individual studies.

• Seminar & Practice: Application 2: Analysis and Interpretation of Brain Activity Data [SuSe 2022; Module 11-PSY-21038; 3 SWS]

  This module comprises theoretical and practical parts. The theoretical part introduces students to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and its computional analysis. In the practical part, students learn to analyze an fMRI dataset using MATLAB and SPM12. For the exam, students independently analyze a new fMRI dataset and compose a report.

• Seminar Consolidation: Perception and Action [SuSe 2022; Module 11-PSY-21043; 2 SWS]

  In this seminar, students read, present and discuss current publications in the field of perception and action. The focus during this semester was on binocular rivalry and embodiment (or grounded cognition) theories of conceptual-semantic processing.

• Seminar Biological Psychology [WiSe 2021/2022; Module 11-PSY-11025; 4 SWS]

  This seminar accompanies the introductory lecture in biological psychology. The main goals of the seminar are to teach students to comprehend, concisely summarize and criticize scientific articles in the area of biological psychology. In a first phase, students are taught the required techniques. In a second phase, students present their summaries of individual studies.