Dr. Nina Goll

P06 – Oxytocin and reward processing across hormonal transition phases

Nina Goll was a PhD researcher in project P06, focusing on oxytocin and reward processing across hormonal transition phases under the supervision of Manfred Hallschmid and Christian Benedict. She studied the effects of intranasally administered oxytocin on the processing of different rewards in females across the menstrual cycle. Thereby, she examined the role of oxytocin in metabolism and sleep.

Nina studied Medical Computer Science for her bachelor’s degree and joined the university of Tübingen to pursue her master’s degree in Cognitive Science, driven by her interest in interdisciplinary research.

In her free time, Nina liked to swim and play the saxophone.

Dr. Franziska Weinmar

P07 – Neuroendocrine regulators of psychosexual health

Franziska was a PhD student investigating neuroendocrine regulators of emotional, reward, and sexual processes across women’s reproductive years.
As part of her PhD project, she investigated two major hormonal transition periods on both the neural and behavioral level. On the one hand, she examined emotion regulation during pregnancy, assessed in a fMRI paradigm, as well as sexual health and affective symptoms, assessed in the Mom2B mobile application study in Uppsala. On the other hand, she was interested in characterizing reward behavior, sexual arousal, and health in pre-, peri-, and post-menopausal women with and without menopausal hormone therapy in a unique, cross-sectional fMRI study.

Franziska graduated with a MSc in Neural and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Tübingen after completing her BSc in Psychology at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Her curiosity about the interactions of behaviour, the nervous system, and the endocrine system was already sparked during a semester abroad at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, but her passion for psychoneuroendocrinology fully unfolded during later research projects on women’s mental health.

Outside of research, Franziska enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, soaking up the sun outdoors, biking (obviously a Dutch influence), swimming, and doing yoga. She also loved a good cup of coffee or tea, listening to podcasts (a lot), and reading non-scientific literature.

Dr. Gloria Matte-Bon

P12 – Genetic architecture of female mental health and its relation to brain architecture

Gloria was a PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Tobias Kaufmann (Tübingen) and Prof. Erika Comasco (Uppsala). In her project, in collaboration with the interfaculty graduate program AI4Med-BW, she applied machine learning models to investigate sex differences in brain structure and their relation to women’s mental health. 

Before moving to Tübingen, she studied biology and neurobiology at Sapienza University in Rome.

Dr. Zoé Bürger

Innovative Neuroimaging – Hormonal contraception and stress reactivity in women

Zoé was a doctoral researcher in the research group „Innovative Neuroimaging“ (Head: Prof. Birgit Derntl). She joined the IRTG as an associate PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Birgit Derntl (Tübingen) and Prof. Erika Comasco (Uppsala). Her research focused on the effects of hormonal contraception (specifically the hormonal IUD, but also oral contraceptives) on stress reactivity. For this, she investigated sex hormones and cortisol, as well as subjective stress and physiological data such as heart rate and electrodermal activity. 

Before starting her PhD in 2019, Zoé obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Biology in Strasbourg and completed a Masters’s degree in Neurobiology at the University of Tübingen.  

When Zoé was not in the lab, she could be found taking care of her plants, playing board and video games, or doing yoga and bouldering.

Dr. Rui Wang
Women’s mental health and brain function – Sex differences in stress reactivity and mental disorders

Rui was a doctoral researcher in the “Women’s mental health and brain function” research group, led by Prof. Birgit Derntl. She joined the IRTG as an associate PhD student, supervised by Prof. Birgit Derntl (Tübingen) and Prof. Erika Comasco (Uppsala). Her doctoral research focused on sex differences in cortisol, the hormonal indicator of stress reactivity, and its relationship with mental disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. In addition, she also investigated brain structures related to stress.

Before coming to Tübingen to start her PhD in 2021, Rui completed her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and her Master’s degree in Applied Psychology in China.

In her free time, Rui enjoyed walking and traveling with family and friends, unlocking ‘new maps’ and cuisines.

Dr. Aiste Ambrase
Women’s mental health and brain function – Decision-making and hormonal modulation

Aiste was a doctoral researcher in the “Women’s mental health and brain function” research group, led by Prof. Birgit Derntl. She joined the IRTG as an associate PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Birgit Derntl (Tübingen) and Dr. Andreas Frick (Uppsala). Her doctoral research focused on moral, risky, and ambiguous decision-making, as well as the effects of hormonal modulation and individual differences on decision processing in the brain. In her research, Aiste concentrated on indecisiveness as a symptom of many mental disorders and the role of social cognition networks in healthy and aberrant decision-making.

Before starting her PhD in 2018, Aiste studied Political Science at Vilnius University and Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. To transition into neuroscience research, she had also completed a prerequisite course curriculum (1 year) in the Neural and Behavioural Sciences Master’s programme at the Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, University of Tübingen.

When she was not in the lab, she spent time with her young son, doing sports in nature, or cooking healthy dishes for her family and friends.

Dr. Luise Pfleiderer
Influences of Breast Cancer and Prophylactic Mastectomy on Sexual Function, Satisfaction, and Body Image

Luise was a medical student at the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, conducting her doctoral research during her eighth semester. She had been engaged in an online study for the IRTG2804, which focused on breast cancer, menopause, contraception, and their impact on female sexual health and arousal. For her medical doctoral thesis, Luise delved into the diverse effects of breast cancer surgeries on the sexual health and arousal of patients.

Besides, Luise found great joy in beach volleyball and various outdoor sports.