Aleksandra Herman, PhD

Researcher | Nencki Institute

ABOUT ME:

I am interested in neural mechanisms behind decision-making and brain plasticity. To study this, I employ behavioural measures, physiological recordings, as well as neuroimaging techniques.

I completed a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, UK, working with Prof. Theodora Duka and Prof. Hugo Critchley to investigate the factors that drive impulsive actions and decisions. Specifically, I looked at the way emotions and bodily cues impact the way we behave, even when we do not realise it. Following my PhD, I joined the Lab of Action and Body led by Prof. Manos Tsakiris at Royal Holloway, University of London. At the LAB, I studied the coupling between the brain and the body, and how signals from the body can influence our decisions. I am now a postdoctoral researcher at the Laboratory of Brain Imaging at the Nencki Institute, where I share my time between a project looking at emotional responses to climate change and a project investigating how our brains change when we learn (and forget) new skills.

When the world is not hit by the coronavirus pandemic, I frequently go salsa dancing. I am also a keen cyclist.