Education Task Force

The EBRAINS Education Task Force aims to enhance and promote neuroscientific education within and beyond the EBRAINS research infrastructure.

EBRAINS, as a European research infrastructure, provides cutting-edge tools, data, and services to advance neuroscience research. The Task Force collaborates to align education efforts with EBRAINS' mission while extending its impact to prepare the next generation of researchers to work in an increasingly interdisciplinary and collaborative scientific environment.

Goals and Objectives

The EBRAINS Education Task Force has set out to improve neuroscience education through several key objectives, which are designed in a dynamic and adaptable manner, encouraging co-creative input from all task force members. The key objectives are:

Connecting Educators: Bringing together education actors from across the EBRAINS network.
Resource Sharing: Identifying synergies and promoting the sharing and cross-promotion of learning resources.
Strategic Development: Providing guidance and developing strategies to leverage the educational readiness and use of EBRAINS tools in teaching settings.
Collaboration and Funding: Identifying future collaboration and new programme opportunities to support educational initiatives within EBRAINS.

Topical Working Groups

Four topical Working Groups within the Task Force aim to drive progress on different aspects of the EBRAINS educational programme.

WG1: Increase visibility of education offers in EBRAINS
Lead: Carmen Lupascu

WG2: Early-career inclusion and interdisciplinary collaboration
Lead: Patricia Reynaud-Bouret

WG3: EBRAINS training infrastructure and education technology roadmap
Lead: Trygve Leergard, Mathew Abrams

WG4: New programmes and grants
Lead: Johannes Passecker

If you are located at an EBRAINS member institution and would like to become part of one of the TF’s working groups, please reach out to education@ebrains.eu.

Meet the Task Force Members

All Members come from the wider EBRAINS network, representing various domains and functions, including leadership roles in university-level education programmes, providers of digital neuroscience education programmes, developers of open science tools and those interested in establishing new neuroscience education efforts.

Chairs

Chair of the EBRAINS Education Task Force

Sandra Diaz-Pier

Co-Chair of the EBRAINS Education Task Force

Johannes Passecker

Members

Mathew Birdsall Abrams

Member of EBRAINS Sweden

Alain Destexhe

Member of EBRAINS France

EBRAINS Student Ambassador

João Miguel Alves Ferreira

I am highly motivated to be an EBRAINS ambassador due to my long-standing involvement with the project. This motivation stems not only from the numerous courses and training opportunities I have had the privilege to undertake thanks to EBRAINS but also from my scientific journey with the organisation, which I believe serves as an excellent example for other students. Over the years, I have contributed to EBRAINS' scientific output as a co-author of three scientific reports: EBRAINS CoCreate: Improved Investigation of Brain-related Disorders (2023), where we explored innovative methodologies for studying neurological disorders; EBRAINS CoCreate: Epidemiology and Non-Invasive Biomarkers to Improve the Understanding of Brain-Related Disorders (2023), focusing on epidemiology and non-invasive biomarkers; and EBRAINS CoCreate on Digital Brain Health (2022), addressing research and innovation strategies in digital brain health. My engagement has also extended to events such as the EBRAINS Unconferences — dynamic events where participants shape the agenda based on their interests. Some of my contributions include co-presenting the session "Towards the understanding of emotional disorders before simulation/modelling of the brain: in search of objective biomarkers of emotional burnout", at the EBRAINS Unconference: Neuroinformatics on Psychiatric Disorders(09/05/2023); co-presenting the talk "Adenosine A2A receptors controlling synaptic remodelling in the adult brain, a theoretical-practical lecture", at the EBRAINS Unconference: Healthy Brain Ageing and Lifestyle (26/01/2023); and co-presenting the session "How engagement in sport changes brain activity", also on 26/01/2023. Among other projects, I believe these examples can serve as an inspiration for students worldwide.

Ingrid Bethus

Member of EBRAINS France

EBRAINS Student Ambassador

Sinovia Fotiadou

As a biologist passionate about neurobiology and machine learning, I’m excited to contribute as an early-career Research Associate in WP4 of the Virtual Brain Twin (VBT) project, developing HPC tools and machine learning methods to map neural activity. Being part of the scientific community is both fulfilling and inspiring and I greatly value the chance to connect with fellow researchers.

In my role as an EBRAINS Student Ambassador, I am committed to helping organize the upcoming EBRAINS Student Conference and plan engaging activities. Together with the entire organizational team, I aim to create an experience that strengthens the student community, fosters stimulating discussions on innovative research and encourages meaningful collaborations in the neuroscience field. Ultimately, my goal is to ensure that the conference offers not only an excellent scientific experience but also a valuable opportunity for students and early-career researchers to connect and grow together.

Jan Fousek

CEITEC Masaryk University, Czech Republic EBRAINS Associate Member

Maren Frings

Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany Member of EBRAINS Germany

Karin Grasenick

convelop cooperative knowledge design gmbh, Austria Partner in EBRAINS 2.0

Chair of EBRAINS Science and Technology Committee

Renaud Jolivet

Maastricht University, Netherlands

Björn Kindler

Member of EBRAINS Germany

National Node Board Chair

Trygve Leergaard

University of Oslo, Norway

Carmen Lupascu

As an HBP Student Ambassador I was involved in the organisation of Young Researchers Events and I was a member of the Programme Committee of the many HBP Student Conferences, which was an occasion for me to improve my communication and organisation skills. As an EBRAINS Student Ambassador I have the main task to increase the visibility of current EBRAINS education offers within and outside EBRAINS and together with the other Student Ambassadors we will try to give voice to the EBRAINS students and significantly contribute to and promote the EBRAINS Education Programme.