Clemens Pellengahr

As a fourth-year medical student, Clemens has been working at the MMLL since October 2022. His involvement with the group began as part of his MD thesis, where he quickly became fascinated with the Virtual Brains project. Collaborating closely with Carlotta Barkhau, he is currently engaged in the development of whole brain dynamics models using Neural Mass Models. Additionally, they are integrating machine learning techniques to construct personalized and interpretable brain models. During his work on this project, Clemens was able to set up a collaboration with the Whole Brain Modelling Group of CAMH, Toronto, Canada. During his three-month stay there, which was funded by the Santander Mobility Fund, he worked with several neuroscientists to deepen their understanding of brain modeling and neurophysiological backgrounds.

His profound interest in Machine Learning arises from the belief that predictive modeling has the potential to revolutionize patient care. As a future medical professional, Clemens envisions a future where they can proactively identify and treat psychiatric diseases before they manifest prominently. By employing predictive models, they may detect diseases in their early stages and devise suitable therapies tailored to individuals’ unique needs. His MD thesis was also supported by the medical college program MedK from the medical faculty at University of Münster and the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation through a scholarship.