Martin Dichgans – Translational Stroke and Dementia Research
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Research Focus

Our research aims to unravel the molecular, cellular, and physiological mechanisms underlying stroke and cerebrovascular disease. We integrate genetic discoveries with mechanistic studies across model systems to bridge the gap between human biology and experimental science. Using cutting-edge single-cell, spatial, and multi-omics technologies alongside advanced imaging across scales, we investigate how genetic variation and vascular dysfunction converge to cause brain injury.

A major emphasis of our work lies in cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) and large artery atherosclerotic stroke, two leading causes of stroke and dementia. Through deeply phenotyped clinical cohorts with comprehensive biosampling, we apply genome-wide association studies, sequencing, and systems-level analyses to identify novel risk genes, pathways, and therapeutic targets relevant to mechanistically defined stroke subtypes.

Building on these discoveries, we explore shared and distinct mechanisms across vascular territories, including links to carotid and coronary artery disease, and intermediate phenotypes such as endothelial dysfunction and metabolic traits. Our genetic mouse models of SVD—including those harboring Htra1, Col4a1, and Foxf2 mutations identified through our own human studies—provide a powerful platform to dissect disease mechanisms at molecular and cellular resolution. Using these models, we have uncovered key signaling pathways, such as Tie2–eNOS signaling, that maintain microvascular integrity and blood–brain barrier function.

Recently, our research has expanded to address extracellular matrix remodeling and vascular–neuroglial interactions as emerging determinants of microvascular pathology and brain resilience. Through these integrated approaches, our goal is to translate mechanistic insights into novel preventive and therapeutic strategies for stroke and vascular cognitive impairment.

Another area increasingly moving into the focus of our research is atherosclerosis. We in collaboration with others recently identified several risk loci for large artery stroke and are currently exploring the role of relevant genes (e.g. HDAC9, TSPAN2) in atherogenesis and vascular injury (-> see here for details).

2026

Todorov-Völgyi K, González-Gallego J, Müller SA, Todorov MI, Seker FB, Frerich S, Cernilogar FM, Schröger L, Malik R, Cao J, Llovera G, Roth S, Schillinger U, Schifferer M, Reyahi A, Crusius D, Pedro LD, Simons M, Carlsson P, Ertürk A, Liesz A, Schotta G, Plesnila N, Lichtenthaler SF, Paquet D*, Dichgans M*. The stroke risk gene Foxf2 maintains brain endothelial cell function via Tie2 signaling. Nat Neurosci. 2026 Feb;29(2):325-336. doi: 10.1038/s41593-025-02136-5. Epub 2025 Dec 15. PMID: 41398477; PMCID: PMC12880920.
(*equal contribution)

González-Gallego J, Todorov-Völgyi K, Müller SA, Antesberger S, Todorov MI, Malik R, Grimalt-Mirada R, Gonçalves CC, Schifferer M, Kislinger G, Weisheit I, Lindner B, Crusius D, Kroeger J, Borri M, Erturk A, Nelson M, Misgeld T, Lichtenthaler SF, Dichgans M*, Paquet D*. A fully iPS-cell-derived 3D model of the human blood-brain barrier for exploring neurovascular disease mechanisms and therapeutic interventions. Nat Neurosci. 2026 Feb;29(2):479-492. doi: 10.1038/s41593-025-02123-w. Epub 2025 Dec 15. PMID: 41398476; PMCID: PMC12880921.
(*equal contribution)

2025

Georgakis MK, Malik R, Bounkari OE, Hasbani NR, Li J, Huffman JE, Shakt G, Tack RWP, Kimball TN, Asare Y, Morrison AC, Tsao NL, Judy R, Mitchell BD, Xu H, Montasser ME, Do R, Kenny EE, Loos RJF, Terry JG, Carr JJ, Bis JC, Psaty BM, Longstreth WT, Young KA, Lutz SM, Cho MH, Broome J, Khan AT, Wang FF, Heard-Costa N, Seshadri S, Vasan RS, Palmer ND, Freedman BI, Bowden DW, Yanek LR, Kral BG, Becker LC, Peyser PA, Bielak LF, Ammous F, Carson AP, Hall ME, Raffield LM, Rich SS, Post WS, Tracy RP, Taylor KD, Guo X, Mahaney MC, Curran JE, Blangero J, Clarke SL, Haessler JW, Hu Y, Assimes TL, Kooperberg C, Bernhagen J, Anderson CD, Damrauer SM, Zand R, Rotter JI, de Vries PS, Dichgans M. Rare damaging CCR2 variants are associated with lower lifetime cardiovascular risk. Genome Med. 2025 Mar 21;17(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s13073-025-01456-2. 

2024

2023

Duering M, Biessels GJ, Brodtmann A, Chen C, Cordonnier C, de Leeuw FE, Debette S, Frayne R, Jouvent E, Rost NS, Ter Telgte A, Al-Shahi Salman R, Backes WH, Bae HJ, Brown R, Chabriat H, De Luca A, deCarli C, Dewenter A, Doubal FN, Ewers M, Field TS, Ganesh A, Greenberg S, Helmer KG, Hilal S, Jochems ACC, Jokinen H, Kuijf H, Lam BYK, Lebenberg J, MacIntosh BJ, Maillard P, Mok VCT, Pantoni L, Rudilosso S, Satizabal CL, Schirmer MD, Schmidt R, Smith C, Staals J, Thrippleton MJ, van Veluw SJ, Vemuri P, Wang Y, Werring D, Zedde M, Akinyemi RO, Del Brutto OH, Markus HS, Zhu YC, Smith EE, Dichgans M, Wardlaw JM. Neuroimaging standards for research into small vessel disease-advances since 2013. Lancet Neurol. 2023 May 23:S1474-4422(23)00131-X. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(23)00131-X. Epub ahead of print. 

2022

Mishra A, Malik R, Hachiya T, Jürgenson T, Namba S, Posner DC, Kamanu FK, Koido M, Le Grand Q, Shi M, He Y, Georgakis MK, Caro I, Krebs K, Liaw YC, Vaura FC, Lin K, Winsvold BS, Srinivasasainagendra V, Parodi L, Bae HJ, Chauhan G, Chong MR, Tomppo L, Akinyemi R, (...) Riaz M, Simonsick EM, Kõrv J, França PHC, Zand R, Prasad K, Frikke-Schmidt R, de Leeuw FE, Liman T, Haeusler KG, Ruigrok YM, Heuschmann PU, Longstreth WT, Jung KJ, Bastarache L, Paré G, Damrauer SM, Chasman DI, Rotter JI, Anderson CD, Zwart JA, Niiranen TJ, Fornage M, Liaw YP, Seshadri S, Fernández-Cadenas I, Walters RG, Ruff CT, Owolabi MO, Huffman JE, Milani L, Kamatani Y, Dichgans M, Debette S. Stroke genetics informs drug discovery and risk prediction across ancestries. Nature. 2022 Sep 30. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-05165-3. Epub ahead of print.

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

Shelan Rassoul

Alexia Freude

2016

Malik R, Traylor M, Pulit SL, Bevan S, Hopewell JC, Holliday EG, Zhao W, Abrantes P, Amouyel P, Attia JR, Battey TW, Berger K, Boncoraglio GB, Chauhan G, Cheng YC, Chen WM, Clarke R, Cotlarciuc I, Debette S, Falcone GJ, Ferro JM, Gamble DM, Ilinca A, Kittner SJ, Kourkoulis CE, Lemmens R, Levi CR, Lichtner P, Lindgren A, Liu J, Meschia JF, Mitchell BD, Oliveira SA, Pera J, Reiner AP, Rothwell PM, Sharma P, Slowik A, Sudlow CL, Tatlisumak T, Thijs V, Vicente AM, Woo D, Seshadri S, Saleheen D, Rosand J, Markus HS, Worrall BB, Dichgans M; ISGC Analysis Group; METASTROKE collaboration; Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 2 (WTCCC2); NINDS Stroke Genetics Network (SiGN). Low-frequency and common genetic variation in ischemic stroke: The METASTROKE collaboration. Neurology. 2016 Mar 29;86(13):1217-26. 2016 Sep 20;87(12):1306. 

Gormley P, Anttila V, Winsvold BS, Palta P, Esko T, Pers TH, Farh KH, Cuenca-Leon E, Muona M, Furlotte NA, Kurth T, Ingason A, McMahon G, Ligthart L, Terwindt GM, Kallela M, Freilinger TM, Ran C, Gordon SG, Stam AH, Steinberg S, Borck G, Koiranen M, Quaye L, Adams HH, Lehtimäki T, Sarin AP, Wedenoja J, Hinds DA, Buring JE, Schürks M, Ridker PM, Hrafnsdottir MG, Stefansson H, Ring SM, Hottenga JJ, Penninx BW, Färkkilä M, Artto V, Kaunisto M, Vepsäläinen S, Malik R, Heath AC, Madden PA, Martin NG, Montgomery GW, Kurki MI, Kals M, Mägi R, Pärn K, Hämäläinen E, Huang H, Byrnes AE, Franke L, Huang J, Stergiakouli E, Lee PH, Sandor C, Webber C, Cader Z, Muller-Myhsok B, Schreiber S, Meitinger T, Eriksson JG, Salomaa V, Heikkilä K, Loehrer E, Uitterlinden AG, Hofman A, van Duijn CM, Cherkas L, Pedersen LM, Stubhaug A, Nielsen CS, Männikkö M, Mihailov E, Milani L, Göbel H, Esserlind AL, Christensen AF, Hansen TF, Werge T; International Headache Genetics Consortium, Kaprio J, Aromaa AJ, Raitakari O, Ikram MA, Spector T, Järvelin MR, Metspalu A, Kubisch C, Strachan DP, Ferrari MD, Belin AC, Dichgans M, Wessman M, van den Maagdenberg AM, Zwart JA, Boomsma DI, Smith GD, Stefansson K, Eriksson N, Daly MJ, Neale BM, Olesen J, Chasman DI, Nyholt DR, Palotie A. Meta-analysis of 375,000 individuals identifies 38 susceptibility loci for migraine. Nat Genet. 2016 Aug;48(8):856-66. 

2015

Malik R, Freilinger T, Winsvold BS, Anttila V, Vander Heiden J, Traylor M, de Vries B, Holliday EG, Terwindt GM, Sturm J, Bis JC, Hopewell JC, Ferrari MD, Rannikmae K, Wessman M, Kallela M, Kubisch C, Fornage M, Meschia JF, Lehtimäki T, Sudlow C, Clarke R, Chasman DI, Mitchell BD, Maguire J, Kaprio J, Farrall M, Raitakari OT, Kurth T, Ikram MA, Reiner AP, Longstreth WT Jr, Rothwell PM, Strachan DP, Sharma P, Seshadri S, Quaye L, Cherkas L, Schürks M, Rosand J, Ligthart L, Boncoraglio GB, Davey Smith G, van Duijn CM, Stefansson K, Worrall BB, Nyholt DR, Markus HS, van den Maagdenberg AM, Cotsapas C, Zwart JA, Palotie A; International Headache Genetics Consortium, Dichgans M; METASTROKE Collaboration of the International Stroke Genetics Consortium. Shared genetic basis for migraine and ischemic stroke: A genome-wide analysis of common variants. Neurology. 2015 May 26;84(21):2132-45. 

2014

Debette S, Kamatani Y, Metso TM, Kloss M, Chauhan G, Engelter ST, Pezzini A, Thijs V, Markus HS, Dichgans M, Wolf C, Dittrich R, Touzé E, Southerland AM, Samson Y, Abboud S, Béjot Y, Caso V, Bersano A, Gschwendtner A, Sessa M, Cole J, Lamy C, Medeiros E, Beretta S, Bonati LH, Grau AJ, Michel P, Majersik JJ, Sharma P, Kalashnikova L, Nazarova M, Dobrynina L, Bartels E, Guillon B, van den Herik EG, Fernandez-Cadenas I, Jood K, Nalls MA, De Leeuw FE, Jern C, Cheng YC, Werner I, Metso AJ, Lichy C, Lyrer PA, Brandt T, Boncoraglio GB, Wichmann HE, Gieger C, Johnson AD, Böttcher T, Castellano M, Arveiler D, Ikram MA, Breteler MM, Padovani A, Meschia JF, Kuhlenbäumer G, Rolfs A, Worrall BB; International Stroke Genetics Consortium, Ringelstein EB, Zelenika D, Tatlisumak T, Lathrop M, Leys D, Amouyel P, Dallongeville J; CADISP Group. Common variation in PHACTR1 is associated with susceptibility to cervical artery dissection. Nat Genet. 2015 Jan;47(1):78-83. 

2013

2012

International Stroke Genetics Consortium (ISGC); Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 2 (WTCCC2), Bellenguez C, Bevan S, Gschwendtner A, Spencer CC, Burgess AI, Pirinen M, Jackson CA, Traylor M, Strange A, Su Z, Band G, Syme PD, Malik R, Pera J, Norrving B, Lemmens R, Freeman C, Schanz R, James T, Poole D, Murphy L, Segal H, Cortellini L, Cheng YC, Woo D, Nalls MA, Müller-Myhsok B, Meisinger C, Seedorf U, Ross-Adams H, Boonen S, Wloch-Kopec D, Valant V, Slark J, Furie K, Delavaran H, Langford C, Deloukas P, Edkins S, Hunt S, Gray E, Dronov S, Peltonen L, Gretarsdottir S, Thorleifsson G, Thorsteinsdottir U, Stefansson K, Boncoraglio GB, Parati EA, Attia J, Holliday E, Levi C, Franzosi MG, Goel A, Helgadottir A, Blackwell JM, Bramon E, Brown MA, Casas JP, Corvin A, Duncanson A, Jankowski J, Mathew CG, Palmer CN, Plomin R, Rautanen A, Sawcer SJ, Trembath RC, Viswanathan AC, Wood NW, Worrall BB, Kittner SJ, Mitchell BD, Kissela B, Meschia JF, Thijs V, Lindgren A, Macleod MJ, Slowik A, Walters M, Rosand J, Sharma P, Farrall M, Sudlow CL, Rothwell PM, Dichgans M, Donnelly P, Markus HS. Genome-wide association study identifies a variant in HDAC9 associated with large vessel ischemic stroke. Nat Genet. 2012 Feb 5;44(3):328-33. 

Dichgans Lab
Martin Dichgans

Martin Dichgans, PI

Read more about the PI on the next tab.

Yaw Asare

Yaw Asare

I joined the Dichgans lab in September 2014 after my PhD and a short postdoc stay in RWTH Aachen University (BernhagenLab). Building on my expertise in vascular signaling, the crosstalk between epigenetic regulatory mechanisms and the NFkB pathway driving vascular inflammation is a major research focus. Several in vivo mouse models of atherosclerosis and vascular injury are flanked by in vitro mechanistic studies to decifer the role of HDAC9 in vascular inflammation. We further explore the inhibition of HDAC9 as a therapeutic strategy to reduce vascular inflammation, which may serve as a target for interventional studies in humans. 

Arailym Aronova, PhD

Nathalie Beaufort
☺︎

Nathalie Beaufort, Postdoc

I grew up and studied in France, and obtained my doctoral thesis in Physiology and Physiopathology in 2005 at University Paris 6. After post-doctoral experiences in France and Germany, I joined the group of Martin Dichgans at the ISD in 2010 as a research associate. My work focusses on the biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology of cerebral small vessel disease with an emphasis on CARASIL, an inherited disorder caused by loss-of-function mutations targeting the HTRA1 protease. To explore the pathomechanisms underlying CARASIL and develop innovative repair strategies, I combine the analysis of recombinant proteins, patient-derived primary cells and mouse tissues.

Donovan Correa-Gallegos, Postdoc

Jule Filler, PhD 

Simon Frerich, PhD student

I joined the Dichgans Lab as a PhD student in bioinformatics in 2020. Currently, I am using spatial transcriptomic data to identify stroke-related focal processes in the brain. Prior to this, I followed up on our stroke GWAS findings, mainly by leading a Mendelian Randomisation analysis of cardiac risk factors for stroke. I am also part of the Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences at LMU Munich. Prior to my PhD, I engaged in a research internship with Eric Westman at Karolinska Institute. I hold an MSc from Imperial College London and a BSc from TU Dresden with a stay at NTNU. Besides my PhD, I am frequently found on the way to an Alpine summit.

Twitter | PubMed

Alexia Freude

Ezgi Güler, PhD

I am originally from Türkiye, where I studied Molecular Biology and Genetics. During my undergraduate training, I completed an internship in the Molecular Neuroscience laboratory at Osaka University, which sparked my interest in neuroscience research. I then moved to Munich to join the Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. During my master’s, I worked across different experimental models and techniques, from molecular approaches to in vivo imaging, which gradually led me to focus on glial biology and neurovascular systems. This interest brought me to the Dichgans Lab, where I first joined as a student researcher. I am now a PhD candidate investigating the cell type–specific and spatially resolved effects of HTRA1 deregulation in cerebral small vessel disease. I started my PhD in April 2026.

Anna Kopczak

Anna Kopczak, clinician scientist

Originally from Poland, I grew up in Germany and studied medicine at the University Duisburg-Essen and at the LMU. During my clinical residency in neurology, I was involved in clinical studies dealing with hormonal disturbances after brain damage such as traumatic brain injury and stroke. From 2011 to 2016, I continued my clinical education and improved my scientific knowledge at the Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry in Munich. With my clinical expertise as a neurologist and my experiences in clinical research, I joined the group of Martin Dichgans in April 2016 as a clinician scientist. The focus of my research are clinical studies to improve our understanding of stroke mechanisms and to optimize treatment of cerebrovascular diseases.

Maria Kaffe, clinician scientist

Barbara Lindner, technical assistant

Rainer Malik

Rainer Malik, Postdoc

Originally from Austria, I studied molecular biology with a focus on computational biology and protein structure prediction at the University of Salzburg. As an early adopter in the bioinformatics field, I changed subject to further strengthen my computational knowledge and obtained my PhD in Computer Science at the Universiteit Utrecht in 2006. After a first PostDoc analyzing cell-cycle dependent proteomics data (Prof. Nigg, MPI Biochemistry, Martinsried), I joined the ISD at the very beginning in 2009 to analyze large-scale OMICS data. Here, over the last years, we have led or participated in all major genetic studies of stroke and stroke-related comorbidities. Through extensive international collaborations (ISGC, METASTROKE, MEGASTROKE) we strive to translate genetic, genomic and other OMICS findings to animal models and subsequently to the clinic.

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Nawraa Naser, PhD student

Shelan Rassoul

Dolores Reyes, PhD student

Melanie Schneider

Melanie Schneider, technical assistant

I finished my education as a medical technical assistant in 2005 and immediately started working with Professor Martin Dichgans. I take care of organizational issues to all groups, place orders and do many histology works for my group members (e. g. preparing and cutting tissue, do staining’s, microscopy and sometimes evaluations). I am currently involved in projects aimed at identifying the mechanism underlying proatherogenic role of HDAC9 and exploring the therapeutic potential of HDAC9 inhibition for atheroprotection.

Luise Schröger, PhD

Mirna Tarzi, technical assistant

Katalin Voelgyi

Katalin Todorov-Völgyi, Postdoc

Originally from Hungary, I studied biology and obtained my PhD in 2016 at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest in molecular neurobiology, focusing on the early molecular changes in Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular Dementia. I joined the Dichgans lab as a Postdoc in February 2017. My research aims to reveal the molecular, cellular and physiological mechanisms of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), stroke and vascular cognitive impairment. For these purposes, I use a genetic mouse model with Foxf2 deficiency, which was identified as a novel risk gene in SVD and stroke in recent Genome-Wide Association Studies. To understand the role of Foxf2 and identify new molecular targets in SVD patomechanisms, I combine omics technologies, microscopy, image analysis, and behavior assessments on mouse models. Outside the lab, I like photography, hiking, traveling and exploring new places.

Federica Tosato, PhD student

Karin Waegemann, research coordinator

Julio Caputo, MD student

Alumni

Judit Gonzales Gallego, Postdoc

Luka Zivkovic, MD student

Christina Schlegl, MD student

Matthias Prestel, PostDoc

Christof Haffner, PostDoc

We gratefully acknowledge support for our work by the following funding agencies:

European Commission Horizon 2020

Horizon-EIC-2022-PathfinderChallenges: MultiomIcs based Risk stratification of Atherosclerotic CardiovascuLar disease (MIRACLE) M. Dichgans, R. Malik

Mar 2023 – Feb 2026

ERA-NET Neuron: Multidimensional interrogation of microvascular matrisome abnormalities in cerebral small vessel diseases (MatriSVDs)

Mar 2023 – Feb 2026

Fondation Leducq: Leducq Trans-Atlantic Network of Excellence On Brain Endothelium: A Nexus for Cerebral Small Vessel Disease, Coordinator: Martin Dichgans

Jan 2023 – Dec 2027

Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy 2.0) (DFG)

Jan 2019 – Dec 2025

DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Rolle von SCARF1 bei arterieller Entzündung – Martin Dichgans, Yaw Asare 

Mar 2023 – Feb 2026

Aufdeckung der Rolle von seltenen und low-frequency Mutationen bei Schlaganfall mittels eines „polygenic risk score“ – informierten Sequenzieransatzes – Implikationen für die Risikoprädiktion / Martin Dichgans, Rainer Malik


Mai 2022 – Apr 2025

Project B3: Martin Dichgans/Yaw Asare – Mechanistic role of HDAC9 in atherosclerosis (Role of HDAC9 in Atherosclerosis – Project within the collaborative research programme SFB 1123 ‘Atherosclerosis)

Jul 2018 – Jun 2026

Forschergruppe „ImmunoStroke: Von der Immunzelle zur Schlagabfallregeneration“ (DFG) Teilprojekt C2 „Mikroglia-PET als Surogatmarker für Neuroinflammation nach Schlaganfall“ Martin Dichgans

Jul 2019 – Oct 2025

Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung

CLINSPECT-M, CLINICAL MASS SPECTROMETRY CENTER MUNICH; Teilprojekt B: Neurovascular Diseases / Martin Dichgans

Mar 2020 – Feb 2026

digimed-logo

DigiMed – P4 Medizin von Carotis Stenose und Schlaganfall (Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Gesundheit und Pflege)

Oct 2018 – Nov 2024

Deutsches Stiftungszentrum

Vascular Dementia Research Foundation: The Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research

since 2009

Martin Dichgans | CV

Personal Data

Martin Dichgans, MD, Prof. Dr. med.

Professor, Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU), Munich

Director, Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research

Chair, Stroke and Dementia Research

Identifiers/ORCID: 0000-0002-0654-387X


Qualifications and Career

Stages:

Degree programme

1987 - 1993 Medical School, Universities of Freiburg, Heidelberg & München, Germany

Doctorate

20.12.1993, "Immunzytochemische Darstellung und biochemische Analyse von Alzheimer βA4-Amyloid Vorläuferprotein in cerebellären Zellkulturen"; Prof. Dr. K. Beyreuther, Zentrum f. Molekulare Biologie, Heidelberg, Germany

Stages of academic/professional career

Since 2010: Founding Director, Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU, Munich

Since 2010: Chair Dept. of Translational Stroke and Dementia Research, LMU Munich

Since 2006: Professor for Neurology, LMU Munich

2001: Board Certification in Neurology, Medical Board of Bavaria

2000: Habilitation „Klinische, bildgebende und genetische Untersuchungen bei CADASIL“

1995: MD certified, Medical Board of Bavaria

1994: PostDoc, CWR University, Cleveland


Activities in the Research System

From 2026 -
Authorised Spokesperson, Authorised Spokesperson, DFG-funded Excellence Cluster 2145, Munich Cluster of Systems Neurology (SyNergy)

From 2026 -
Spokesperson, DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center (CRC1744) on Compartmentalised Celullar Networks in Neurovascular Diseases

From 2026 -
Spokesperson, BMBF funded Advanced Clinician Scientist Program for Comprehensive Neuroscience (PROMISE)

Since 2025
Member, External Scientific Advisory Board of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research Münster

2023 - 2027
Coordinator, Leducq Transatlantic Network of Excellence on Brain Endothelium

2020 - 2022
President, European Stroke Organization (ESO)

Since 2019
Speaker, Munich Site LMU/TUM, Hertie Academy and Network of Excellence in Clinical Neuroscience

2018 - 2023
Coordinator, ‘TREAT-SVDs’ study

2016 - 2022
Coordinator, EU Horizon 2020 Network ‘SVDs@target’

2016 - 2018
President, German Stroke Society (DSG)

Since 2015
International Ethics and Advisory Board, Dutch HBC

Since 2015
Executive Committee, European Stroke Organization (ESO)

2014 - 2021
Chair, Scientific Advisory Board, ERANET-NEURON, FP7 European Union

Since 2014
Board of Directors, German Stroke Society (DSG)

Since 2013
Coordinator, ‘DZNE Mechanisms of Dementia After Stroke Study (DEMDAS)’

Since 2012
Scientific Board member, DFG-funded Excellence Cluster 2145, Munich Cluster of Systems Neurology (SyNergy)


Supervision of Researchers in Early Career Phases

I have supervised numerous PhD and MD theses. I also have been a member of multiple TAC committees for PhD and MD students.

Since 2013, I am a member of the Scientific Board of the Graduate School of Systemic Neuroscience (GSN).


Academic Distinctions

2025 Clarivate Award: Highly Cited Researcher 2025

2024 Clarivate Award: Highly Cited Researcher 2024

2023 Clarivate Award: Highly Cited Researcher 2023

2022 Clarivate Award: Highly Cited Researcher 2022

Since 2017 Honorary Member of the Austrian Stroke Society (ÖSG)

Since 2015 Honorary Member of the Societe Francaise de Neurologie (SFN)


For information on Currently Funded Projects see ISD Research Support