Tobias Ballauff
Contact info
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Address
Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR)
Department of Complex Trait Genetics
Research Building
De Boelelaan 1100
1081 HZ Amsterdam
The Netherlands -
E-mail
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Phone
Short CV
| 2026 – present | PhD candidate | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam |
| 2023 – 2025 | M.Sc. Bioinformatics & Systems Biology (Cum Laude) | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam |
| 2020 – 2021 | M.Sc. Neuroeconomics (Cum Laude) | Universiteit van Amsterdam |
| 2013 – 2017 | B.A. Business Administration (exchange at MIT) | Universität St. Gallen |
Research
My research focuses on simultaneously studying the brain and evolutionary genetic history to extend our knowledge in each field respectively. I have always been drawn to the question of how spontaneous evolutionary processes give rise to complex information processing and higher cognition. During my PhD, I analyze neuroimaging data using network neuroscience and connectomics, and integrate these findings with evolutionary genetic discoveries. The aim is to better understand the origins of cognitive capacities, such as language, working memory, and theory-of-mind, by treating genes and brains as two perspectives on the same evolutionary story, utilising state-of-the-art computational paradigms and methods.