Prof. Dr. Christian Keysers Position: Scientific Director of the Neuroimaging Center and Full Professor for the Social Brain at the medical faculty of the University Medical Center Groningen. Group Leader of the Social Brain Lab at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).

Biographical Sketch:

I'm French and German, born in Belgium. I studied Psychology and Biology in Konstanz, Bochum (Germany) and Boston (USA). I completed my PhD work in 2000 with David Perrett on the relationship between single neuron activity in the superior temporal sulcus (STS) of macaques and the perception of visual stimuli. Thereafter, in Parma (Italy), I examined the role of mirror neurons in understanding the actions of others. Later, I extended the idea of mirror neurons to sensations and emotions. In 2004, as an assistant professor, I moved to the Neuroimaging Center of the University Medical Center Groningen to extend this line of research using fMRI with the help of a growing research group (Social Brain Lab). In 2005, I became Associate Professor and since 2007 Full Professor for the Social Brain. Since 2005 I am the Scientific Director of the Neuroimaging Center.