Prof. Dr. Christian Klaes

Professor Dr. Christian Klaes is a neuroscientist at the Ruhr-University in Bochum. His research focuses on Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI), Virtual Reality, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in medicine. He has extensive experience in neurophysiology, working with non-human primates and tetraplegic human patients. To analyse and classify neural data, he uses machine learning algorithms. His research has been funded by grants from the DFG and the European Union. Previously, he worked at the California Institute of Technology as a post-doc, focusing on clinical BCI applications. After returning to Germany, he established his research lab, funded by an Emmy Noether stipend. In 2021, he became Professor for Neurotechnology at the Ruhr-University Bochum. Christian Klaes obtained his PhD at the University of Göttingen. He currently also leads the Incubator Health+ of the WorldFactory Start-up Center at the Ruhr University Bochum.

Silvia Wolko

Silvia is a trained publishing clerk and supports the KlaesLab and Incubator Health+ at RUB. On top of that, she has set up two projects that guide schoolchildren and students in text entry and text correction and support companies in the design of presentation layouts (www.tippmaus.de, www.schriftwerk-wolko.de). Silvia enriches the cooperation in the team with her organisational activities and creative contributions, as well as her strength in promoting key networking.

Artur Pilacinski

Art received his PhD from University of Tuebingen. At Klaeslab he works on number processing in single neurons of human IPS, phantom touch, intuitive biomechanics and collaborative robotics. He runs the VRS conference and occasionally posts on Bluesky. You can email him HERE.

Aline Xavier Fidêncio

Aline joined the KlaesLab’s team in May 2021. After completing her master’s studies in Automation and Robotics at the Technical University Dortmund, she joined the project VAFES. Her work focuses on machine learning-based strategies for the detection and application of neurobiological error-related reinforcement signals in brain-computer interfaces. You can reach her at aline.xavierfidencio@rub.de.

Marita Metzler

Marita obtained her Diploma in Biology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz with a specialization in psychophysics and sensorimotor learning in humans. After subsequent short-time project collaborations dealing with visual cognition and neurological diseases, she joined the Computational Systems Neuroscience Group at the University of Cologne and received a one-year funding of the SmartStart Training Program in Computational Neuroscience. She thereby gained skills in machine learning and novel tools in analyzing neural data. In 2019 Marita started her PhD in the KlaesLab. Her main focus lies on the development of the AI assistance system as part of the REXO project as well as the development of virtual reality test scenarios and a multimodal decoder for Brain-Computer Interfaces.

Namit Mishra

Namit Mishra has a Master’s degree in Computational Mechanics from the University of Duisburg-Essen with a specialization in mathematical modelling. He performed exploratory analysis during his Master’s thesis to detect Parkinson’s tremors using unsupervised machine learning. He also developed a neural network-based fall recognition system while at Dexter Health GmbH.

He joined Klaeslab as a PhD student, associating with the Terahertz.nrw research network focussed on using deep learning to uncover neuronal activity through the terahertz waves. His interests are neurodegenerative diseases, bio-signals, neuroimaging, computational modelling, and virtual reality tests. You can reach him at namitmishra50@gmail.com.

Lia Wagner

Lia completed her Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at RWTH Aachen University and was already working in the KlaesLab during her Master’s thesis. In this thesis, she conducted an exploratory analysis of EEG and eye-tracking data to investigate neural correlates of non-visual saccades during cognitive activity. She is currently a PhD student working on the collection and analysis of dense fMRI datasets using AI methods to develop individualized neurofunctional models.

You can reach her at lia.wagner@rub.de

Sebastian Wiedenski

Sebastian is a PhD student at KlaesLab who optained his master’s degree on the topic of hierarchical decoders and movement prediction based on novel features of biophysical signalling in humans. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Developmental Neurobiology on the topic of synaptic development and differential morphology by means of 3D reconstruction of cortical somatosensory neurons.

Being interested in both technology as well as neurobiology, he joined the KlaesLab to pursue his interests in the functionality and improvement of the human brain and cognition and body through neurotechnological research.
He first worked with the lab in 2021 on the REXO project.

Besides research, Sebastian is also involved in the planning and execution of the VR Summit, especially in the organization of the Hackathon.

Former member of the Fachschaftsrat of the Faculty for Biology and Biotechnology at RUB from 2018 to 2024.

You can reach him at Sebastian.Wiedenski[at]ruhr-uni-bochum[dot]de

Jannis Steinert

Jannis completed his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Ruhr University Bochum, specializing in robotics and automation technology.

In 2025, he began writing his master’s thesis at KlaesLab, in collaboration with the Chair of Production Systems. His research focuses on analyzing human attention in interactions with collaborative industrial robots, using EEG (electroencephalography) and eye-tracking technologies.

Rasti Salam,

Rasti Salam is currently doing his Master’s degree in Physics at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), specializing in Nuclear and Particle Physics.

At Klaeslab, Rasti works as a PR & Communications representative for the VR Summit project, an initiative by RUB that focuses on advancing virtual reality technologies and their applications.

Alumni

Muhammad Saif-ur-Rehman

Pooja Verman

Robin Lienkämper

Sandra Sandhöfer

Tobias Wienand

 Aline Xavier Fidêncio

Susanne Dyck

Omair Ali