Henning Sprekeler

Henning Sprekeler (born 1975) is a German neuroscientist who is a Professor of Theoretical Computer Science at the Technical University Berlin. He studies synaptic plasticity and its effects on network dynamics and behavior. He is particularly interested in the functional role of neuronal inhibition and neural methods of Self-organization.
==Education and early research==
Sprekeler was born in Münster, Westphalia, where he also graduated with a German High School degree from the Immanuel-Kant-Gymnasium, Münster-Hiltrup in 1996. He started his academic career in Physics at the University of Freiburg in Freiburg in 1997. In 1999 he switched to the Technical University Berlin where he obtained his Diploma in Physics in 2003. After graduating, Sprekeler joined the group of Prof. Dr. L. Wiskott at the Institute of Theoretical Biology of the Humboldt University (HU) Berlin. Here, he established a mathematical framework of Slow Feature Analysis and used the slowness principle to explain the emergence of spatial memory cells. He earned his Ph.D. in Theoretical Biology in 2008.
==Scientific career==
Henning Sprekeler currently holds a full professorship (W3) in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Technical University Berlin. Sprekeler is interested in the mechanisms of intelligent behavior in artificial systems and the brain, with a particular focus on self-organization and learning . One major area of focus within Prof. Sprekeler’s research group centers on studying the function and adaptability of neural circuits in the brain. The group investigates how these circuits self-organize, process information and undergo changes over time. In particular, they explore the intricate dynamics of inhibitory circuits, using computational network models that bridge experimental observations at the neural or microcircuit level to a functional or systems level. Together with Wulfram Gerstner, Tim Vogels, and Claudia Clopath he published highly influential research on the role of inhibitory mechanisms of neuroplasticity in shaping balanced excitation and inhibition across cortical circuits.
Another significant line of Sprekeler’s research lies in using computational models to investigate animal behavior. Collaborating with experimental partners from the Excellence Cluster Science of Intelligence , his research group analyzes data from behavioral experiments of mice and fish to study collective intelligence.
==Awards and fellowships==
Henning Sprekeler has received recognition for his academic achievements and contributions to the field of cognitive process modeling. In 2011 the German Ministry for Science and Education awarded Henning Sprekeler the Bernstein Award for Computational Neuroscience in 2011. Additionally, Sprekeler received the Humboldt-Award for his distinguished Ph.D. thesis in 2008. More recently Sprekeler has also been recognised for his outstanding online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.
==Select publications==
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Category:1975 births
Category:German people
Category:University of Freiburg alumni
Category:Technical University of Berlin alumni
Category:Humboldt University of Berlin alumni
Category:Neuroscientists
Category:Professors