Om mig
I am a cognitive neuroscientist with a background in functional neuroimaging of perception and emotion in healthy populations and patients with psychiatric illness. Before joining the Psychology Division at KI in 2014, I worked at the Monell Chemical Senses Center and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, USA, where I began to study cortical integration of smell and taste during food perception. I am currently affiliated with the Psychology Division at the Clinical Neuroscience Department, where I lead the Nutritional Neuroscience Lab that conducts experimental work on odor-taste integration (see https://ki.se/en/cns/janina-seuberts-research-group for details). I am also affiliated with the Center for Eating Disorder Innovation (CEDI, https://ki.se/en/meb/cedi-centre-for-eating-disorders-innovation) where I study the processing of olfactory reward in anorexia nervosa and binge eating disorders.
Forskningsbeskrivning
The identification of food objects, and decision whether or not to eat them at a particular point in time, is crucial for our survival, and depends heavily on the ability to remember associations between sensory information from different modalities. My current research studies the neural networks which permit the identification of smells in the environment, their integration with visual and gustatory cues, and the assessment of their behavioral relevance. In particular, I use structural and functional MRI as well as psychophysical and psychophysiological recordings to investigate the role of these networks for the maintenance of human health, as related to, for example, disease avoidance and appetite regulation.
I am Principal Investigator on the project "Perceptual decision-making about food flavor in the mouth, and its role in food intake regulation" funded by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet), from 2019-2022 and the project "Metabolisk reglering av anticipatoriska matbelöningsupplevelser - från perceptuella mekanismer till kliniska implikationer" from 2023-2026.
I am also awardee of an ERC Starting Grant (2021-2026). The goal of my project OLFLINK is to investigate how new flavor preferences are formed, and how they are regulated by signals from the digestive tract. With this knowledge we aim to provide insights that can explain why it is so difficult to overcome our preferences for familiar food flavors in favor of healthier or more sustainable options, and thus inspire public health efforts directed towards dietary change.
Pedagogiska meriter
I am currently course leader for the elective courses "Introduktion till klinisk neuropsykologi" (https://utbildning.ki.se/course/1QA129/22-23) and "Introduktion till klinisk neurovetenskap" (https://utbildning.ki.se/course-syllabus/1QA133).
I am also chair of the KI psychology internationalization committee (https://utbildning.ki.se/student/psykologprogrammet/utlandsstudier)
My team and I accept applications for research internships and student theses on a rolling basis. Please send me an email if you are interested.
Utbildning
2006 Master of Science in Neuro-Cognitive Psychology, LMU Munich, Germany
2010 PhD in Clinical Neuroscience, RWTH Aachen University
2010-2014 Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Pennsylvania/Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
2015-2019 Assistant Professor (Forskarassistent), Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet
2020- Principal Researcher (Senior Forskare), Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet
2021- Docent in Psychology, Karolinska Institutet
Akademiska priser och utmärkelser
I am a member of the Young Academy of Sweden-in this role, I try to increase public awareness for the importance of basic science and try to work towards a more international and diverse academia. Find out more here: