Are you German?
My name causes a lot of confusion where I live. I’m American by nationality and lived in the USA most of my life, but currently I live in Tuebingen, Germany. In German, my family name means “joyful”, and so some people assume that I grew up in Germany. In fact, my great-great grandfather immigrated from Kaiserslautern to the United States in the 19th Century, and my family hasn’t lived in Germany since then. I’ve been lucky enough to meet a distant relative from the German branch of the family here. I’m also learning the German language, but it’s a very slow process.
Are you on social media?
For better or for worse, yes. I have accounts on Linkedin, Twitter/X, and Instagram. I use Twitter/X for anything science-related. Instagram is only for my photography and travel photos though.
Are you a doctor?
Yes, I’m a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), but not a Medical Doctor (MD). If you have medical questions, I cannot help you. I’m not qualified to give medical advice, sorry.
I have a medical or psychiatric condition, can you give me advice?
No, sorry, please see above.
Can I work for you?
As a postdoctoral researcher, I do not have my own laboratory, nor do I have my own funding (yet) to hire employees, sorry.
Do you also have an affiliation outside academia?
I work full time for the Universitätsklinikum at the University of Tuebingen (i.e., the university hospital) in Germany. However, I do consult for the Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies (IACS) in Santa Monica, California, which is a new non-profit research institute doing very exciting work to better understand the science of consciousness. I spent much time at IACS during my final years in Los Angeles before moving to Germany.
Do you still write or edit for Knowing Neurons?
I was editor-in-chief of the science communication website Knowing Neurons from 2017 - 2019 and frequently wrote articles for the site, but I’ve since passed on the torch to a great new team. You can find my more recent writing on my Psychology Today blog. I’m also an occasional contributor for Nautilus.
Your most cited paper is about ketamine, can you give me advice or recommendations about ketamine therapy?
It’s true that my first publication, a 2014 review about the ketamine model of schizophrenia coauthored with Jack Van Horn, is also my most cited paper. However, I haven’t been active in this area of research since then, and during the brief lab rotation that spurred this paper, I was focused on the less desirable effects of ketamine that resemble symptoms of schizophrenia, rather than its therapeutic effects for treatment-resistant depression. The past 10 years since I wrote this paper have seen big developments in ketamine therapy. Unfortunately, I’m not in a position to give anyone medical advice (see earlier FAQs above), including advice in this area. It’s certainly an interesting topic though!