My research focuses on the development of a model of language that is neurobiologically plausible, i.e. that respects basic design principles of the human brain such as hierarchical organisation of different processing streams (dorsal vs. ventral) or separable but internally unified computational properties for each of these streams. In addition to this biological perspective, model development is inspired by the idea that language universals, which can be identified within and across the languages of the world, are informative for our understanding of the neurobiology of language.

Additionally, I am also interested in:

1. The neurobiology of reading, i.e. how reading as a recent cultural invention is implemented in the brain and - most interestingly - how this neurobiological network interacts with the evolutionarily much older auditory system.
2. Language and Ageing, i.e. why language – and particularly language comprehension – remains relatively stable in old age in comparison to other cognitive abilities
3. The notion of “complexity” in cognitive science and especially in language theory I study these questions using electroencephalography (EEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), eye-tracking, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and behavioural techniques.