“Charting the human brain” Katrin Amunts receives honorary doctorate for groundbreaking research
Katrin Amunts has been contributing to our understanding of the human brain ever since the early 1990s. The German professor spearheaded ambitious projects such as BigBrain, the Julich Brain Atlas, the Human Brain Project (HBP) and EBRAINS. For over a decade, she has also collaborated enthusiastically with the Department of Cognitive Neuroscience at the UM Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre. The awarding of an honorary doctorate by the Maastricht professors Rainer Goebel and Alard Roebroeck is the cherry on top of an impressive career. “I feel very honoured and touched to receive this great recognition.”
The complexity of the human brain still fascinates her every day. “The brain is what makes us tick. Studying the brain organisation teaches us more about the functioning of this special organ. We need to know as much as possible about this amazing organ in order to develop effective therapies — so neuroscience has a big impact on society.”
Studying in Moscow
Born in The German Democratic Republic, Amunts studied medicine and biophysics at Pirogov Medical School in Moscow, an institution that offered a rare combination of medicine and life sciences with physics and mathematics. “That was unique at the time,” she says. “I received very good training, and it was also interesting to get to know a completely new culture.”
After obtaining her PhD in 1989 and the fall of the Berlin wall, Amunts joined first a Fraunhofer Institute in Berlin and then the Cécile and Oskar Vogt Institute for Brain Research at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. She started out as a postdoc; today, she is the director. “I was fascinated by the architecture of the brain from the very beginning and mapping the areas of the brain was the way to better understand it.”
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The honorary doctorate will be awarded during the 49th Dies Natalis.
Google Maps of the brain
These maps became part of the Julich Brain Atlas, explains Amunts. “It’s a kind of Google Maps of the brain,” she laughs. “It contains three-dimensional maps of more than 230 areas based on changes in the so-called cellular architecture, plus detailed information, connections and receptors. For many brain areas, these are the first maps to be made available.” Together with the Canadian neuroscientist Alan Evans, she developed the BigBrain – a three-dimensional model that provides insight into the brain structure down to the cellular level. To map the fibres, i.e. the connections between nerve cells, Amunts uses 3D polarised light imaging (3D-PLI), an advanced microscopic technique that provides detailed information about the fibre architecture of brain tissue. The polarised light makes the connections between brain areas visible. Maps of chemical receptors in the brain are added via a technique called Receptor Autoradiography.
The beauty of the Julich Brain Atlas is that it is housed on EBRAINS – a digital platform, and an outcome of the HBP. The atlas and all its maps are freely accessible to scientists all over the world. This is a prime example of open science—a topic dear to the professor’s heart. “If we want to understand the workings of the brain, international cooperation is essential,” she says. “No single scientist can have an overview of everything. By joining forces, we prevent fragmentation and help to advance medical science. Our research contributes to basic brain research, but also helps to develop better diagnoses and therapies.”
“If we want to understand the workings of the brain, international cooperation is essential.”
Katrin AmuntsHuman Brain Project
BigBrain and the Julich Brain Atlas were majorly advanced as part of the Human Brain Project, a large-scale European research programme that Amunts successfully led from 2016 to 2023. The project brought together researchers from the fields of neuroscience, medicine, computer science and information technology to enhance the understanding of the human brain. This laid the foundation for advanced simulation models, brain atlases and new methods in artificial intelligence.
The Human Brain Project also led to the establishment of EBRAINS, a European research infrastructure for digital neuroscience. Amunts is one of the two CEOs leading the EBRAINS AISBL, the nonprofit organisation founded to run and advance the infrastructure. “EBRAINS is a central hub for international collaboration and innovation in brain research. It provides access to the Julich Brain Atlas, BigBrain and other tools for brain research, and combines supercomputing, data analysis and clinical applications. This helps researchers to develop personalised treatments and understand brain disorders,” she says proudly.
Tradition — and an open mind
The longstanding collaboration with Maastricht usually takes place online; Amunts visits the city only rarely. To receive the honorary doctorate, however, she will of course make an exception and travel to Limburg in person. “I’m very much looking forward to seeing my Maastricht colleagues in the flesh again. What I love about Maastricht University is that honouring traditions goes hand in hand with a modern vision of science and an open mind. For me, that’s incredibly inspiring!”
Text: Martina Langeveld
Photos Dies Natalis: Philip Driessen
Reason for awarding honorary doctorate
Katrin Amunts has made a significant contribution to the understanding of the human brain. Notably, her research focuses on mapping the brain structure and untangling the relationship between brain function and the structure of the nervous system (neuroanatomy). This has allowed her to conduct valuable research on speech and language, facial recognition and social behaviour. In addition to being a renowned scientist, Amunts has internationally recognised leadership qualities. For example, she led the Human Brain Project, a large-scale European project involving over 150 institutions from 19 countries, including the Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre.

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