Ernst Strüngmann Institute
The Ernst Strüngmann Institute for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society is an independent research institute located in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany. The ESI is under the scientific governance of the Max Planck Society, an association of German research institutes. The institute's mission is to perform fundamental brain research.
Development and History
In July 2008, a cooperation contract was signed between the Max Planck Society and pharmaceutical entrepreneurs Andreas and Thomas Strüngmann, founding the ESI as an independent brain research institute with the format of a Max Planck Institute. On 12 September 2008, the ESI was formally founded in the legal form of a nonprofit limited liability corporation. To finance the ESI, the Strüngmann brothers founded the Ernst Strüngmann Foundation.ESI’s founding directors are Wolf Singer and Pascal Fries, with Singer functioning as acting director until Fries became ESI’s first director in July 2009. On 1 April 2011, when Prof. Singer assumed emeritus status at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, he joined the ESI as Senior Research Group leader.
In 2020, Wolf Singer became the managing director, until 2021, when David Poeppel became the managing director. On 1 January 2024, research director Pascal Fries left the institute. Late 2024 also David Poeppel left the institute. An emeritus Max Planck plant biologist, Lothar Willmitzer is currently at the institute as interim director.
Research
Research at the ESI is organized in seven research groups, called labs and named after their respective heads:- Poeppel Lab
- Singer Lab
- Rademaker Lab
- Cuntz Lab
- Havenith & Schölvinck Lab
- Laurens Lab
- Schmidt Lab
Former research groups
Throughout its history, the Ernst Strüngmann Institute has hosted several additional research groups, that have significantly shaped the institute´s scientific profile:Fries Lab (Department)
2009–2023The department led by Pascal Fries investigated the role of neuronal synchronization in cognitive processes. Based on the hypothesis that rhythmic neuronal activity enables functional communication between brain areas, the group studied the mechanisms and functional relevance of such synchronization.
Diester Lab
2011–2014Ilka Diester’s research group focused on the interaction between tactile perception, cognitive processing, and motor control. The aim was to better understand basic principles of brain function and to contribute to the development of neural prosthetics. The group used behavioral experiments, electrophysiology, and optogenetic tools.
Schmid Lab (Emmy Noether Group)
2012–2015As part of the Emmy Noether Program, Michael C. Schmid’s group investigated the neuronal basis of visual perception. The main focus was on thalamo-cortical communication in attention, visibility, and following neural injury. The group combined electrophysiological recordings with methods such as fMRI, psychophysics, pharmacology, and optogenetics.
Vinck Lab
2016–2025Martin Vinck’s group combined experimental, computational, and theoretical approaches to investigate neural circuits, collective coding, and learning. The lab studied how different types of excitatory and inhibitory neurons shape cortical plasticity, how neural ensembles encode information via spatiotemporal patterns, and how predictive mechanisms support learning. The group used electrophysiology, optogenetics, machine learning, and information theory.
Poeppel Lab (Department)
2021–2024Led by David Poeppel, this department focused on the neurobiological foundations of auditory cognition, including language, speech perception, and music. The group aimed to develop theoretically grounded and biologically realistic models for brain functions related to auditory processing. Methods included MEG, EEG, ECoG, and structural and functional MRI.