Amber Duettmann, MSc in Cognitive and Decision Sciences

1. Why did you choose to study your programme and what made you choose PALS?

I am fascinated by discovering how our brain works, especially how we come to make decisions. So I wanted to complement my undergraduate academic background in Philosophy and Economics with the study of Cognitive Neuroscience as well as computational approaches to ultimately inform my understanding of how the brain makes decisions. 

2. What do enjoy most about your programme?

I really enjoyed bridging the boundaries of different disciplines, for example to apply neuroscientific techniques to answer philosophical questions. I was also fascinated by studying the underpinnings of emotion as well as possibly voluntary actions. 

3. What advice would give prospective students thinking of studying at the Faculty of Brain Sciences?

Have an open mind and let the question determine the methods.

4. What are your plans for the future once you have completed your degree?

Academia is definitely of interest to me.

5. Is there anything else you would like to say about your time at the Faculty of Brain Sciences?

One aspect I really enjoyed about my program was the diversity of the other student's interests. It seemed like we were all united by studying cognitive science, but our reasons and motivation for that differed a lot - and so did our perspectives on the subjects. This made for some great discussions.