Neda Shahidi, PhD (nshahidi(at)dpz(dot)eu) she is the head of the Embodied Cognition Group at the University of Göttingen. Neda's work focuses on unraveling the cortical mechanisms that support real-life, ecologically relevant behaviors by studying the neural dynamics underlying planning and goal-directed actions. She has received her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Texas at Houston, M.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and B.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Tehran. As a group leader, Neda is keep to discover individuality of the team members and lead them toward their goals based on their interests and skills.

Zahra Yousefi Darani, PhD (yousefi(at)dpz(dot)eu) is a postdoc with the team. She is passionate about the mathematical modeling of behavior in both freely behaving and task-engaged animals. She is now working on understanding how naturalistic decisions are made and when they occur. She earned her bachelor's degree in biology and her master's degree in physiology from the University of Isfahan, Iran. Zahra pursued a PhD in cognitive neuroscience at SISSA in Trieste, Italy, then began her first postdoctoral position at DPZ and her second position and the University of Göttingen.

Sara Ahmadi Majd (sahmadi(at)dpz(dot)eu) is a PhD student in data science at the University of Göttingen. With an interdisciplinary background spanning physics and cognitive sciences from the University of Tehran, she uses computational modeling to investigate decision-making under uncertainty. Unlike traditional stationary experiments, she uses naturalistic foraging tasks and motion tracking to explore "hidden vigilance states" in free-moving macaques. Her goal is to bridge behavioral observations with computational models to deepen our understanding of how the brain processes complex, uncertain environments.

Piyali Chandra holds an M. Tech in Information Technology from Jadavpur University and a B.Tech in Computer Science from the West Bengal University of Technology in India. She has served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Engineering and Management for over 3 years, where she taught core computer science subjects, mentored students, and contributed to multiple research projects. As a Research Assistant at the Institute for Medical Informatics at the University of Göttingen, Germany, she contributed to a collaborative cardiovascular risk assessment project by developing data pipelines, preparing and structuring patient datasets, and implementing predictive models to identify key risk factors. Her research interests include augmented reality, image segmentation, and predictive modeling. She has been recognized for her contributions to teaching and mentorship and has served as a reviewer for multiple academic conferences. In addition to research and teaching, she has actively organized conferences, workshops, and student competitions.