CV & Publications


PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE

Medical University Innsbruck, 2021-present
Tenure Track Assistant Professor, Institute of Neurobiochemistry, 2022-
Tenure Track Group Leader, Institute of Neurobiochemistry 2021
NARSAD Young Investigator, Brain and Behaviour Foundation 

Columbia University, New York, USA 2018-2020

Associate Research Scientist, Zuckerman Mind Brain Behaviour Institute,


National Institute of Health, Bethesda, USA 2018-present

Visiting Scientist, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke,

In collaboration with the Integrative Neuroscience Section led by NIMH Director Dr. Joshua Gordon

Free-lance scientific Consultant, 2014-present
  • Consultancy on Neuroscience  & Neurotech projects (Feasibility & Science)
  • Lectures Behavioural Economics, Neuroeconomics & Applied Consumer Neuroscience
Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria 2012-2018

Post-Doctoral Scientist, Center for Brain Research

Post Graduate Advisor: Dr. Thomas Klausberger

Projects: 1. Neuronal correlates of decision-making in the prefrontal cortex

                 2. Imaging Neuronal Circuits of the Prefrontal Cortex during a Gambling Task

Lecturer at the Medical University Vienna and the University of Vienna 


Science VHS Urania & Planetarium, Vienna, Austria 2014-2017
Lecturer
- Science lecture series for the lay audience (average attendance of 50-100 people)

Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Dublin, Ireland 2007-2012

 Ph.D. in Neuroscience & Postdoctoral Experience,

Graduate Advisor: Dr. Shane O'Mara;

       Projects:   1. Acute Stress effects on the Hippocampal Formation

                        2. Spatial Codes within the Thalamus

Tutor & Teaching Assistant at the School of Psychology, 

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION

PhD in Neuroscience, 2007-2011
Trinity College Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Institute of Neuroscience
Advisor: Prof. Shane O'Mara

Dipl. Ing. - Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
2003-2007
University of Applied Sciences, Krems, Graduation with distinction

INDEPENDENTLY HELD RESEARCH GRANTS 

NARSAD Young Investigator Grant 2019-2021
Funding for independent research and transition to independence
Role: PI, 70.000 USD Funding Agency: Brain & Behavior Foundation, USA

FWF Standalone Research Grant 2022-2026
Prefrontal-stratium information routing for decision making  
Role: PI, 406.000 €, Funding Agency: Austrian Science Agency (FWF), Austria

EU HORIZON-RIA 2024-2027
Ebrains 2.0
Role: Task Leader with 1.060.000 € funding; Funding Agency: European Union, Europe

PERSONAL SCIENCE AWARDS

  • Amgen Mentor Award 2020, Amgen/NIH, 2020 
  • IMC FH Alumni Award - Winner in the Achievements in academic careers category, 2019 
  • ARIT Scholarship, Office of Science and Technology Austria 2019 
  • Keystone Symposia Future of Science Fund Scholarship, 2017 
  • Scholarship Award European Forum Alpbach, Austria, 2011 

LEADERSHIP & PROJECTS

  • Co-Founder TiliaHealth Gmbh - A digital diagnostic innovator for psychiatric care
  • Ebrains Coordinator for the Medical University Innsbruck 
  • Initiator - Life Science Career Mentoring Program MUI
  • Mentor - IMC Mentoring Program 2020
  • Science Communication under neuralethes.blogspot.com & twitter @neuralethes (2014-Present)
  • Neuroscience columnist for a regional Austrian newspaper (NÖN) (2017-Present)
  • Neuroscience Startup Evaluator – cross-functional evaluation with Venture Capital investors of early and mid-stage European startup companies 
  • Chairperson of the Austrian-Indian Society for Art and Cultural Exchange, Vienna (www.jpdgallery.com) and as such constantly involved in the management of the society, organizing events and promoting the bilateral exchange of ideas and resources (2014-2018).
  • Junior Advisor for the Republic of Ireland for Researchgate.com (2008-2013)
  • Visiting graduate studies at Beijing University, Beijing, China and Fudan University, Shanghai, China (2006)

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

  • University Taught Coursework at Medical University Innsbruck, Medical University Vienna & Trinity College Dublin in a number of formats 
  • Public Lecture Series on Neuroscience at the Science VHS Urania & Planetarium, Vienna between 2013 and 2017
  • Neuromarketing & Behavioural Decision Workshop at the Executive Academy of the Vienna University of Economics and Business, Executive Marketing MBA Program, 2020 
  • Neuromarketing & Behavioural Decision Module at the Executive Academy of the Vienna University of Economics and Business, Executive Marketing MBA Program, 2023
  • A series of classes and programs in different formats and with different partners across the years aiming to raise enthusiasm for the brain and neuroscience in kids and teenagers

INT. PEER REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS (NOT INCL. CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS)

Orcid ID;  Citations: 896, Cumulative Impact Factor: 110
  1. Anner P., Passecker J., Klausberger T., Dorffner G., Ca2+ imaging of neurons in freely moving rats with automatic post hoc histological identification, J. Neuroscience Methods, 06/2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108765
  2. Padilla-Coreano N., Canetta S., Mikofsky RM., Always E., Passecker J., Myroshnychenko M.V., Garcia-Garcia A.L., Warren R., Teboul E., Blackman D.R., Morton M. P., Hupalo S., Tye K. M., Kellendonk C., Kupferschmidt D. A., Gordon J. A., Hippocampal-prefrontal theta transmission regulates avoidance behavior, Neuron,Nov. 06/2019, DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.08.006
  3. P. Schwartenbeck, J. Passecker, T.H.B. FitzGerald, M. Kronbichler, K. Friston, 2018. Computational mechanisms of curiosity and goal-directed exploration Elife. 2019 May 10;8. pii: e41703. doi: 10.7554/eLife.41703
  4. Passecker J., Mikus N., Malagon-Vina H., Anner P., Dimidschtein J., Fishell G., Dorffner G., Klausberger T., 2018. Activity of prefrontal neurons predict future choices during gamblingNeuron. 2019 Jan 2;101(1):152-164.e7
  5. Passecker J., Islam Md N., Hok V., O'Mara. SM, 2018 Loss of head-directional information of subicular neurons after acute behavioural stress. Eur J Neurosci. 2018 Apr;47(8):1003-1012.
  6. Barlow S., Della-Chiesa A., Passecker J., Smith K., Fahey B., Day J., Hok V., Callaghan CK., O’Mara SM., 2018. Deficits in Temporal Order Memory Induced by Interferon-alpha (IFN-α) Treatment are Rescued by Aerobic Exercise. Brain Research Bulletin 2018 Jun;140:212-219.
  7. H. Malagon-Vina, S. Ciocchi, J. Passecker, G. Dorffner, T. Klausberger, Fluid network dynamics in the prefrontal cortex during multiple strategy switching. Nature Communications, 2018, 22. Jan, 9:309,
  8. Ciocchi S., Passecker J., Malagon-Vina H., Mikus N., Klausberger T., Selective information routing by ventral hippocampal CA1 projection neurons. Science, 2015 May, 1;348:560-3
  9. Jankowski M., Passecker J., Islam Md., Vann S., Erichsen J., Aggleton J., and O'Mara S., Evidence for spatially-responsive neurons in the rostral thalamus Frontiers in Behavioural Neuroscience 2015 Oct 13;9:256 
  10. Passecker J., Barlow S, O'Mara SM., 2014 Dissociating effects of acute photic stress on spatial, episodic-like and working memory in the rat. Behavioural Brain Research 2014 Oct 1;272:218-
  11. Passecker J., Hok V, Della-Chiesa A, Chah E, O'Mara SM., 2011, Dissociation of dorsal hippocampal regional activation under the influence of acute stress in freely-behaving rats, Frontiers in Behavioual Neuroscience, 5:66;

SERVICE TO PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS: AD-HOC REVIEWER

Neuroscience || Neuron || European Journal of Neuroscience || Frontiers Pharmacology || Physiology & Behavior || Frontiers of Behavioural Neuroscience

SERVICE TO INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH BODIES: REVIEWER

Israel Science Foundation (ISF), United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF)

SERVICE TO INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH BODIES: Guest Editor

          Frontiers of Behavioural Neuroscience

SCIENTIFIC AFFILIATIONS

General Secretary Austrian Neuroscience Association 2021- present 

          Active Member in several international neuroscience societies (ANA, FENS, ASCINA, SFN) 

SCIENTIFIC MEDIA COVERAGE

  • Publication: Prelimbic Neuron Activity Predicts Decisions During Gambling DerStandard (AUT), Tiroler Tageszeitung (AUT), Aftonbladet (SWE), Market Business News (online), SelectScience (online), ReliaWire (online) – www.jpassecker.com for links. 
  • Neuroscience columnist for a regional Austrian newspaper (NÖN) see Press section for details
  • Active Science Communication on twitter @neuralethes as well on a blog neuralethes.blogspot.com 

INVITED TALKS AND CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS (till 2022)

  1. Gordon Research Conference - Frontal Cortex Meeting, Long Beach, California, USA, August 2022
  2. FENS Forum 2022 | International Neuroscience Conference, Paris, France, July 2022
  3. 12th Biennial International 22q11.2 Conference, Split, Croatia, June 2022
  4. ASCINA Meeting, Bethesda, Maryland, Presentation: Controlling the Prefrontal Cortex for improved Decision-making, December 2019 
  5. Austrian Neuroscience Meeting, Innsbruck, Austria, Presentation: Neuroscience x Philosophy Neurobiological Foundations of Agency, September 2019
  6. Brainstorms Conference, Vienna, Austria, Plenary Lecture: The Neurobiology of Bad Decisions, Sept.2019

  7. Medical University Innsbruck, Institute of Pharmacology, Austria, Guest Lecture: New Insights into Cognitive Flexibility, June 2019
  8. IMC FH Krems, Austria, Guest Lecture: The Neurobiology of Bad Decision-making, June 2019
  9. ARIT – Austrian Research & Innovation Talks, Washington D.C, USA, Presentation: Investigating Brain Circuits, Dec.2018
  10. MIT, McGovern Institute, Boston, USA, Seminar: Neuronal Prediction of Gambling Behaviour, Jan. 2018
  11. Keystone Symposia - State of the Brain: Genetic Dissection of Brain Circuits and Behavior in Health and Disease, Keystones, Colorado, USA, Plenary Lecture: Activity of Prefrontal Neurons Predict Future Choices during Gambling, Jan. 2018
  12. Princeton University, Neuroscience Institute, USA, Seminar: Neuronal Prediction of Gambling Behaviour, Jan. 2018
  13. National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, USA, Seminar: Activity of Prefrontal Neurons Predict Future Choices during Gambling, Jan. 2018
  14. University College London (UCL), Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, London, UK, Seminar: Modelling gambling behaviour, June 2018
  15. Austrian Neuroscience Meeting, ISTA Klosterneuburg, Austria, Poster, Sept., 2017 
  16. University of Bern, Institute of Physiology, Switzerland, Seminar: Untangling Prefrontal network dynamics during goal-directed behaviours Dec. 2017
  17. Institute of Technology Austria, ISTA Klosterneuburg, Austria, Seminar: Identified Prefrontal efferent projections during gambling behaviour, March 2016
  18. Ascona Meeting, Ascona, Switzerland, Poster, Sept. 2015 
  19. Austrian Neuroscience Meeting, Salzburg, Austria, Presentation: Prefrontal Network Activity during risk, Oct. 2015
  20. MRC Neuroanatomy Unit Science Day, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Poster, Dec. 2012
  21. Trinity College Dublin, Institute of Neuroscience, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Seminar: Dissociating effects of acute photic stress on spatial, episodic-like and working memory in the rat, April 2012
  22. University of Cardiff, Institute of Neuroanatomy, Cardiff, Wales, UK, Seminar: Evidence of Grid and Place cells in the rostral thalamus, March 2011
  23. European Brain and Behaviour Conference, Rhodes, Greece, Poster: Light stress effects on Subicular and CA1 place cells and its implications in a MWM test in rats Sept., 2011 
  24. Society for Neuroscience, Neuroscience Conference, San Diego, USA, Poster: Dissociation of stress response between the hippocampus proper and the dorsal subiculum, Nov., 2010 
  25. International Stress and Behaviour Conference (ISBS) & Summer-school, Saint Petersburg, Russia, Presentation: Acute Stress Effects on Subicular Neurophysiology, May, 2008