Univ.-Prof. Dr. Claus Lamm

Full Professor of Biological Psychology
Head of the Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit

I am a Full Professor of Biological Psychology, with a specialization in Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. I have spent several formative years abroad, and founded the SCAN-Unit when I moved back to Vienna in 2010. The goal of my group is to foster a thriving interdisciplinary research environment that will lead to innovative and cutting-edge research in the domain of Social Cognitive Neuroscience. Mentoring and support of Early Career Researchers at our Faculty and beyond are key aims of my academic activities. I have been the Ombudsperson for ECRs and the Vice Dean for Research and Advancement of ECRs at the Faculty of Psychology for several years, and a recipient of the APS Mentor Award.

My scientific interests focus on the neural underpinnings of empathy and prosocial behavior. I have made pioneering contributions in this domain, and am excited to pursue ever-more complex research approaches to unravel these multifaceted phenomena. This includes multi-modal investigations combining neuroimaging with psychopharmacology and psychoneuroendocrinology, as well as comparative approaches to test empathy and its precursors in ravens and dogs. More recently, I have also established a new research line on questions related to environmental social neuroscience and decision making. 

Besides my affiliation at the Faculty of Psychology, I am a member of the Environment & Climate Change Hub the Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, and the Sustainability Advisory Board of the University of Vienna. I am also a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

My prime mission is to perform and disseminate high quality, rigorous and systematic scientific research, together with my collaborators. Read more on the lab mission here and on my mentoring style in this wonderful 50th birthday gift my mentees wrote for me.

Email: claus.lamm@univie.ac.at