Organised by the doctoral candidates themselves, the summer school is the annual highlight among the JRA activities, offering junior scientists of Hearing4all a platform for networking and interdisciplinary cooperation. Tutorials given by experienced scientists illustrate the multi-faceted research of the cluster, whereas junior members present their projects in short highlight talks and posters alike. By enlisting internationally renowned scientists for keynote presentations, this event also provides input from beyond the cluster, together with the opportunity for establishing career-promoting contacts. Moreover, the programme includes training of general skills helpful for doctorate and career, as well as team building activity and plenty of time for socialising.

Summer School 2026:

This year’s JRA Summer School took place on 24-26 June 2026 in Visselhövede (venue: Peschek’s Seminar-/Tagungshotel, Worthstr. 9-10, 27374 Visselhövede). Many thanks to all speakers, poster presenters and participants for their contributions!

Confirmed Keynote Speakers:
Velia Cardin (University College London):
“Crossmodal plasticity in the auditory cortex of deaf individuals”
Tobias Reichenbach (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg):
“Decoding the neural processing of speech”
Frank Russo (Toronto Metropolitan University):
“Can singing and hearing aids slow the progression of age-related hearing loss?”
Barbara Vona (Georg-August-Universität Göttingen):
“Precision medicine for hereditary hearing loss”

H4A Research Topics:
Amarins Heeringa (UOL):
“How to record from type-I auditory nerve fibers to determine their role in tinnitus”
Kerstin Schwabe (MHH):
“Rat models in context of deep brain stimulation”

Further Highlights:
Science communication: Daniel Hölle (European Science Communication Institute, Oldenburg)
Career paths after the doctorate: Data analyst at an energy provider

Contributions of Early Career Researchers:
Doctoral students and postdocs presented their research projects as poster or highlight talk (15 min).

More information: