Katja Dörschner-Boyaci coordinates EU-funded doctoral network EXPLORA

EU supports international training network on perception research with €4.2 million.

Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) professor Katja Dörschner-Boyaci will coordinate the newly established doctoral network EXPLORA (“Perception of materials, objects and spaces through active EXPLORAtion”), funded by the European Union within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) from 2026 to 2030 with a total of €4.2 million. Of this, about €580,000 will go to JLU.

EXPLORA investigates how humans perceive materials, objects and spaces through active exploration – for example by walking, observing, touching, or manipulating objects to gain sensory information. The aim is to understand how perception and experience are connected in adaptive human behavior. “The research projects are situated at the intersection of science, technology, design, art and industry,” says Prof. Katja Dörschner-Boyaci. “They contribute both to a deeper understanding of human cognition and to the development of multisensory interactive technologies and immersive systems.”

The network consists of 22 partners and associate partners from 11 countries and will train 14 doctoral researchers. 

More information can be found here.