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Prof. Dr. Oliver T. Wolf

Ruhr University Bochum
Department of Cognitive Psychology
44780 Bochum

Room: IB 6-59
Phone: +49 234 32 22670
Fax: +49 234 32 14308
E-Mail: Oliver.T.Wolf@rub.de

ORCID   Google Scholar


Curriculum Vitae


2020: Re-elected as Member of the Review Board Psychology
German Research Foundation (DFG Fachkolleg Psychologie)

2019: Member of the German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina)

2018-2021: Speaker of the International Graduate School of Neuroscience (IGSN)
Ruhr University Bochum

2018-2021: Director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience
Ruhr University Bochum

2016-2020: Elected as Member of the Review Board Psychology
German Research Foundation (DFG Fachkolleg Psychologie)

2013-2015: Dean of the Faculty of Psychology
Ruhr University Bochum

since 2009: Principal Investigator
Research Department Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum

since 2008: Member of the International Graduate School of Neuroscience (IGSN)
Ruhr University Bochum

since 2007: Full-term (Tenure) Professor of Cognitive Psychology (W3)
Ruhr University Bochum

2005-2007: Full-term (Tenure) Professor of Cognitive and Affective Psychology (W2)
Bielefeld University

2003-2005: Interim Professor
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

2000-2003: Head of a Young Investigator Group funded by the DFG Emmy Noether Program
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

1998-2000: Postdoctoral Researcher (DFG Scholarship)
with Bruce McEwen, Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Rockefeller University, New York; and Antonio Convit, Neuroimaging Laboratory, NYU Medical Center, New York

2001: Habilitation for Psychology (with C. Kirschbaum)
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

1997: Dr. rer. nat.
Trier University, supervised by Dirk Hellhammer and Clemens Kirschbaum

1995: Diploma in Psychology
Trier University

1990-1995: Psychology Student
Trier University

  • Impact of acute and chronic stress on human cognition with a focus on learning, memory, emotion regulation, social cognition, and decision making
  • Sex differences in stress reactivity and stress sensitivity
  • Altered stress susceptibility in patients with mental disorders
  • Alterations in stress responsivity and sensitivity across the life-span
  • Stress induction in the laboratory
  • Pharmacological administration of stress hormone agonists or antagonists
  • Investigation of cogntitve stress effects using behavioural, psychophysiological and neuroimaging methods
  • Assessment of psychobiological stress markers

For a Complete List see Publication List on our Homepage

Ten selected Key Publications:

Awards & Scholarships

  • 2003: Heisenberg Scholarship (DFG)
  • 2002: Habilitation Award (Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf)
  • 1998: Dissertation Award (Trier University)

Grants (within the last five years)

  • 2022: DFG Research Grant, subproject 4 of FOR 2812 (2nd funding period)
    "The competition of semantic information and episodic experiences and its modulation by stress"
  • 2021: DFG Research Grant, subproject A09 of SFB 1280 (2nd funding period)
    "Stress hormone effects on contexualized extinction memories", Joint Application with  Dr. Jentsch and PD. Dr. Merz
  • 2020: DFG Research Grant, subproject 04 of FOR 2974
    "Cue reactivity in gaming disorder and pornography-use disorder: Behavioral and neural correlates and effects of acute stress", Joint Application with M. Brand and M. Diers
  • 2018: DFG Research Grant, subproject of FOR 2812
    "The competition of semantic information and episodic experiences and its modulation by stress"
  • 2018: DFG Research Grant (WO 733/17-1)
    "Stress effects on memory accuracy versus generalization", DFG-ORA Framework
  • 2018: DFG Research Grant, subproject of SFB 874
    "Memories of a stressful episode: A special role of olfactory cues?"
  • 2018: DFG Research Grant (WO 733/18-1)
    "The impact of stress on hemispheric asymmetries", Joint Application with S. Ocklenburg
  • 2017: DFG Research Grant, subproject A09 of SFB 1280
    "The impact of stress and stress hormones on etinction, renewal, reinstatement and reconsolidation", Joint Application with C. J. Merz
  • 2016: DFG Research Grant (WO 733/15-1)
    "Impact of stress on cognitive emotion regulation"
  • German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina)
  • German Psychological Society (DGPs)
  • International Society for Psychoneuroendocrinology (ISPNE)

Research Funding Programs

  • Austrian Science Fund (Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF))
  • European Research Council (ERC)
  • German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD))
  • German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes)
  • German Research Foundation (DGPs)
  • National Medical Research Council (NMRC) Singapore
  • Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO)
  • Research into Aging (United Kingdom)
  • Swiss National Foundation (SNF)
  • Welcome Trust (United Kingdom)

Peer-Reviewed Journals

Acta Neuropsychiatrica; American Journal of Psychiatry; Anxiety, Stress & Coping; Archives of General Psychiatry; Behavior Therapy & Experimental Psychiatry; Behavioural Brain Research; Behavioural Neuroscience; Biological Psychiatry; Biological Psychology; Biology of Sex Differences; Brain; Brain & Cognition; Brain Research; Brain Research Protocols; Cerebral Cortex; Clinical Endocrinology; Cortex; Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders; Drugs & Aging; Emotion; European Journal of Neuroscience; European Journal of Pharmacology; Experimental Gerontology; Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience; Gerontopsychologie & Gerontopsychiatrie; Health Psychology; European Neuropsychopharmacology; Human Brain Mapping; International Journal of Psychology; Journal of Behavioral Decision Making; Journal of Clinical Psychology; Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience; Journal of Experimental Psychology: General; Journal of Psychiatric Research; Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience; Journal of Psychosomatic Research; Journal of Research in Personality; Journal of Traumatic Stress; Learning & Memory; Maturitas; Menopause; Neuroimage; Neurobiology of Aging; Neurobiology of Learning and Memory; Nature Human Behavior; Neurocase; Neurology; Neuropharmacology; Neuropsychologia; Neuropsychopharmacology; Neuroscience Letters; Non-linearity in Biology; Toxicology and Medicine; Physiology & Behavior; PlosOne; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA; Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry; Psychological Science; Psychoneuroendocrinology; Psychonomic Bulletin and Review; Psychopharmacology; Psychophysiology; Psychosomatic Medicine; Science; Scientific Reports; Stress; Translational Psychiatry; The Open Aging Journal; Trends in Cognitive Sciences; Zeitschrift für Gesundheitspsychologie.

  • Lectures, Seminars, Lab Courses, Colloquia, Journal Clubs
  • Topics cover the areas of Cognitive Psychology and Psychoneuroendocrine Stress Research