About us

How does the brain turn raw sensory input into something as deeply personal and complex as pain?

At the Body Pain Perception Lab, we study how the brain constructs pain, from its biological foundations to its psychological impact.

We are an international and interdisciplinary team of researchers with backgrounds in cognitive science, neuroscience, psychology, physiotherapy, and medicine. Using psychophysics, neuroimaging (MRI, EEG, MEG) and computational modeling, we investigate how the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) generate, amplify, and sometimes distort pain. Our research spans both healthy individuals and those living with chronic pain conditions, allowing us to uncover fundamental mechanisms while also seeking insights that could improve pain assessment and management.

We are based at the Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN) at the Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University in Denmark.

Lab culture

We believe that great science happens when collaboration and individual growth go hand in hand. Our lab culture is built on a balance, giving each researcher the space to drive their own projects while fostering a strong sense of teamwork and shared progress.

To stay connected and work efficiently as a team, we follow a structured yet flexible meeting approach. Each week, we hold one-on-one supervision meetings to ensure steady progress and guidance for individual projects. We also come together for joint lab meetings with the ECG Lab, providing a space for discussion, feedback, and idea exchange across teams. In addition, smaller focus groups meet regularly to discuss similar methods or research questions, to benefit from shared knowledge and collective problem-solving.

It may sound like a lot of meetings, but we’ve found this structure to be the most efficient way to stay aligned, support each other’s work, and make the most of the diverse expertise within the lab.