HKU SBMS Knowledge Exchange Seminar

Can AI ‘read’ our emotions? Can we try to be a little less depressed and anxious? Find out in-person on May 12 (Monday) evening from HKU Professor Benjamin Becker about regulating our own brain function and new evidence on neuropeptides aiding the treatment of mental health disorders. Do stay behind and discuss about neuropsychology and more.

The School of Biomedical Sciences at HKUMed aims to disseminate digestible scientific knowledge to raise the Hong Kong public’s interest in STEM through interdisciplinary and cross-border collaborations. This seminar is hosted by SBMS Professor Ralf Jauch and co-organised with the German Consulate General Hong Kong. You are cordially invited to register for this event on the fascinating topic of mental health and neuroscience.

Seminar

Topic: On AI-inspired Mind Ready, Brain Scans and Mental Health
Date: 12 May 2025 (Monday)
Speaker: Professor Benjamin Becker, Department of Psychology, HKU Faculty of Social Science
Host: Professor Ralf Jauch, School of Biomedical Sciences, HKUMed
Language: English
Time: 16:00 - 17:30
Venue: HKJC-S3, G/F, Room G-05, The HKJC Bldg for Interdisciplinary Research, 5 Sassoon Road

Networking Reception*

Time: 17:30 - 19:00
Venue: Alumni Chamber, 7/F, William M.W. Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road
*first come, first served (maximum capacity: 50)
Registration link: https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cOUhtv5EXNFT8R8

About the Speaker

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Benjamin Becker, Dipl.-Psych. 

Benjamin Becker is currently a Full Professor at The University of Hong Kong. He has established and led international research teams in Germany, Mainland China, and Hong Kong (Beckerlab.org). His teams integrate neuroimaging with AI-inspired decoding, neuroenhancement, and real-time brain regulation to investigate how the human brain generates emotion and motivation, how these processes influence mental health, and how brain function can be enhanced. He has authored over 250 scientific publications and several book chapters on these topics, and his findings have been featured in numerous media reports and invited talks. He serves on the editorial boards of several scientific journals and co-directs the COVID-induced Brain Dysfunction task force of the Global Brain Consortium.

Abstract

Emotions are essential for evolutionary survival, and their subjective experience represents one of the most fundamental aspects of our lives. Dysregulations in emotional experience are well-established hallmarks of mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. Yet, the underlying brain mechanisms of conscious emotional experiences in humans - and how they can be effectively modulated - have remained surprisingly underexplored. This talk will highlight recent advances in AI-driven approaches to ‘read’ emotions from brain activity, explore how individuals can learn to regulate their own brain function via real-time neurofeedback to gain control over emotional states, and present emerging evidence on how neuropeptides such as oxytocin and angiotensin II may open new avenues for the treatment of mental health disorders.

Enquiries: sbms@hku.hk | Tel: (852) 3917-9262

ALL ARE WELCOME.