Wiete Fehner

Imaging Science PhD candidate at Washington University in St. Louis.

I am a PhD candidate in the Imaging Science program at Washington University in St. Louis, where I develop computational and optical neuroimaging methods to map human brain activity in naturalistic environments. My work focuses on high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT), voxelwise encoding and decoding models, semantic representations, and building reproducible analysis pipelines in Python and MATLAB.

I am broadly interested in computational neuroimaging, naturalistic brain mapping, semantic modeling, and neurotechnology, and I am currently exploring postdoctoral opportunities in these areas.

I grew up in Germany and completed my BA in Philosophy & Gender Studies at Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. During that time, I became increasingly interested in the human brain and mind, which led me to take psychology, statistics, and cognitive science coursework at the University of Bremen. This interdisciplinary training sparked my interest in neuroscience research and prepared me for an MS in Human Neuroscience at the University of Turku in Finland, where I developed a strong passion for neuroimaging methodology.

My interdisciplinary path, from philosophy to neuroscience to engineering, has shaped how I think about brain imaging: combining thoughtful experimental design, robust computational models, and an interest in understanding the brain in real-world contexts.

Skills

  • Computational Neuroimaging: Voxelwise encoding/decoding, semantic modeling, FIR modeling, multivariate statistics, time-series analysis
  • Programming: Python (NumPy, SciPy, scikit-learn, PyTorch), MATLAB
  • Data & Pipelines: Image processing, BIDS compatibility, preprocessing pipelines (HD-DOT, fMRI, fNIRS), reproducible code development
  • Experimental Design: Naturalistic neuroimaging, stimulus design, multi-session HD-DOT studies, wearable HD-DOT data acquisition
  • Research & Project Leadership: Mentoring students, managing multi-participant studies, team coordination, community leadership
  • Communication: Clear scientific writing, public speaking, conference presentations, outreach & teaching

Contact

If you’d like to connect or learn more about my work, feel free to reach out at
f.wiete@wustl.edu
or visit my LinkedIn profile.

Link to Contact page