Principal Investigators
PROVIDE brings together research supervisors who are dedicated to providing the highest quality doctoral training, from research and skills development to career planning. They hold a collective record of supervising over 162 PhDs and contributing to more than 690 publications. PROVIDE’s unique co-supervision model, blending academic and non-academic insights, ensures intersectoral, international, and individualized training for each of our doctoral candidates.
Sonja Pyott
Sonja Pyott (PhD) is Associate Professor at the University Medical Center Groningen in Groningen, the Netherlands. Her research focuses on the molecular and cellular neuroscience of auditory and vestibular systems. Her academic training includes a Fulbright Scholarship at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Chemistry in Göttingen, Germany, a PhD from Stanford University, and postdoctoral research at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She has extensive experience coordinating interdisciplinary and international research collaborations and organizing top-tier scientific training. She serves as the Coordinator of the PROVIDE network and oversees all network activities.
Jordi Llorens
Jordi Llorens (PhD) is Professor of Physiology at the University of Barcelona in Spain. He is an expert in vestibular toxicity with over 80 published articles and extensive funding. He has trained interantionally in the United States, France, and Spain. He is also former President of the International Neurotoxicology Association. Within the PROVIDE network, he also leads research-related activities.
Raymond van de Berg
Raymond van de Berg (MD/PhD) is an ENT-surgeon and Professor at Maastricht University Medical Center in Maastricht, the Netherlands. He specializes in vestibular disorders and cochlear implantation. He holds dual PhDs in medicine and biophysics and leads the Department of Audiology and Vestibular Department. His research focuses on vestibular implants and diagnostics, and he chairs the Bárány Society Educational Committee.
Andreas Zwergal
Professor Andreas Zwergal (MD/PhD) is Professor at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Münich, Germany and the Director of the German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders. Since 2014, he has led DIZZYNET, a European interdisciplinary research network on vestibular disorders. His work, which has been recognized with prestigious awards, combines neurophysiology, neuropsychology, and imaging to better understand and treat vestibular diseases.
Berta Alsina
Berta Alsina (PhD) is Associate Professor and Vice-Director at the Department of Medicine and Life Sciences at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. She leads a research group exploring inner ear development and the genetic causes of hearing loss and vertigo using zebrafish and human organoids. She has several key publications in inner ear biology and is principal investigator on numerous national grants.
Vincent van Rompaey
Vincent van Rompaey (MD/PhD) is Professor at the University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, where he also directs the Experimental Laboratory of Translational Neurosciences. His research spans fundamental studies in mouse models and clinical aspects of hearing loss, bilateral vestibulopathy, cochlear implantation, and innovative inner ear therapies. Within the PROVIDE network, he also leads training-related activities.
Christian Chabbert
Christian Chabbert (PhD) is Research Director at CNRS. As a neurophysiologist he mainly dedicated his research to the mechanisms of neuronal plasticity in the vestibule and to its functional correlates. He is an expert in sensory neuroscience and molecular electrophysiology. He is Director of the CNRS unit GDR2074 (Research Groupe in vertigo: http://gdrvertige) which gathers French research teams and clinical services involved in Neurotology research. Within the PROVIDE network, he also leads impact-related activities.
Herman Kingma
Herman Kingma (PhD) is professor at Aalborg University Hospital in Aalborg, Denmark, and emeritus professor at Maastricht University Medical Center in Maastricht, the Netherlands. By utilizing a multidisciplinary approach and collaborating with experts in various fields such as neurology, otolaryngology, and engineering, his research bridges the gap between fundamental investigation and clinical application. His work has been essential in advancing the treatment of vestibular disorders with the development of implantable vestibular protheses and wearable devices.
Patrick Hübner
Patrick Hübner (PhD) currently leads the Vestibular Research and Clinical Systems department at MED-EL in Innsbruck, Austria. His academic training includes a PhD in Biomedical/Medical Engineering from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and a BS/MS degree in Medical Engineering from University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria in Wels, Austria. He specializes in bioengineering research and development in the vestibular field.
Beneficiaries
Associated Partners
External Advisory Board
Ruth Anne Eatock
Ruth Anne Eatock (PhD) is Professor at the University of Chicago, USA and renowned for her work in understanding balance and inner ear function and brings fundamental scientific expertise to our network.
Anita Bhandari
Anita Bhandari (MD) is both a clinician and an entrepreneur and leads the Vertigo and Ear Clinic in Jaipur, India. She brings a unique blend of medical expertise and innovative business acumen to our network.
Paul Delano
Paul Delano (MD/PhD) is Professor at the University of Chile in Santiago. His medical research and clinical practice focuses on inner ear and balance disorders.
Angélica Pérez Fornos
Angélica Pérez Fornos (PhD) is the head of engineering of the Western Switzerland University Cochlear Implants Center and of the laboratory of Audiology of the Geneva University Hospital.