Youtube video featuring Matteo Renzi and Petra Ritter
Watch this video

Brain simulation helps us understanding how our brain works – and developing personalized therapies for its diseases.

A human brain consists of 86 billion neurons and 150 trillion connections between them. It runs on as little energy as an LED light bulb. It would take 1,500 Google data centers (they only have 15) to simulate just one brain with molecular accuracy, costing 1 trillion dollar per year and consuming 600 terawatt hours.

Here at the Brain Simulation Section (part of Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin), we have been at the forefront of network-based brain simulation, computational neuroscience and its clinical application for more than 10 years.

In collaboration with other international research centers, we have developed a way to simulate a brain even on a laptop – with reduced complexity but feasible, sufficiently accurate, scalable and already used in practical clinical applications.

We work towards our vision of providing digital copies of a person’s brain to virtually plan and test personalized treatment of brain orders, e.g. Alzheimer’s, stroke, epilepsy or tumors.

Our team is growing fast and we would be happy to welcome you, e.g. as software developer, lab manager or research assistant! Check out our current job openings or send us your speculative application!

portrait photo

Brain Simulation Section is a research center of Charité Universitätsmedizin

Berlin Institute of Health @ Charité

Latest activities

See all
  • Nanditah Rajamanin defense illustration

    Congratulations Nanditah Rajamanin on a successful PhD thesis defence!

    July 20

    It is with great pleasure that we congratulate Nanditah Rajamanin on the successful PhD thesis defence this past Tuesday. A wonderful milestone!

    Our lab lead, Prof. Pretra Ritter, shared:

    "I

  • INCF2026-2

    Successful Bootcamp at INCF Brain Data Science 2026

    May 19

    The bootcamp at INCF Brain Data Science 2026 in Stockholm this year was a great success. Extra thanks to Marius Pille, Leon Martin and Leon Stefanovski for all their hard work and giving the two day hands-on workshop on [The Virtual Brain](https://www.th

  • Girls Day 2026

    Girls Day 2026

    April 29

    We recently had the pleasure of hosting Girl's day at the Brain Simulation Section in Berlin. We offered a series of workshops and talks to the group of students aged 12 to 18 who came to visit our lab and find out more about everyday working life in tran

  • Kiiu-Pearl Ringuette Shimura

    Internship: Kiiu Ringuette

    April 29

    We recently had the pleasure of hosting Kiiu-Pearl Ringuette Shimura as an intern at the Brain Simulation Section. Kiiu wrote a short report about her experience at the lab:

    I am Kiiu-Pearl Ringuette Shimura. I am fifteen years of age and presently a

Meet our team

See all