Dr. Sofie Valk is a neuroscientist, Head of the Cognitive Neurogenetics Lab at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, and Research Group Leader at the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behavior (INM-7), Research Centre in Jülich, Germany, where she studies the interplay of genetic factors and social behavior on brain structure.

In this episode, we talk about Sofie’s background in neuroscience and cognitive science, her PhD research on how brain structure relates to empathy and theory of mind, and her current research on genetic factors relating to brain development and social cognition. Additionally, we discuss the nature and nurture debate in the context of neurogenetics research, and how genetic influences can be modeled by comparing twins, siblings, and non-related strangers for similarity.