On Tuesday, June 2, 2026, John Tuff successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled "The Action Control Network in the Avian Brain". John was funded by the Max Planck School of Cognition and investigated how the avian brain controls and coordinates behaviour. With a multitude of advanced and complex methods, John discovered key behavioural and neural mechanisms of multitasking and working memory in pigeons and in addition, provided important methodological advances for future research. During his defense, John demonstrated an impressive breadth of knowledge and a deep understanding of the neural basis of cognition. The committee was impressed and awarded his dissertation with a magna cum laude.

Congratulations, John! We are all proud of you!!