VITA
Benno Belke works at the intersection of cognitive science, aesthetic perception, and audible design.
His articles have gained attention in psychological science (e.g., Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology, 4th ed.), philosophical aesthetics (e.g., Lopes, 2018, Aesthetics on the Edge, Oxford University Press), as well as popular scientific literature (e.g., New Scientist, 2012, issue 2873). He co-authored an aesthetic information processing model that has received more than 2000 scholarly citations. He serves as a reviewer for the following journals: Frontiers in Psychology, PLOS ONE, Behavioural Sciences, Psych, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, and Art & Perception. He was a deputy project leader within the Collaborative Research Centre on Aesthetic Experience and the Dissolution of Artistic Limits at the Free University Berlin.
Benno has been involved in several Sonic Arts projects in public spaces across Europe, including Expo Leeds (UK), Danish History Museum (Denmark), Art Pie International (Netherlands), Carte Blanche (France), and Autocenter (Germany). Notably, he was commissioned to compose a large-scale generative sound field for the Platz der Weltausstellung in Hannover with support from the North German Broadcast (NDR), which was selected for permanent diffusion in 2012.
In 2011, Steinberg Media Technology awarded him first prize for best film sound design and music for Ciril Braem's psycho-drama "Mein Prinz. Mein König".
Since 2023, Benno is also a co-founder and CEO of PsyAiHance GmbH, a science-driven startup specializing in AI-based health solutions and sensual enhancement.
Benno earned a Ph.D. with distinction in Psychology from the University of Vienna's Department of Basic Psychology, recognized as a leading interdisciplinary hub for Cognitive Sciences Research. His dissertation was supervised by Prof. Dr. Helmut Leder, a former President of the American Psychological Association (Division 10). Before his Ph.D., Benno completed an M.A. in Psychology (Dipl. Psych.) from the Free University Berlin and a first-class BA (Hons) in Sonic Arts from Middlesex University, London.