Christian Merkel studied Psychology at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg. He obtained his PhD in Prof. Ariel Schoenfelds lab investigating cortical mechanisms of visual attention.

As part of the Clinical Neurophysiology group in the Leibnitz Institute Magdeburg his research currently focuses on exploring the functional limits of object- and feature-based attentional control.

In order to understand perturbations in cortical networks underlying those visual attentional processes he collaborates with the Schmieder Kliniken in Heidelberg. To further insights into the involved functional networks, he is developing new techniques to spatially map primary sensory areas.