ReLAION-natural
Naturalistic images and embeddings for vision research.
I developed pipelines for image classification, quality checks, and feature extraction to curate the dataset.
Johannes Roth
Machine learning engineer & PhD researcher.
I build computer-vision systems, data pipelines, and software for research. I study how vision models relate to human brain activity.
Selected work
More on GitHub 
re:vision
Website, data services, and annotation tools for a replication initiative.
I developed the website, data services, and annotation tools, and contributed to preprocessing and documentation. I also helped design dataset splits for training and evaluating models.
LAION-fMRI
A public brain-imaging dataset for visual neuroscience.
I built the website and cloud-based download services. I also helped preprocess the data and develop a framework for selecting experimental stimuli.
from thingsvision import get_extractor
extractor = get_extractor(
model_name="alexnet",
source="torchvision",
device="cuda",
pretrained=True,
)thingsvision
A common interface for extracting and comparing vision-model features.
I contributed to the software architecture, model integration, and memory efficiency.
Expertise
- Machine learning & data science
- Building models and using data to understand patterns, make predictions, and support decisions.
- Production ML systems
- Making ML systems reliable, efficient, and maintainable in everyday use.
- Data engineering
- Making data accessible, consistent, and useful for analysis and applications.
- Backend & web development
- Building useful applications and services with clear interfaces and maintainable architecture.
- Research & experimental design
- Turning open questions into testable ideas, sound experiments, and clear conclusions.
- Project ownership & collaboration
- Shaping the work, coordinating with others, and seeing projects through.
Research & publications
Google ScholarAt the Max Planck Institute and University of Giessen, I study how visual representations in models relate to the human brain.
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Characterizing Universal Object Representations Across Vision Models
Mahner*, Roth* et al. · NeurIPS 2026 (accepted) · Shared first author
About this paper
We compared the object similarity structure of 162 vision models to distinguish universal from model-specific dimensions, and related that structure to image properties, neural activity, and human judgments.
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How to sample the world for understanding the visual system
Roth & Hebart · CCN · Oral
About this paper
How does the choice of images affect what we can learn about the visual brain? We compared image-sampling strategies using simulations and fMRI data to study dataset coverage and model generalization.
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Ten principles for reliable, efficient, and adaptable coding in psychology and cognitive neuroscience
Roth*, Duan* et al. · Communications Psychology · Shared first author
CMBB Replication Award · 2025
About this paper
A practical guide to research software, covering project organization, testing, documentation, version control, and collaboration.
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Fine-grained image and category information in ventral visual pathway
Badwal, Bergmann, Roth et al. · J Neuroscience
Earlier publications
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High stimulus presentation rates for fMRI
Roth, Miyawaki & Hebart · VSS poster
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Multi-plane UNet++ Ensemble for Glioblastoma Segmentation
Roth et al. · MICCAI BrainLes 2021 proceedings
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Preferred stimuli for individual voxels in the human visual system
Roth, Seeliger, Schmid & Hebart · Cosyne poster
Experience & education
Full CV-
PhD Researcher · Computational Cognitive Neuroscience
Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences & University of Giessen
Independent research on vision models and human brain activity, with GPU-based data pipelines, fMRI experiments, and public research software.
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Research Scientist · Machine Learning in Medicine
ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig
Deep-learning models for brain-tumor segmentation and predictive models for clinical data, including mortality prediction and uncertainty estimation.
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Data Scientist / ML Engineer · Working student
CHECK24, Travel Vertical
Designed and deployed a production computer-vision service for 20 million hotel images. Improved recommendation-data pipelines, reducing update time by over 95%.
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Full-Stack Developer · Freelance
Kimetric UG
Delivered Django websites for Hebart Lab and the THINGS Initiative, from client requirements to deployment, Linux hosting, and maintenance.
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Data Scientist · Working student
Webdata Solutions GmbH (now Vistex)
Developed machine-learning models for product matching and image classification in e-commerce.
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Data Analyst · Working student
Mercateo Services GmbH & Co. KG
Data integration, reporting, and testing for an AWS-based data warehouse using Apache NiFi and Pentaho.
Education
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Doctoral candidate · Dr. rer. nat.
University of Giessen
Research focus: machine learning and computational neuroscience.
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M.Sc. Computer Science
Leipzig University · Grade 1.2
Master’s thesis: generative deep learning for visual processing in the human brain (grade 1.1).
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B.Sc. Business Information Systems
Leipzig University · Grade 1.5
Writing
All writing-
It's always clear from the outside
A passage from Art and Fear and what it says about how we see other people's work versus our own.
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$200 for a glimpse into the future (existential crisis included)
A month with Claude Max taught me how work, science, and life will change radically in the very near future.
Still Johannes.
A little less formal.
Here's what life looks like away from the screen: climbing, making music, reading, and having friends over for dinner.
A bit about me
Movement
My love for moving my body started with joining a breakdance crew at 17. These days I mostly boulder, lift weights, and do yoga. A day in the mountains with some climbing is hard to beat.
Music
A few years ago, I asked some friends if they wanted to start a band. Everyone said yes. We mostly play pop punk covers at birthday parties, but the dream of writing our own songs is still alive.
Food
I used to be an incredibly picky eater. Now I love throwing whole food ingredients together and having friends over for dinner. Hosting is a blast, even when it gets surprisingly stressful.
Meditation
Meditation and I have had an on-off relationship for over a decade. A ten-day silent retreat in 2024 changed a lot for me. I walked this forest path probably a hundred times and kept discovering something new.
On my shelves
Books, music, and movies.
Currently reading
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Art & Fear
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The Mind Illuminated
Music
I listen to a bit of everything. Spotify probably knows my taste better than I do.
Horror movie night
My wife and I watch horror movies with friends. I built a little recommender to help us choose.
Books I've read
Mindfulness & Contemplative
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Silence
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Old Path White Clouds
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You Are Here
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No Mud, No Lotus
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Peace Is Every Step
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When Things Fall Apart
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Full Catastrophe Living
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Wherever You Go...
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Why We Meditate
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The Art of Living
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Be Here Now
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After the Ecstasy, the Laundry
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The Attention Revolution
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The Book: On the Taboo
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The Wisdom of Insecurity
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Autobiography of a Yogi
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Doors of Perception
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The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide
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Food of the Gods
Fantasy, Sci-Fi & Horror
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Red Rising series
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The Kingkiller Chronicle
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A Song of Ice and Fire series
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The Expanse series
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The Belgariad series
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Mistborn series
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The 13th Paladin series
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The Three-Body Problem
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Dune
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It
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Island
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Malice
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Of Blood and Fire
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Gods of the Wyrdwood
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Magician
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The Dwarves
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Uldart: Die dunkle Zeit
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Der Turm der Bettler
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A Wizard of Earthsea
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Ender's Game
Nature & Adventure
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Braiding Sweetgrass
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Wild
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Into the Wild
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Into Thin Air
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Seven Years in Tibet
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Born to Run
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A Search in Secret India
Psychology & Growth
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Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents
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How to Do the Work
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Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?
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Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
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Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
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In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts
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How to Change Your Mind
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DARE
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Feeling Good
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A Liberated Mind
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Four Thousand Weeks
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Deep Work
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The Myth of Normal
Health & Body
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How Not to Die
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How Not to Age
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Food Rules
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Omnivore's Dilemma
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Deep Medicine
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Total Immersion
Essays, Work & Society
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24/6
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Smartphone Nation
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It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work
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The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
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How to Break Up with Your Phone
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Make Time
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We Should All Be Feminists
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Men Explain Things to Me
Science, Ideas & Practical Life
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The Road to Reality
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Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
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Tools of Titans
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How to Win Friends and Influence People
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The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
Life & Death
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When Breath Becomes Air
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Man's Search for Meaning
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That Good Night
Found okay
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The Obstacle Is the Way
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Stolen Focus
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The Wim Hof Method
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Atomic Habits
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Indistractable
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Waking Up
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Built to Move
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Kitchen Confidential
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The Comfort Crisis
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The Shallows
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It's always clear from the outside
A passage from Art and Fear and what it says about how we see other people's work versus our own.
-
$200 for a glimpse into the future (existential crisis included)
A month with Claude Max taught me how work, science, and life will change radically in the very near future.
Say hi
For research, collaborations, or a good conversation.