Professor Riecke’s research interests are mostly in the area of computational neuroscience. One focus are plasticity mechanisms and how they restructure neuronal networks. He is particularly fascinated by the role of feedback from higher brain areas in the restructuring of networks and the information processing performed by the networks resulting from it, as it is observed in the olfactory system. To gain insight into these phenomena he investigates predominantly networks of simplified neuron models. Another focus is the coherent dynamics of networks of simple and more complex neurons, which underlie the rhythmic activity observed in many brain areas. In work on the visual system he has focused on biophysically detailed neuron models for neurons in the retina and on the development of visual cortex V1. A second area of interest has been the study of spatially extended dynamical systems with focus on pattern formation. Specific topics investigated have been bifurcation theory with symmetry, spatially localized patterns, complex patterns, and spatio-temporal chaos.