Acknowledgements

I dedicate this thesis, first and foremost, to my wife, Vera. Thank you for your unwavering love, your constant words of encouragement, and the infectious joy of life you share with me every day. I am the luckiest person in the world to have you by my side.

My deepest gratitude goes to my supervisor, Markus Lappe. I hold him in the highest regard as a mentor and scientific role model. Since my first tentative steps as a scientist, Markus has patiently and trustingly opened so many doors and illuminated countless paths, thereby immeasurably expanding my scientific world. I particularly value our many insightful discussions, which consistently challenged my thinking and greatly enriched the research presented in this thesis.

I am profoundly grateful to the many other mentors who shaped my professional development through insightful discussions and unwavering support: Steffen Nestler and Mitja Back were the first to place their trust in me, encouraging me to take the leap and simply begin working on scientific projects. Katharina Rifai taught me how to ambitiously carry out a project from start to finish and how to continually develop myself in the process. Siegfried Wahl showed me how to be innovative at the organizational level and how to structure teams to foster the development of new ideas. Diederick Niehorster motivated me to understand even the trickiest topics in exhaustive detail. Gerd Bruder taught me how to maintain motivation and momentum, even when time became scarce in the final stages of the project. Frank Steinicke demonstrated the art of rapid innovation. Tamara Watson gave me significant self-confidence and trust in my own abilities, showing me how scientific skills can be applied across a variety of projects, and how strong collaboration leads to superior results. Szonya Durant taught me the profound importance of a supportive social environment for project progress and motivated me to pay close attention to the smallest details, ultimately helping me complete this thesis. Heiko Wagner provided interesting insights into biomechanics that inspired my thinking about perception during locomotion. Finally, Christian Becker-Carus, who showed me how to remain curious and engaged, even in old age. All of these individuals took me seriously from the very beginning and offered generous, friendly support. They are all fantastic and very different role models who collectively showed me new ways to approach science and made me a better researcher.

My daily work has been immeasurably enriched by the colleagues I have worked alongside in Münster. I want to thank Gianni Bremer, Sabine Tepper, Annegret Meermeier, Phil Wieland, Maren Westendorf, Taravat Anvari, Svenja Gremmler, Malte Scherff, Krischan Koerfer, Frauke Heins, Christian Wolf, Jana Masselink, Anna Hülemeier, Johannes Kirchner, Joscha Stecker, Sigurd Hadamus, Jaclyn Oltmann, Fabian Ptok, and Sergej Buchhorn. Thank you for your collaboration, the many fruitful discussions, and for making my time there so much more enjoyable. Finally, I would like to specifically remember Harry for his friendship. I still miss him every time I walk past his office.

I am deeply and eternally grateful to my family. To my mother, thank you for the unconditional support that accompanied every endeavour I ever pursued. You instilled in me curiosity, creativity, humour, and taught me to treat others with care. To my sisters, Rabea and Flora, thank you for your unconditional sibling love. I couldn’t imagine better sisters, and I am immensely proud of the different paths we are taking in our lives. To my father, thank you for teaching me to think outside the box and for demonstrating that most technical problems can be solved with perseverance and pragmatic, trial-and-error problem-solving. I am also eternally grateful to my grandparents, who were always so proud of me, encouraged my ambition, and supported my adventurous spirit. Finally, thank you to the rest of my very large family, who have shown me since birth that friendship and love speak many languages and do not end at national borders. I am also grateful to Vera’s family for welcoming me with such open arms.

My sincere gratitude extends also to my friends, who have been invaluable pillars of support. First and foremost, Hendrik, Jann, and Paul, who have been with me for as long as I can remember. Having friends with whom you can share your entire life is one of the greatest gifts in the world, and I would not be the person I am today without you. Thank you to Hannah, Lena, and Luke, who taught me how to navigate university and who have always been there to offer the right advice at the right time. Without them, I certainly would not have had the courage to even begin a PhD. Thank you to Pauline, Johannes, Lydia, Diogo, Laura, Freddy, Judith, Sarah, Andi, and Milena, who made Münster my true home for so many years and who ensure today that I can feel at home in many places at once. The same goes for Caterina, Marinke, Neil, François, Aash, Isabelle, Will and Anne, Jakob, Matthi, Theresa, Sandra, Fabian, Matt, Eleanor, and Marianne, who all welcomed me with open arms when I arrived in cities where I did not know anyone. Having so many loved ones and friends who feel like one big family spread across the globe is truly invaluable.

Then there are my track and field coaches and mentors: Sina, Dennis, Robert, and Micha. Together, you taught me the discipline required to maintain ambition over long periods and how to organize myself in a goal-oriented manner. You also enabled me to gain significant experience and self-confidence in leading groups. Thank you!

Finally, thank you to my teachers who provided the foundation for this entire journey. Special thanks go to Felix Platzköster, who sparked my interest in mathematics and statistics; Annette Bagusche, who first inspired me with empiricism, theories, and biological principles; Eckard Köhler, who taught me the most important basics of programming and sparked my enthusiasm for open source and finally Stefanie Tiemann, the best primary school teacher I could have wished for.

Declaration of Academic Integrity

I hereby confirm that this thesis, entitled, "How We See, Perceive and Act: Analysing Eye Movements in Virtual Reality" is solely my own work and that I have used no sources or aids other than the ones stated. All passages in my thesis for which other sources, including electronic media, have been used, be it direct quotes or content references, have been acknowledged as such and the sources cited. I am aware that plagiarism is considered an act of deception which can result in sanction in accordance with the examination regulations. I confirm that I am aware that my work may be cross-checked with other texts to identify possible similarities and that it may be stored in a database for this purpose. I confirm that I have not submitted the following thesis in part or whole as an examination paper before.

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