diff --git a/.github/workflows/docker-image-build.yml b/.github/workflows/docker-image-build.yml
index 9dffbc0..8aa34fa 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docker-image-build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docker-image-build.yml
@@ -34,6 +34,30 @@ jobs:
           DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}
           DOCKER_HUB_ACCESS_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_ACCESS_TOKEN }}
 
+  build-2-20-2:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-2404
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Build 2.20.2 Docker image
+        run: |
+          docker build ./src/2.20.2 --tag nest/nest-simulator:2.20.2
+
+      - name: Check NEST 2.20.2
+        run: |
+          docker run --rm nest/nest-simulator:2.20.2 python3 -c "import nest" | grep "Version:"
+
+      - name: Push 2.20.2 to Docker Hub
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+        with:
+          context: ./src/2.20.2
+          push: true
+          tags: nest/nest-simulator:2.20.2
+        env:
+          DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}
+          DOCKER_HUB_ACCESS_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_ACCESS_TOKEN }}
+
   build-3-9:
 
     runs-on: ubuntu-2404
diff --git a/src/2.20.2/Dockerfile b/src/2.20.2/Dockerfile
index 83f01bf..9b546d3 100644
--- a/src/2.20.2/Dockerfile
+++ b/src/2.20.2/Dockerfile
@@ -1,103 +1,58 @@
-FROM ubuntu:focal
-LABEL maintainer="s.graber@fz-juelich.de"
+FROM ubuntu:22.04
 
-ENV TERM=xterm \
-    TZ=Europe/Berlin \
-    DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
+ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
 
-RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
-    build-essential libtool automake autotools-dev libreadline8 libreadline-dev freeglut3-dev \
-    gosu \
-    curl \
-    cmake \
-    cython3 \
-    jq \
-    jupyter-notebook \
-    less \
-    libboost-filesystem-dev \
-    libboost-regex-dev \
-    libboost-wave-dev \
-    libboost-program-options-dev \
-    libboost-test-dev \
-    libgomp1 \
-    libgsl-dev \
-    libltdl7 \
-    libltdl-dev \
-    libmusic1v5 \
-    libopenmpi-dev \
-    libomp-dev \
-    libpcre3 \
-    libpcre3-dev \
-    libpython3.8 \
-    llvm-dev \
-    nano \
-    openmpi-bin \
-    openssh-client \
-    openssh-server \
-    pandoc \
-    pep8 \
-    python3-dev \
-    python3-flask \
-    python3-flask-cors \
-    python3-restrictedpython \
-    python3-ipython \
-    python3-matplotlib \
-    python3-mpi4py \
-    python3-nose \
-    python3-numpy \
-    python3-pandas \
-    python3-path \
-    python3-pip \
-    python3-scipy \
-    python3-setuptools \
-    python3-sphinx \
-    python3-statsmodels \
-    python3-tk \
-    python-dev \
-    vera++ \
-    wget  && \
-    apt-get autoremove -y && \
-    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* 
+RUN apt-get update \
+    && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+       build-essential cmake git wget ca-certificates pkg-config \
+       ipython3 python3-dev python3-pip python3-setuptools python3-venv python3-six python3-numpy \
+       gfortran libgsl-dev libreadline-dev libncurses-dev libblas-dev liblapack-dev \
+       openmpi-bin libopenmpi-dev libboost-all-dev swig libtool autoconf automake \
+       zlib1g-dev libjemalloc-dev \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
-# # Install music
-# RUN wget https://github.com/INCF/MUSIC/archive/master.tar.gz && \
-#     tar -zxf master.tar.gz && \
-#     mkdir music-build music-install && \
-#     cd MUSIC-master && \
-#     sh ./autogen.sh && \
-#     cd ../music-build && \
-#     ../MUSIC-master/configure --prefix=/opt/music-install && \
-#     make && \
-#     make install && \
-#     cd / && \
-#     rm master.tar.gz
+# create isolated python virtual environment and install required pip packages
+RUN python3 -m venv /opt/venv \
+    && /opt/venv/bin/pip install --upgrade pip \
+    && /opt/venv/bin/pip install --force-reinstall --no-cache-dir numpy cython==0.29.36 six scipy jupyter nestml \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
-# Install NEST
-RUN wget https://github.com/nest/nest-simulator/archive/refs/tags/v2.20.2.tar.gz && \
-    mkdir /nest-build && \
-    tar zxf v2.20.2.tar.gz && \
-    cd  /nest-build && \
-    cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX:PATH=/opt/nest/ \
-        -Dwith-python=3 \
-        -Dwith-mpi=ON \
-        -Dwith-openmp=ON \
-        ../nest-simulator-2.20.2 &&\
-    make && make install
+WORKDIR /opt
 
-RUN python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip setuptools wheel mock --user &&\
-    python3 -m pip install quantities lazyarray neo --user && \
-    python3 -m pip install uwsgi --user &&\
-    python3 -m pip install PyNN --user && \
-    python3 -m pip install Flask --user && \
-    python3 -m pip install Flask-cors --user && \
-    python3 -m pip install RestrictedPython --user && \
-    python3 -m pip install nest-desktop --user &&\
-    python3 -m pip install uwsgi --user &&\
-    python3 -m pip install nestml --user
+# ensure MPI compilers are used by CMake
+ENV CC=/usr/bin/mpicc
+ENV CXX=/usr/bin/mpicxx
 
-RUN python3 -m pip install jupyterlab --user
+# Download NEST 2.20.2 source and build
+RUN wget -O nest-2.20.2.tar.gz https://github.com/nest/nest-simulator/archive/refs/tags/v2.20.2.tar.gz \
+    && tar xzf nest-2.20.2.tar.gz \
+    && mv nest-simulator-2.20.2 nest \
+    # Workaround: Remove lines with '/time 0.0' from test_noise_generator.sli to avoid known test failures in some environments
+    && sed -i '/\/time 0.0/d' /opt/nest/testsuite/unittests/test_noise_generator.sli \
+    && mkdir -p nest/build \
+        && cd nest/build \
+        && cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/opt/nest -DCMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR=lib \
+            -Dwith-python=ON -DPYTHON_EXECUTABLE=/usr/bin/python3 -DCYTHON_EXECUTABLE=/opt/venv/bin/cython \
+            -Dwith-mpi=ON -Dwith-openmp=ON -Dwith-gsl=/usr \
+            -Dwith-hdf5=OFF -Dstatic-libraries=OFF -Dwith-boost=ON \
+    && make -j"$(nproc)" \
+    && make install \
+    && ldconfig
 
-COPY entrypoint.sh /usr/local/bin/entrypoint.sh
-RUN chmod +x /usr/local/bin/entrypoint.sh
-EXPOSE 5000 8000 8080
-ENTRYPOINT ["/usr/local/bin/entrypoint.sh"]
+ENV VIRTUAL_ENV=/opt/venv
+ENV PATH="/opt/venv/bin:/opt/nest/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"
+ENV LD_LIBRARY_PATH="/opt/nest/lib:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}"
+ENV PYTHONPATH="/opt/nest/lib/python3.10/site-packages:${PYTHONPATH}"
+ENV NEST_INSTALL_DIR=/opt/nest
+# Allow OpenMPI/mpirun to run as root (needed for Docker test/CI)
+ENV OMPI_ALLOW_RUN_AS_ROOT=1
+ENV OMPI_ALLOW_RUN_AS_ROOT_CONFIRM=1
+
+# Sanity check during build (image will still build even if this fails)
+RUN if command -v nest-config >/dev/null 2>&1; then nest-config --version; else echo "nest-config not found"; fi
+
+# Ensure entrypoint.sh is executable
+COPY entrypoint.sh /opt/entrypoint.sh
+RUN chmod +x /opt/entrypoint.sh
+
+ENTRYPOINT ["/opt/entrypoint.sh"]
diff --git a/src/2.20.2/entrypoint.sh b/src/2.20.2/entrypoint.sh
index fcaa212..2a7c624 100644
--- a/src/2.20.2/entrypoint.sh
+++ b/src/2.20.2/entrypoint.sh
@@ -5,33 +5,16 @@ IP_ADDRESS=$(hostname --ip-address)
 # NEST environment
 source /opt/nest/bin/nest_vars.sh
 
-# Running NEST to test and to copy the .nestrc into /home/nest
-#nest --help
-
-export MUSIC_ROOT_DIR=/opt/music-install
-export MUSIC_ROOT=${MUSIC_ROOT_DIR}
-MUSIC_PATH=${MUSIC_ROOT_DIR}
-export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=${MUSIC_PATH}/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
-export PATH=${MUSIC_PATH}/bin:$PATH
-export CPATH=${MUSIC_PATH}/include:$CPATH
-export PYTHONPATH=${MUSIC_PATH}/lib/python3.8/site-packages:$PYTHONPATH
-
-
 MODE="${NEST_CONTAINER_MODE:-$1}"
 if [[ "${MODE}" = 'interactive' ]]; then
     read -p "Your python script: " name
     echo Starting: $name
-    # Start
     mkdir -p /opt/data; cd /opt/data
     exec python3 /opt/data/$name
 
-# elif [[ "${MODE}" = 'jupyterlab' ]]; then
-#     mkdir -p /opt/data; cd /opt/data
-#     exec /root/.local/bin/jupyter lab --ip="${IP_ADDRESS}" --port=8080 --no-browser --allow-root
-
 elif [[ "${MODE}" = 'notebook' ]]; then
     mkdir -p /opt/data; cd /opt/data
-    exec /root/.local/bin/jupyter notebook --ip="${IP_ADDRESS}" --port=8080 --no-browser --allow-root
+    exec jupyter notebook --ip="${IP_ADDRESS}" --port=8080 --no-browser --allow-root
 
 else
     exec "$@"