Director:  prof. Massimo Turatto
Deputy-Director:  prof. Massimiliano Zampini

Programme duration: 4 years 

Doctoral Programme

The PhD in Cognitive and Brain Sciences is promoted by CIMeC, the Interdepartmental Mind/Brain Center of UniTrento. The training program is based on multi-disciplinary skills in the area of ​​mind and brain sciences that characterize the teaching staff involved in the PhD. A fundamental resource are the laboratories, which offer the most advanced methods for the study of the neural correlates of cognitive functions (3T fMRI, EEG, MEG, TMS, NIRS), for the measurement of human and animal behavior (movement kinematics, eye movements , equipment for the collection of psychophysical data), for molecular neurobiology and neuroanatomy, for the collection of neurophysiological data and for the modeling of brain functioning mechanisms (neuroinformatics). In this context, PhD students can acquire high-level skills in specific research sectors, both basic and applied. Furthermore, the strong interdisciplinary format favors the development of innovative and frontier paths in the field of cognitive neuroscience through the integration of knowledge from different research areas but linked by a common scientific interest, the study of the nervous system, of mental processes and of behaviour. There are also seminar initiatives that enhance the educational potential of training definable as "traineeship", where doctoral students are called to play an active role in their research. The PhD lasts 4 years; the activities are carried out in English and require active participation. The training environment is enriched by the presence of numerous post-docs and by a large flow of researchers and visiting professors from Italy and abroad.

Research subjects

  • Action and Intention Understanding
  • Conceptual representations
  • Decision making and reasoning
  • Dementia and cognitive decline
  • Development
  • Human-centric Machine Intelligence
  • Language
  • Memory
  • Motor control and action planning
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Neuroimaging and brain connectivity
  • Numerical cognition
  • Perception and attention
  • Vision

All courses will be held in English starting from the first year.

Scientific Areas

  • General Psychology
  • Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology
  • Physiology
  • Information Processing Systems
  • Neurology
  • Neurosurgery
  • Applied Physics
  • Linguistics
  • Informatics