Cognitive, Computational and Social Neurosciences (CCSN)

Lucca, Italy

Learning type(s): In Person

Language(s): English

Duration: 3 years for PhD

Degrees available: PhD

Domains: Cognition and Neural Network, Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience, Motivation, Emotion and Behaviour, Motor Systems, Psychiatric and Cognitive Disorders, Sensory Systems

Subdomains: Affective disorders, Anatomy, Association cortex, Attention and Perception, Auditory system, Biological rhythms and sleep, Brain metabolism and behaviour, Brain-machine interface, Cognitive development and aging, Cognitive function, imaging and biomarkers, Computational clinical neuroscience, Development of neural systems, Homeostatic plasticity, Human consciousness, Imaging methods, Motor control, Multisensory integration, Physiology and imaging, Psychiatric disorders, Sleep: circuits, network activity, and behaviour, Social cognition and behavior, Structural plasticity, Tactile/somatosensory system, Visual cognition, Visual cortex: V1 and higher areas

The Mind, Brain, and Human Thought (MBHT) PhD program is structured around two complementary curricula:

Neuroscience, Experimental Psychology, and Psychophysiology (NEPP) – exploring the neural and psychological mechanisms underlying human behavior.
Human Thought: Philosophy, History, and Science (HT) – focusing on the philosophical, epistemological, and historical foundations of knowledge.

This interdisciplinary training program provides students with methodological and theoretical tools to study the human mind in its neurophysiological and cultural dimensions and its expression through thought and behavior.

The program is designed to foster conceptual understanding and thematic analysis of key topics in the study of the mind. Coursework spans a wide range of subjects, from the theory of emotions and clinical psychopathology to perception, cognition, brain plasticity, and consciousness. Students will also engage in courses on the philosophy of science, epistemology, and critical reasoning, which offer a deeper understanding of scientific knowledge, its methods, limitations, and societal implications—particularly within cognitive, behavioral, social, and medical sciences. Additionally, the curriculum includes historical and comparative courses on human thought, examining knowledge classification systems from classical to medieval times across Eastern and Western traditions.

At the same time, the program ensures rigorous technical training in psychological and neurophysiological research methods. Courses cover experimental design, statistical inference, and machine learning. Students will have the opportunity to develop and refine their expertise in analyzing brain data derived from structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, non-invasive brain stimulation, and peripheral psychophysiological data, including electrodermal, muscular, respiratory, and cardiac activity. Behavioral data analysis is also a core component of the training.

A key feature of the program is hands-on learning, where students engage directly in tasks and projects simulating experiments, encouraging a proactive approach to the learning process. This practical training is reinforced through final assessments, primarily in the form of applied projects that certify proficiency in using these techniques. This approach—leveraging the expertise of MBHT faculty—ensures that graduates develop a critical and informed use of essential tools for studying the complex relationship between mind, body, and brain.

Beyond technical skills and subject knowledge, the MBHT training program is committed to fostering integrity and ethics in research, fundamental pillars of a responsible scientific community. In addition, the program includes courses on the scientific publishing system, bibliographic research, and plagiarism prevention. Dedicated training on open science practices is also provided.

Coursework and Interdisciplinary Environment

During the first year, students are required to complete at least six courses with a final assessment and accumulate a minimum of 150 hours of coursework. To reinforce the program’s interdisciplinary approach, students must also attend at least 20 hours of coursework from the curriculum outside their primary area of enrollment.

Neuroscience, Experimental Psychology, and Psychophysiology (NEPP) curriculum

The Neuroscience, Experimental Psychology, and Psychophysiology (NEPP) curriculum within the MBHT PhD program focuses on the neural and psychological mechanisms underlying human behavior. It provides comprehensive training in neuroscience, experimental psychology, and psychophysiology. The curriculum is designed to offer a strong theoretical and practical foundation for understanding the interaction between the brain and body in generating thoughts, perceptions, emotions, and actions. It explores mental processes such as attention, awareness, language, perception, and social cognition using experimental methodologies and advanced techniques, including neuroimaging (fMRI and EEG), peripheral psychophysiology, and behavioral analysis.

The NEPP curriculum is structured around three main clusters: Conceptual Knowledge, Technical Skills, and Research Practices, Ethics, and Integrity.

The Conceptual Knowledge courses provide an in-depth understanding of topics ranging from affective sciences to clinical psychopathology, cognitive processes, brain plasticity, sleep, and consciousness.
The Technical Skills courses emphasize hands-on training in experimental design, statistical analysis, and the use of software for neurophysiological and behavioral data analysis. Practical learning sessions, including applied research projects that simulate experimental studies, ensure the acquisition of technical skills while promoting a critical and informed use of research tools.
The Research Practices, Ethics, and Integrity courses address essential aspects such as recognizing questionable research practices, fostering transparency and accountability in science, and conducting ethical experiments.

A key feature of the NEPP curriculum is its integration of neuroscientific, psychological, and computational approaches with the research methods and themes explored in the Human Thought: Philosophy, History, and Science (HT) curriculum. This includes conceptual analysis, the history of scientific thought (particularly in cognitive and social sciences), philosophy of mind, and cross-cultural perspectives. This interdisciplinary approach equips researchers with the tools to study mental and behavioral phenomena through joint research projects and continuous dialogue across disciplines.

The coursework, completed in the first year of the PhD program, provides the skills and knowledge necessary to develop innovative and interdisciplinary research projects. NEPP aims to train independent researchers capable of addressing contemporary challenges in the science of the mind.

Human Thought: Philosophy, History, and Science (HT) curriculum

The Human Thought: Philosophy, History, and Science (HT) curriculum offers an interdisciplinary doctoral training program for graduates seeking to specialize in research on the philosophy of science and the history of philosophy and thought. Human cognition—both as a subject and as an object of philosophical, historical, and scientific inquiry—is at the core of this curriculum. The program equips students with the conceptual, historical, and methodological tools needed to understand, analyze, and communicate current and future developments in knowledge, society, and civilization, framed within the philosophical and scientific traditions that have shaped them over time.

The HT curriculum includes both historical and analytical courses, organized into three main clusters: Paradigms of Sciences, Knowledge, Reasoning, and Cognition, and Values and Cultures.

The Paradigms of Sciences courses provide advanced courses in the philosophy of science and the historical analysis of scientific paradigms from antiquity to the Middle Ages, with an intercultural perspective.
The Knowledge, Reasoning, and Cognition courses explore the nature and challenges of human knowledge, integrating courses in critical thinking, logic, formal epistemology, and the history of philosophy and epistemology.
The Values and Cultures courses examine the cultural, ethical, and value-related aspects of science and cognition, with a particular focus on the interaction and mutual perception of different cultures from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Through its integration with the Neuroscience, Experimental Psychology, and Psychophysiology (NEPP) curriculum, the HT curriculum enables students to rigorously explore the neural and biological foundations of human thought, as well as the experimental and statistical techniques essential for studying behavior and the mind.

The coursework completed in the first year of the PhD program provides students with the necessary skills to design and conduct innovative, interdisciplinary research projects. Looking ahead, the HT curriculum prepares graduates for academic careers, teaching, and high-level professional roles in both the public and private sectors, where the ability to analyze and manage complex situations, integrate knowledge from the humanities and sciences, and engage with diverse cultural perspectives is essential.

For both curricula, the learning experience is further enriched by the interdisciplinary environment of the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, where interactions with fields such as engineering, physics, cultural heritage, law, computer science, psychology, philosophy, and economics foster knowledge exchange beyond traditional academic boundaries. Students are also encouraged to spend part of their studies abroad, either through the Erasmus+ program or tailored mobility agreements.

The full list of courses for the NEPP and HT curricula is available here: MBHT Academic Program

Research infrastructures and laboratories

Students will have access to state-of-the-art research facilities and laboratories, including the IMT Open Lab, an infrastructure developed as part of the 2023–2027 Department of Excellence project Economic and Digital Resilience (RED). The Open Lab is equipped for electrophysiology (EEG), non-invasive brain stimulation (TMS and TMS-EEG) and psychophysiology (eye tracking and peripheral biomarkers) research and features soundproof rooms for behavioral testing.

Additionally, students will have access to the CRONONC-Lab (integrated CRONObiology and NeuroCardiology) for sleep research, which includes polysomnographic measurement facilities at the Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio (FTGM) in Pisa. They will also have access to 3T and 7T MRI scanners at the FTGM in Massa, as well as at IMAGO7 and the IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris in Pisa.

Location

Piazza San Francesco, 19, Lucca, Province of Lucca, Italy