Neuroscience is a multidisciplinary research area of significant scientific importance that has grown exponentially in recent years. This growth is thanks to the combined application of molecular and cellular technologies, which have allowed for a deeper understanding of how the brain works. The curriculum of this PhD program aims to provide students with the in-depth knowledge needed to understand the unique mechanisms of brain function and the neural processes behind cognitive functions, behavior, and learning. This includes both physiological and pathological conditions, with a particular focus on neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Thematic Areas:
The relevant disciplinary fields, which include both theoretical aspects and specific research
methodologies, are integrated and cover psychiatry, molecular and cellular neurobiology, biochemistry, neuropharmacology, neurophysiology, cognitive neuroscience, behavioral biology, psychobiology, and neuropsychology. In line with the most current approaches to studying the brain-mind relationship, the program provides the foundation to move from a basic reductionist approach to a progressively more integrated functionalist one.
Educational Objectives
The PhD Program in Basic and Clinical Neuroscience offers advanced, interdisciplinary training
on the study of the nervous system, with both clinical and social applications.
Main Objectives:
- Integrate basic and clinical research to understand the molecular and pathophysiological mechanisms of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. The program provides PhD students with advanced theoretical, practical, and technological skills (e.g., molecular biology, neurochemistry, electrophysiology, neurogenetics, animal behavior).
- Deepen understanding of learning and memory processes in both normal and pathological conditions. This includes developing tools to improve cognitive performance and educational pathways, with therapeutic and support implications for specific needs.
- Train independent, creative, and rigorous researchers who can integrate into national and international collaborative networks.
Career and Professional Opportunities
The PhD in Basic and Clinical Neuroscience offers candidates the opportunity to train in excellent university and non-university laboratories, including international ones.
Upon completion of the program, PhD graduates will be able to:
- Conduct research projects autonomously.
- Integrate basic and clinical methodologies.
- Propose technological innovations.
- Work in multidisciplinary teams.
Transdisciplinary Educational Activities
- Language enhancement
- IT skills enhancement
- Research management and knowledge of European and international research systems
- Valorization and dissemination of results, intellectual property, and open access to
research data and products - Fundamental principles of ethics, gender equality, and integrity
- Interdepartmental scientific seminars with a weekly schedule
- Scientific seminars with national and international speakers
Specific Courses Offered
- Neurochemistry
- Cellular and animal models of human neurological diseases
- Neurogenetics
- Stem Cells in Neuroscience
- Microbiome and the gut-brain axis
- Sensory and cognitive neuroscience
- Mitochondrial pathophysiology in Neuroscience
- Chronobiology and Neuroscience
- Methodology in Scientific Research
- Bioethics
Coordinator:
Members of the Academic Board:
- Mario Altamura
- Mario Amendola
- Carlo Avolio
- Antonello Bellomo
- Giuseppe Cibelli
- Luigi Cipolloni
- Giovanna D'Andrea
- Maria D’Apolito
- Daniela Fiocco
- Onofrio Laselva
- Giuseppe Maccagnano
- Angela Bruna Maffione
- Maurizio Margaglione
- Consiglia Pacelli
- Claudia Piccoli
- Francesca Sanguedolce
- Rosa Santacroce
- Rosella Scrima
- Anna Valenzano
- Antonio Ventriglio
Foreign universities and other entities
- Michela Deleidi
- Evandro Fei Fang
- Stefano Pluchino
- Louis Trudeau
Components Other staff, companies, public administration, cultural institutions, and research infrastructures
- Gianluigi Mazzoccoli
PhD students in the Basic and Clinical Neuroscience program are actively involved in "Third Mission" activities, with the goal of promoting the dissemination of scientific knowledge and the transfer of research results to the socio-economic context. Specifically, they participate in conferences, public seminars, science festivals, and public engagement initiatives aimed at schools, associations, and the general public, thereby contributing to the spread of scientific culture and the promotion of public health.
They also collaborate with healthcare facilities, public and private entities, as well as biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, facilitating processes of technological transfer and innovation. Finally, they take part in projects and activities with a direct social impact, such as prevention programs, the promotion of active aging, and support for people with specific needs, thereby strengthening the role of the PhD program as a bridge between the university, the productive sector, and civil society.
In order to optimize the procedures for authorization and reimbursement of missions for participation in scientific initiatives in Italy and abroad, it is necessary to follow the following steps:
- Send an email, preferably with at least seven days' notice, to the Coordinator and the secretariat requesting authorization for the mission, in accordance with the designated tutor. If available, attach the event flyer or other documentation related to the initiative you intend to participate in.
- Once you have received approval from the Coordinator via email, send the authorization request form reserved for doctoral students to the Administration and Accounting Service
- (email: antonio.demeo@unifg.it) for the necessary internal procedures. The form should be completed and signed in each section. - For the mission, it is possible to request a cash advance, for which the form must be completed and attached to the aforementioned mission assignment.
- At the end of the mission, submit the duly signed reimbursement request form to the Administration and Accounting Service, along with all the original supporting documents for the mission. Travel, meal, and accommodation expenses, receipts, and invoices must be submitted in their original form, accompanied by boarding passes, even if electronic. Authorization for the mission is always necessary, regardless of any subsequent request for expense reimbursement.
The PhD program requires a mandatory period of training abroad, whose activation procedure should be addressed to the University Doctoral Office.