Current Position: Full Professor of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Medicine & Surgery, Unit of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Italy.
Director of the Lab of Social Cognitive Neuroscience of the University of Parma.
Director of the Lab Neuroscience and the Humanities of the University of Parma.
Einstein Fellow (2016-2020) Berlin School of Mind & Brain, Humboldt University, Germany
Adjunct Senior Research Scholar (2023-present), Italian Academy for Advanced Styudy in America, Columbia University, New York, USA.
Coordinator of the PhD Program in Neuroscience of the University of Parma (2007-2022).
Director of the Doctoral School of Medicine of the University of Parma (2011-2022).
Nationality: Italian.
Civil Status: Married, father of two children.
Education
Degree in Neurology, Neurological Dept., University of Parma, Parma, Italy, 1989.
MD, School of Medicine, University of Parma, Italy, 1985.
Honors
2025: Lifetime Achievement Award, Società Italiana di Psichiatria Sociale.
2023-present: Member of the Academia Europaea.
2022: Honorary Fellow, The American College of Psychiatrists.
2021: Professor Honoris Causa, International Institute for Hermeneutics, University of Warsaw, Poland.
2021: Neuroscience Prize – Italian Society for Neuroethics and Philosophy of Mind.
2019: Humboldt Forschung Preis - Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung.
2019: Sloan-Menninger-Shevrin Prize - International Neuropsychoanalysis Society.
2016-20: Einstein Fellow – Berlin School of Mind & Brain, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
2015: Kanizsa Lecture – Society for Gestalt Theory and its Applications, Parma, Italy.
2013-14: KOSMOS Professor Fellowship, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
2013: Musatti Prize, Italian Psychoanalytic Society.
2010: Arnold Pfeffer Prize for Neuropsychoanalysis. International Neuropsychoanalysis Society, New York, U.S.A.
2009: Doctor Honoris Causa, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.
2009: Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary Club Milano Scala, Italy.
2007: Grawemeyer Award for Psychology. University of Louisville, KY, USA.
2002: George Miller Visiting Professor Fellowship. University of California, Berkeley, USA.
1993: Postdoctoral Fellowship, Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan: Dept. of Physiology, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan.
1988: Fellow, Lions International Club Parma: Institut d'Anatomie, Faculte de Medicine, Universite de Lausanne, Suisse.
1983: Fellow, International Federation of Medical Students Association: Dept. of Neurology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Research Interests
Cognitive Neuroscience, Experimental Aesthetics, Neuropsychology, Psychopathology, Philosophy of Mind.
Scientific activity
The research activity of Vittorio Gallese since the beginning focused on the relationship between the sensory-motor system and cognition in non-human primates and humans. This research along the years dealt with the way the brain represents space, the visuo-motor processes presiding over reaching-to-grasp actions and action understanding, by means of single neurons recordings in macaque monkeys, and of brain imaging techniques, TMS and behavioral and electrophysiological methods in humans. In more recent years Vittorio Gallese broadened his research interests to the field of cognitive science, investigating the neurobiological basis of intersubjectivity, empathy, aesthetics, language and theory of mind. He also applies neuroscientific methods to study Autism and Schizophrenia. Since many years he is involved in fruitful multidisciplinary collaborations with scholars of other disciplines, like philosophy of mind (collaborating with Alvin Goldman, Thomas Metzinger, Corrado Sinigaglia), cognitive linguistics (collaborating with George Lakoff and Art Glenberg), aesthetics (collaborating with David Freedberg and Maurizio Forte), psychiatry and psychoanalysis (collaborating with Morris Eagle, Paolo Migone, Thomas Fuchs, and Josef Parnas) and narratology (collaborating with Hannah Wojchiehowski and Michele Cometa). The major scientific contribution of Vittorio Gallese consisted of the discovery of mirror neurons, together with his colleagues of Parma, and of the development of a unified model of basic aspects of intersubjectivity: Embodied Simulation Theory.
Vittorio Gallese’s scientific activity is testified by more than 300 scientific publications in peer-reviewed international scientific journals and international scientific edited books six books as auythor and and three books as curator.
Scopus h-index (251 publications): =82. 52286 citations.
Google Scholar h-index=116; i10-index = 362. 118665 citations.
International and National Grants
2023-2025 PRIN 2022NSWYK4 Wombwise (255.461 euro), Project Coordinator.
2022-2025 PNRR PE00000006 MNESYS (127.750 euro), PI.
2022-2024 PRIN 2020YB7J25 (147.415 euro), PI.
2022-2025 US Army 76597-IN-INT "Multimodal Emotional State Monitoring for Enhancing social inteRactions", co-PI with Luca Bonini, (396.655 $)
2011-14 P.I of the Marie-Curie Training Network TESIS, Project N. 264828 (675.280 euros)
2008-11 P.I. of the Marie-Curie Training Network DISCOS, Project N. 35975 (350.492 euros)
2006-09 Member of the EUROCORES Program: ‘Consciousness in a Natural and Cultural Context (CNCC)’ – ESF European Science Foundation.
2002-05 P.I. of the ESF EUROCORES Program The Origin of Man, Language and Languages (OMLL) (66.000 euros).
2001-04 P.I. of the European grant MIRRORBOT IST-2001 35282 (260.060 euros).
1998-02 Coordinator and P.I. of the Human Frontier Science Program grant RG0039/1998-B (666.000$).
Academic Service
Member of the Editorial Board of of Psychopathology
Member of the Editorial Board of Social Cognitive Affective Neuroscience
Member of the Editorial Board of Cognitive Neuroscience
Member of the Editorial Board of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B
Member of the Editorial Board of Biological Theory
Member of the Editorial Board of Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences
Member of the Editorial Board of Neuropsychoanalysis
Member of the Scientific Committee of the Fondation Fyssen Paris (France).
Reviewer for Science, Nature, Nature Neuroscience, Current Biology, Neuropsychologia, Brain, J Cogn. Neurosci, Neuron, J Neurophysiol., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Psychological Science.
Professional Membership
Member of the Italian Society of Physiology.
Member of the European Brain and Behavior Society.
Member of the Italian Society of Neuropsychology.
Member of the International Neuropsychological Symposium.
Previously Member of the Scientific Committee of the Fondation Fyssen, Paris, France.
Academic Positions
2018-present: Full Professor of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Dept. of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Italy.
2023-present: Adjunct Senior Research Scholar at the Italian Academy for Advanced Study in America, Columbia UNiversity, New York, USA.
2016-2020: Einstein Fellow, Berlin School of Mind & Brain, Humboldt University Berlin, Germany.
2010-2022: Adjunct Senior Research Scholar at the Dept. of Art History and Archeology, Columbia University, New York, USA.
2016-2018: Professor in Experimental Aesthetics at the Institute of Philosophy of the University of London, U.K.
2006-2017: Full Professor of Physiology, Department of Neuroscience, Section of Physiology, University of Parma, Italy.
2000-2005: Associate Professor of Physiology, Department of Neuroscience, Section of Physiology, University of Parma, Italy.
1994-1999: Assistant Professor of Physiology, Istituto di Fisiologia Umana, University of Parma, Italy.
1992-1994: Postdoctoral fellow, Dept. of Physiology, Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan.
1989-1992: Research Associate, Istituto di Fisiologia Umana, University of Parma, Italy.
1988: Research Associate, Institut d'Anatomie, Universite de Lausanne, Suisse.
Teaching Experience
2018-present: Full Professor of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Italy.
2016-2018: Full Professor of Experimental Aesthetics, Insitute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study, University of England, UK.
2006-2018: Full Professor of Human Physiology, Department of Neuroscience, Unit of Physiology, University of Parma, Italy.
2000-2006: Associate Professor of Human Physiology at the School of Medicine of the University of Parma, Italy.
1997-2002 : Adjunct Professor of Neuroscience at the School of Psychology of the University of Parma, Italy.
