CURRENT ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS
2026–present | Researcher
Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Italy
Research activity in cognitive neuroscience and human neuroimaging. Design and implementation of functional and multimodal MRI studies, neuroimaging data analysis, and development of experimental fMRI protocols.
2022–present | Contract Professor
University of Parma, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability
Course: Research Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience, MSc in Translational Biomedical Sciences (6 ECTS, 56 hours).
2024–present | Clinical Psychologist and Neuropsychologist
Private clinical practice, Parma, Italy
Neuropsychological assessment, psychological intervention, cognitive rehabilitation, and clinical work with children and adults with developmental and acquired neurological disorders.
PREVIOUS ACADEMIC POSITIONS
2024–2025 | Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma
Research in cognitive neuroscience and human neuroimaging.
2021–2024 | Research Fellow and Principal Investigator
Neuroradiology Unit, University Hospital of Parma
Principal Investigator of the Italian Ministry of Health Starting Grant SG-2019-12370506. The project investigated the effectiveness and neural mechanisms of Action Observation Therapy combined with virtual reality for motor rehabilitation after stroke.
2019–2021 | Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma
Research on functional and structural brain plasticity in children with unilateral cerebral palsy. Main responsibilities included fMRI study design, MRI acquisition and analysis, experimental paradigm development, and scientific writing.
2018–2019 | Research Fellow
Department of Psychology, University of Turin
Research on body representation in humans and non-human primates, including behavioural and kinematic studies of multisensory body representation.
EDUCATION AND ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
2025 | National Academic Qualification as Associate Professor
Italian Ministry of University and Research
Qualified in Physiology (BIO/09) and Psychology (M-PSI/01-02-03).
2022–2026 | Postgraduate Training in Psychotherapy
Academy of Developmental Neuropsychology, Italy
Training in developmental neuropsychology, clinical assessment, rehabilitation, and psychotherapeutic intervention.
2014–2017 | PhD in Neuroscience
University of Parma, Department of Medicine and Surgery
PhD thesis: Modulating the Mirror Neuron System by Action Observation in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy.
Supervisor: Prof. Leonardo Fogassi.
2014–2017 | Second-Level Master's Degree in Clinical Neuropsychology
European University of Rome and Skinner Institute
Advanced training in neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation.
2011–2013 | Master's Degree in Psychology, summa cum laude
University of Messina.
Main research interests:
- Action observation, imitation, and the Mirror Neuron System
- Motor learning and neural plasticity
- Parieto-frontal circuits for action representation
- Cerebellar, basal ganglia, and thalamic contributions to motor cognition
- Functional and effective brain connectivity
- Multivariate representation of actions using fMRI
- Neuroplasticity after stroke and in cerebral palsy
- Action Observation Treatment and neurorehabilitation
- Disorders of consciousness and residual motor network functioning
- Translational cognitive and clinical neuroscience
NEUROIMAGING AND METHODOLOGICAL EXPERTISE: Extensive experience in human MRI research, with more than 500 hours of direct MRI scanner operation.
Expertise includes:
- Task-based functional MRI
- Functional and effective connectivity
- Generalized psychophysiological interaction analyses (gPPI)
- Multivariate pattern analysis and machine learning applied to fMRI
- Diffusion MRI, DTI/HARDI, and probabilistic tractography
- Structural and lesion-based neuroimaging
- Brain network and connectivity analyses
- Experimental fMRI paradigm development
- MRI-compatible behavioural and motor paradigms
- Eye-tracking and behavioural experimentation
Main analysis and experimental platforms include SPM12, CONN, FSL, DSI Studio, BrainVoyager, MATLAB, R, SPSS, E-Prime, Presentation, and PsychoPy.
RESEARCH FUNDING AND SCIENTIFIC INDEPENDENCE
Principal Investigator – Italian Ministry of Health Starting Grant SG-2019-12370506 (€130,000)
Project: Effectiveness of Action Observation Therapy based on Virtual Reality technology in motor rehabilitation of paretic stroke patients: a randomized clinical trial.
The project was a multicentre randomized controlled trial investigating the behavioural and neural effects of Action Observation Therapy combined with virtual reality in post-stroke upper-limb rehabilitation.
As Principal Investigator, I was responsible for the scientific design of the project, coordination of the experimental and neuroimaging activities, data analysis, scientific dissemination, and publication strategy.
SELECTED SCIENTIFIC OUTPUT AND INTERNATIONAL DISSEMINATION
Author of peer-reviewed scientific publications in international journals including Stroke, NeuroImage, NeuroImage: Clinical, Brain Communications, Cortex, Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, Human Brain Mapping, Brain Topography, Scientific Reports, and Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews.
Recent research has addressed cortico-cerebellar connectivity in action observation and imitation, diffusion MRI characterization of motor networks, Action Observation Therapy and virtual reality after stroke, motor learning, and neuroplasticity in cerebral palsy.
My work has been presented at major international scientific meetings, including the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS), the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM), the Society for Neuroscience (SfN), and the European Academy of Childhood-onset Disability (EACD), through oral and poster presentations.
PROFESSIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC MEMBERSHIPS
- Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS)
- Society for Neuroscience (SfN)
- Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM)
- Italian Society of Neuropsychology (SINP)
- Italian Society of Neurological Rehabilitation (SIRN)
