Similarities and differences among the three tracks
The program is structured in three separate tracks: since you must choose your track directly during application, here you can find some guidance for your choice.
Shared across all tracks
- Year 1: Strong methodological training.
- Year 2: Research-intensive: internship + master’s thesis in CIMeC labs or abroad.
- Interdisciplinary exposure in research methods, foundations of behavior and modeling.
What differentiates the tracks
- Cognitive Neuroscience: Human neuroimaging & stimulation; signal analysis
- Computational & Theoretical Modeling of Language and Cognition: Computational linguistics & cognitive modelling
- Fundamental Behavioural Neuroscience: Animal models and experimental neurobiology.
Track features
Focus: Biological bases of cognition; human neuroimaging and stimulation.
Key methods: EEG/MEG/fMRI, signal processing, statistics.
Core themes: perception, memory, attention, decision-making.
Labs: imaging, neuromodulation (e.g., TMS/tDCS), psychophysics.
Who typically applies?
Background: psychology, neuroscience, biomedical engineering.
Strengths: experimental design, imaging methods, data analysis.
Goals: imaging-focused research; translational/clinical paths.
Contact
Track features
Focus: Computational approaches to language and cognition.
Key methods: programming, machine learning, language modeling.
Core themes: computational linguistics, formal vs. experimental linguistics, processing.
Labs: NLP/AI, modeling, neurocognitive data analysis.
Who typically applies?
Background: computer science, linguistics.
Strengths: programming, ML, formal/algorithmic thinking.
Goals: CL/NLP, AI-inspired cognitive science, cognitive models
Contact
Track features
- Focus: Animal cognition and neuroscience, neuroethology, animal models of disease.
- Key methods: automated behavioural assays, neurobiology molecular biology, calcium imaging and electrophysiology.
- Core themes: comparative cognition, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, neural and cognitive (a)typical development.
- Labs: Animal facilities, behavioral, neurobiology and molecular labs, histology, physiology and microscopy
Who typically applies?
- Background: biology, comparative psychology, neuroscience, animal cognition
- Strengths: hands-on behavioural and neurobiology skills
- Goals: preclinical and basic behavioural neuroscience research