Team

Understanding how our body works always fascinated me, so I decided to study Biomedical Sciences (Fribourg & Bern, Switzerland). A transforming lecture about electrophysiology by Hugues Abriel led to a clear decision: I wanted to learn how to record cellular activity and use this knowledge to study the brain. I first went to the Abriel lab for my Master thesis and learned patch clamp, and then joined the lab of Thomas Münch in Tübingen, Germany, to study the retina in various species and in different contexts. Like many other retina scientists, I decided that everything after the retina might actually be an interesting black box and hence joined Karl Farrow in Leuven, Belgium, to gain insights into how information from the retina is used to guide innate behaviors. Connecting what I learned about adaptation in the retina with my knowledge about circuits through the superior colliculus that mediate innate behaviors, is the basis of my research program on flexibility in the visuo-motor system.

When I'm not in the lab or writing grants, I like to dance salsa and forro, hike or ski in the mountains, and discuss everything and nothing over delicious food. 

Contact: katja.reinhard[at]sissa.it     CV   ResearchGate   Twitter Mastodon  GoogleScholar   BlueSky 

To briefly introduce myself, I am a highly motivated and passionate Neuroscientist. Since my first steps in the academic world, I knew that research would become my main goal in my future carrier. Because of this, I pursued my bachelor’s degree at University of Milan in Medical Biotechnology, that allowed me to approach to my great passion: Neuroscience. This interest led me to continue my studies at the University of Trieste, enrolling in the International Master’s Degree programme in Neuroscience. I wrote my master thesis project on Parkinson’s disease and specifically on “Corticostriatal activity maps in a mouse model of dopaminergic dyskinesia”. My thesis is the outcome of a year of research experience as intern at the Basal Ganglia Pathophysiology Unit, laboratory focused on neuropharmacology at the Lund University (Sweden) under the supervision of Prof. Angela Cenci Nilsson. After graduation I spent another year In Sweden in the same lab to continue my projects as project assistant. Thanks to this challenging period abroad, I acquired enough laboratory experience which includes working with mice, immunohistochemical protocols and fluorescence microscopy. Currently, my love for Trieste and Neuroscience research intersects at Sissa where I had the possibility to enrol as PhD student in the Flexibility in Circuits & Behaviour lab of Professor Katja Reinhard focusing my future research on brain circuits in vivo on adapted and innate behaviours.

When I’m not in the lab, I’m probably at the gym doing CrossFit or running.  

Contact: clodetti[at]sissa.it    CV

Projects: ERG "FLEXIN" -  focus on evolution of innate behaviours and underlying circuits

Fear responses in prion protein-deficient mice (collaboration with Legname Lab)

Time in the lab: November 2023 - 

External mentor: Sabine Krabbe (DZNE Bonn)

I recently graduated with a master’s degree in Cognitive Psychology from Middle East Technical University, Türkiye. My research focused on two main areas: motor neuron disease, specifically working with a rat model of ALS, and Pavlovian conditioning, where I contributed to the investigation of aversive learning. Through these projects, I gained experience in behavioral experiments, immunohistochemistry, and stereotaxic operations.

My initial fascination with human emotions led me toward psychology, but as my interest in the biological foundations of behavior and cognition grew, I became drawn to the study of animal behavior. Influential authors like Frans de Waal, Brian Hare, and Karl von Frisch broadened my perspective in this area. I am excited to contribute to the exploration of factors influencing behavior and neural circuitry, with a particular focus on the work being done in Dr. Katja Reinhard's lab.

Outside of research, I enjoy going to the gym and staying up-to-date on scientific literature related to exercise, sleep, nutrition, and healthy living.

Contact:  filhan[at]sissa.it GoogleScholar 

Projects: ERG "FLEXIN" -  focus on innate behaviours in diurnal species

Time in the lab: November 2024 - 

External mentor: tbd

I started my neuroscience journey in Rovereto, where I obtained both my BSc in Cognitive Psychology and my MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience. There, under the supervision of Manuela Piazza, I studied how humans exploit spatial codes to mentally navigate between concepts. During the same period, however, I became fascinated by ethology and comparative behavior; reading Karl von Frisch, Konrad Lorenz, Peter Godfrey-Smith, Frans de Waal, and many others profoundly changed the way I wanted to understand the brain. At the same time, an incredible course held by Prof. Daniel Baldauf introduced me to many other methods of recording brain activity beyond fMRI. 

For this reason, I moved to Padova and earned my PhD in Neuroscience under the supervision of Claudia Lodovichi. My project focused on dissecting the role of an X-linked intellectual disability gene, with an emphasis on the olfactory bulb (OB). To achieve this, I used LFP recordings and two-photon calcium imaging and several behavioral assays.

Now, I’m very happy to continue this journey in Katja Reinhard’s lab, where I will have the chance to dive into the visuo-motor circuitry.

I usually wear earplugs. When I’m around others, I do the opposite of gatekeeping—that is, I warmly (ehm, insistently) encourage them to listen to whatever I’m playing. I organize a music festival centered around the common blackbird in Ferrara, it’s called MERAL.

Contact:  adisocci[at]sissa.it

Projects: ERG "FLEXIN"

Time in the lab: March 2025 - 

I am currently a Neuroscience student at the University of Trieste. My curiosity for this field of study was born during my bachelor's degree in medical biotechnology in Ferrara, concluding with a thesis project on the olfactory bulb. My passion about how the brain works led me to want to specialize in this field: among the vast topics I have been able to address, integrative neurophysiology and cognition are the ones that most captured my interest, especially, the correlation between neural circuits and behavior. I am excited to have the opportunity to gain experience in the “Flexibility in Circuits & Behaviour” Lab with Professor Reinhard, focusing on innate behaviors. 

Outside the lab, I play boxing and Bootcamp; I also enjoy immersing myself in reading books.

Contact:  giuruss[at]sissa.it

Daily supervisor: Lucia Zanetti, Camilla Lodetti, Katja Reinhard

Projects: ERG "FLEXIN" -   focus on evolution of innate behaviours

Time in the lab: March 2025 -