Researcher unique identifier(s): ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8175-7563; Researcher ID : E-9829-2012;
Behavioural Neurologist,
Full professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychological Physiology,
Sapienza University of Rome, Italy and
IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia Roma, Rome, Italy
Teaching: Social Neuroscience and Organizational Neuroscience
Education
1977 - 1983 MD, University of Pisa, Italy. Magna cum Laude.
1983 - 1987 Specialty in Neurology, University of Verona, Italy. Magna cum Laude.
Current positions
2001 - to present Full Professor Department of Psychology, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
2013 - to present Director of the PhD curriculum CoSAN (www.cosanphd.com).
Previous positions
2016: Elected senior research fellow at Scuola Superiore Alti Studi (SSAS), Sapienza.
2015 - 2017: Director of the Psychology Doctoral School, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
2013 - 2017: Coordinator of the International Ph.D. Program in "Psychology and Social Neuroscience" (dippsi.psi.uniroma1.it/phd/psicologianeuroscienzesociali), and reference of its research curriculum "CoSAN - Cognitive Social and Affective Neuroscience" (www.cosanphd.com) at Sapienza University of Rome. CoSAN derived from the previous Ph.D. program in Cognitive Plasticity and Rehabilitation (2005-2012).
Nov 2013 - Nov 2014: President of the Steering Committee of the Doctoral programmes at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
April - July 2013: Visiting Professor, Institute de Sciences Cognitives, Université de Lyon, France.
2011 - 2014: Delegate of the Rector for representing Sapienza in the European Committee for Doctoral Education.
Nov 2009 - Nov 2012: Head of Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
2006 - 2014: Member of the committee for the evaluation of Doctoral Programs at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
2005 - 2008: Director of the School of Specialization in Clinical Neuropsychology, at the Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, and IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
2001 to present: Full professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychological Physiology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
1998 - 2000: Associate Professor, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
1990 - 1997: Assistant Professor, Department of Neurological and Vision Sciences, Human Physiology, Medical School, University of Verona, Italy.
Teaching activities (last 5 years)
Formal courses at Sapienza University of Rome: 2015 to present Professor of Organizational Neuroscience, Advanced course of Psychology; 2014 to present: Professor of Social Neuroscience, Basic course in Psychology and social processes; 2011-2014 Professor of: Nervous system Physiology; Research methodology in Neurosciences; Neuropsychology of Language; Neurological rehabilitation; 2009-2012 Cognitive Neuroscience. 2013 Visiting-scholar, teaching activity at École Normale Supérieure and CNRS, Lyon, France.Institutional responsibilities
2016 - to present: Representative for Biomedicine and Psychology at the Sapienza research commission.
2013 - 2014: President of Committee for the evaluation of Doctoral Programs at Sapienza University of Rome.
2011 - 2014: Delegate for Sapienza at the European Committee for Doctoral Education.
2010: Representative for international PhD programs at EUA Council for Doctoral Education.
2009 - 2012: Head of Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
2006 - 2014: Member of the Committee for the evaluation of Doctoral Programs at Sapienza Uni of Rome.
Appointments
Director of two fully equipped laboratories based at Sapienza University of Rome and at IRCCS, Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome. My research is performed using a variety of state-of-the-art techniques (for details see: agliotilab.org/facilities). My research topics regard several aspects of social neuroscience (for details see: agliotilab.org/research-topics).
Research Activity
My research interests focus on the psychological and neural processes underlying:
- normal and abnormal functioning of social interactions, empathy and personality;
- neural basis of corporeal awareness in healthy and brain damaged patients;
- sensorimotor processing in expert brains including elite athletes and musicians;
- voluntary action and bodily sensations in healthy humans and brain damaged and spinal cord injured patients;
- neuroscience of lie and deception in social contexts.
My research is performed by means of several techniques, including non-invasive brain stimulation (e.g. transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial electrical stimulation), somatosensory evoked potentials, laser evoked potentials, eye tracking recording, thermography and autonomic recording responses. I also use immersive virtual reality equipment to perform behavioural and neural studies. Thanks to collaborations with other research groups magnetoencephalography and fMRI studies can also be performed.
Honors and prizes
2018: ERC advanced Grant, Title of the project: eHonesty.
2018: Fellowship at the Italian Academy of Advanced Studies in America, Columbia University.
2017: Ig Nobel Prize, Field: Psychology, for the study: “Is that me or my twin? Lack of self-face recognition advantage in identical twins”. PLoS One. 2015 Apr 8;10(4):e0120900. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120900. Authors: Martini, Bufalari, Stazi, Aglioti.
2017: Senior research fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies, Columbia University, NY, USA.
2016: Elected senior research fellow at Scuola Superiore Alti Studi (SSAS), Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
March 2015: Failed the evaluation for the qualification as full professor of Social Psychology (SSD MPSI05/E3)
October 2014: Passed the evaluation for the qualification as full professor of Physiology (SSD 05/D1 – FISIOLOGIA).
2013: MagSTIM, Senior investigator award, Oxford, UK.
2013: Chair d'excellence award, Fondation NeuroDis, Lyon, France.
2012: Elected Member, Academia Europaea (AE).
2011: Excellence Grant, Sapienza University of Rome. Proposal on partisan brains.
2010: Excellence Grant, Sapienza University of Rome. Proposal on the neural bases of empathy for pain.
2010: Top 100 Italian Scientists.
2009: Excellence Grant, Sapienza University of Rome. Proposal on action anticipation in elite basketball players.
2009: Themosystems (emotion and thermal imaging), PNI, First prize for the best entrepreneurial idea, Regione Lazio, Italy.
Funding
I hold/have held research funds for more than 1.5 million euros from:
- EU project (FP7), European Commission Programs (Collaborative Projects “Tango - Emotional Interaction grounded in realistic context” and “VERE - Virtual Embodiment and Robotic Re-Embodiment”);
- Ricerca Finalizzata, Italian Ministry of Health: “And yet they MOve: immobile patients re-enter the physical world through embodiment in avatar or robot surrogates”;
- Project Seed, Italian Institute of Technology (IIT): “PARMS - Predictive Action perception Resonance and Mental Simulation”;
- Ten grants (over 20 more than 15 years) from the Italian Ministry of University;
- Mind and life Institute, Contemplative Studies Fellowship, Philosophical and historical accounts for the neuroscientific investigation of human spirituality;
- Excellence grant, Sapienza University of Rome, “Partisan Brains”;
- the Italian Space Agency (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana): “CRUSOE - CRUising in Space with Out-of-body Experiences”;
- Bial Foundation (Portugal): “The Spiritual Brain: neurophysiologic investigations of Self-trascendence and Spirituality”.
Organization of scientific meetings and dissemination activity
Being firmly convinced that scientists have to dedicate a percentage of their time to properly get across the message of their studies, I have long been involved in dissemination activity to broad audiences (science festival, theatre performances) both in Italy (e.g. 2016: Lessons on progress: Neuroscience and Politics - www.telecomitalia.com/tit/it/ambiente-sociale/fondazione-telecom-italia/lezioni-sul-progresso/lezioni-sul-progresso-neuroscienze-politica-destra-sinistra-nasce-diventa.html; 2015: Foligno Science Festival with two talks for high-school students and for citizens; Talk 1: Lying with the body and the brain; Talk 2: The mystic brain), and abroad (2015: Jazz Maastricht; Talk: Conformism and art; 2015: Vilnius Science Festival; Talk: The empathic brain).
Scholarly indices of performance
Publications
I have published more than 230 articles in International peer-reviewed journals, several articles and chapters in Italian (including a textbook, Aglioti SM, Fabbro F: Manuale di Neuropsicologia del Linguaggio, 2006, Il Mulino, Bologna and a scientific essay, Neurofobia: Chi ha paura del cervello?, Aglioti SM, Berlucchi G, Cortina 2013) and in English.
Contacts
- facsimile:
- +39 06 4991 7635
- voice:
- +39 06 4991 7601
- e-mail:
