Overview

The Tuscan PhD Program in Neuroscience is an inter-university doctoral program administratively based at the University of Florence, established in consortium with the Universities of Pisa and Siena. The program aims to train highly qualified researchers in the field of neuroscience, providing solid scientific and methodological preparation, and enabling them to operate with an interdisciplinary approach across different areas of basic, preclinical, and clinical research.

The educational offer, organized across the three participating universities, is designed to provide doctoral candidates with access to advanced research laboratories, clinical infrastructures, diagnostic services, technological platforms, and state-of-the-art IT tools for the acquisition, processing, and analysis of experimental and clinical data. The teaching and research activities cover a wide range of topics, including neurobiology, neurophysiology, cognitive neuroscience, psychiatry, neurology, neuroradiology, child neuropsychiatry, and pharmacology of the nervous system, promoting integration between experimental research and clinical applications.

The training project is based on the primary objective of developing in doctoral candidates the ability to independently design, conduct, and disseminate scientific research, stimulating their capacity to elaborate original and innovative approaches, as well as skills in project management, identification of funding sources, and reporting of activities. Particular emphasis is placed on translational training, aimed at transferring scientific results from basic research to clinical practice through the application of cutting-edge methodologies and the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools.

The program also includes seminar activities, in both Italian and English, held by professors and researchers from national and international academic, clinical, and industrial contexts. Participation in journal clubs, scientific conferences, and dissemination activities is also foreseen. As part of the internationalization of teaching and research, doctoral candidates are required to carry out a mandatory research period abroad of at least six months, at institutions of recognized international scientific standing.

For the purpose of obtaining the degree, doctoral candidates are integrated into active research groups in their fields of reference and are supported by a structured supervision system, which includes a Supervisor and a Co-Supervisor appointed by the Academic Board. This structure ensures appropriate methodological and scientific guidance throughout the entire training path. Doctoral candidates also have access to dedicated financial resources for research activities and international mobility, as well as library services and the main scientific databases.

The Tuscan PhD Program in Neuroscience is configured as a high-level training path, capable of promoting integration between advanced education, scientific research, and innovation, and of preparing highly qualified professionals for research activities within the university system, in public and private institutions, in the healthcare sector, and in the biotechnological and pharmaceutical industry.

Scientific-Disciplinary Sectors:

BIOS-06/A – Physiology

BIOS-11/A – Pharmacology

MEDS-02/A – Diagnostic Imaging, Radiotherapy

MEDS-11/A – Psychiatry

MEDS-12/A – Neurology

MEDS-15/A – Diseases of the Muscular and Locomotor System

MEDS-17/A – Diseases of the Visual System

MEDS-20/A – General and Specialist Pediatrics

MEDS-20/B – Child Neuropsychiatry

MEDS-22/A – Diagnostic Imaging

MEDS-22/B – Neuroradiology

PSIC-01/A – General Psychology

PSIC-01/B – Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology

PSIC-01/C – Psychometrics