ZAPPAROLI LAURA

I am currently an Associate Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Milano-Bicocca (2025–present), after being a tenure-track Assistant Professor (RTDb, 2022–2025). Since 2019, I have also served as Co-Director of the Neuropsychology Lab and fMRI Unit at IRCCS Galeazzi (Milan), where I direct advanced neuroimaging research infrastructure supporting fundamental cognitive neuroscience research in healthy and pathological populations. Since 2023, I have secured major competitive funding as Principal Investigator (>€690k overall as PI) through national and international schemes, including the Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Corrente), the Italian Ministry of Research (PRIN), and the BIAL Foundation. These grants have enabled me to establish a fully independent research program focused on the neurocognitive mechanisms of motor cognition, while building and supervising a young research team.

My scientific training began with a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Milano-Bicocca (2012–2015), complemented by a Visiting PhD Fellowship at University College London under Prof. James Kilner, where I specialized in motor neuroscience and advanced neurophysiological methodologies, significantly expanding my international scientific network.

Between 2016 and 2022, my postdoctoral research consolidated a coherent and innovative scientific trajectory centered on fundamental mechanisms of motor cognition, self-awareness, and human brain function.

To date, I have authored 61 peer-reviewed publications, including 22 as first/corresponding author and 19 as last author in leading international journals such as Science Advances, PNAS, Current Biology, Cerebral Cortex, Human Brain Mapping, Brain Communications, and Trends in Cognitive Sciences.