Fagiolini Michela
Institute Director
Via Giuseppe Moruzzi, 1
56124 - Pisa
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Professor Michela Fagiolini has been Director of the Institute of Neuroscience since October 1, 2024.
An internationally renowned neuroscientist, whose work has made significant contributions to the understanding of the mechanisms that regulate brain development and plasticity. Her research focuses on the processes through which experience shapes neural circuits during development, the mechanisms underlying brain plasticity throughout life, and the neurobiological basis of neurodevelopmental disorders, with particular emphasis on autism spectrum disorders and rare genetic diseases associated with cognitive and sensory impairments.
She received her training at the Scuola Normale Superiore, where she earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience under the supervision of Professor Lamberto Maffei. She subsequently conducted research in the United States and Japan at some of the world's most prestigious neuroscience centers, contributing to pioneering studies on critical periods of brain development and on the mechanisms that enable the restoration of neuronal plasticity in adulthood.
Since 2007, she has worked at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, where she leads an independent research laboratory dedicated to investigating the cellular and circuit mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders and developing novel therapeutic strategies.
Her scientific work integrates approaches ranging from molecular and cellular biology to circuit neurophysiology and translational research, with the goal of understanding how the brain develops, adapts to experience, and can be repaired under pathological conditions