BIOGRAPHY

Born in Trieste (an Italian city formerly the main commercial harbour of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) to a family rich in Italian and Austro-Hungarian influence, as a direct descendant of count Matthias (XVII century) of the Hungaro-croatian aristocratic family de Marsanich. As long as I can remember, Science and History have always been my passions. As a teenager, I volunteered in the field of Palaeontology and Paleoanthropology, participating in field excavations in Italy and abroad and presenting my first abstract at a conference when I was 19. I am interested in Archaeology, Greek and Roman history and WWI. More recently, I embraced a new passion for genealogy and, with the help of historians, old registers and documents, I am investigating in detail the history of my family in the 16th-century: the families Marsanich and Durbesich of Grobnik and the prominent family Grohovacz of Fiume (see family tree).



Education
:

Executive MBA (Master in Business Administration), MIB School of Management, Trieste (Italy).

Dr.rer.nat. (PhD) in Neural and Behavioural Sciences, International Max Planck Research School, University of Tübingen (Germany).

Laura magistrale (MSc) in Biological Sciences, University of Trieste (Italy).


Career:

Sept 2021: Full Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Head of the Psychology Department, Webster Vienna Private University (Vienna, Austria).

2014-2021: Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Cognitive Neuroscience (tenured), The University of Manchester (UK).

2013-2014: Research Associate, University College London (UK) with my lifetime mentor Prof. Semir Zeki.

2012-2013: CNRS Researcher, École Normale Supérieure, Hospital Salpetriere, Brain and Spine Institute, Paris (France).

2009-2012: Postdoctoral researcher, Max Plank Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig (Germany).

2005-2009: Predoctoral researcher, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tuebingen (Germany). 

I have published scientific articlesbook chapters and numerous articles in newspapers and journals. My research addresses scientific questions using a widely multidisciplinary approach, for instance by merging art and human brain sciences I contributed to develop the field of neuroaesthetics and co-organized several international initiatives in this research field.

In 2004, my work has received recognition by the President of the Italian Republic and I have been elected a member of the group Italian leaders abroad – Aspen Institute Italia for the year 2011. Since then, I have been an Expert evaluator for the European Commission, reviewer for the Economic & Social Research Council (UK) and for The Research Foundation (FWO– Flanders, Belgium), and Associate Editor for Frontiers of Psychology, Emotion Science.

Over the past 10 years, I have been consulting a range of international scientific and artistic institutions, and startups. My media career comprises public talks (such as Brain Awareness Week, Neuroscience café, Festival of Science), media coverage  (e.g., EXPO2015, BBC, TEDx, Corriere della Sera, La Stampa, La Repubblica, Radio Vaticana, RAI), as well as articles and essays for internationally recognized artists and designers (e.g. Missoni) and leading art journals and editors (e.g., Skira). 

I have diversity of experience beyond neuroscience and an understanding of a number of different functions: (i) curator of numerous scientific exhibitions on neuroscience, prehistoric anthropology and paleontology, (ii) voluntary work at the Natural History Museum of Trieste (including scientific expeditions, and an award for my scientific activity), (iii) licensed taxidermist and holder of a specialization in the management of museum collections (1998 Natural History Museum, Pisa), (iv) attendance of the course Management, marketing and communication at Bocconi University (1999). 

I contributed to the think tank “Italia Futura” developing the concept that a policy of preventive and effective welfare interventions shall seriously consider the influence of cultural participation on psychological well-being (see for instance here). I was also Academic Advisor of the Wellcome project “Cultural Engagement for Wellbeing”.