Alessandro Treves

Alessandro Treves is a Full Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at SISSA (International School for Advanced Studies), where he has held this position since 2006. His academic career includes roles as Associate Professor (2000–2006) and Research Fellow (1992–2000) at SISSA. He also serves as a long-term visiting professor at NTNU’s Centre for Neural Computation (2003–present) and has held leadership roles, including Coordinator of the Neuroscience Area at SISSA (2016–2018) and Director of the Master in Complex Actions (2013–2015). From 2011–2013, he was a Counsellor for Scientific Affairs at the Italian Embassy in Tel Aviv.

His research focuses on cognitive neuroscience, particularly the hippocampus, spatial cognition, and statistical physics approaches to brain function. Key areas include attractor neural networks, evolutionary neuroscience, and the theoretical underpinnings of neural systems. He has mentored numerous successful PhD students, many of whom now lead institutions globally.

Dr. Treves was elected to the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (2008) and actively contributes to academic governance, including roles in the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (2005–2007) and the Jewish Community of Trieste (2002–2018). His work bridges theoretical physics and neuroscience, with notable contributions to understanding grid cells and spatial navigation systems.

His academic journey began with a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Oxford (1989–1992) under Prof. E.T. Rolls, followed by research at SISSA’s Biophysics and Cognitive Neuroscience sectors.