معرفی
Luca Bonini is a Full Professor of Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology at the University of Parma, Department of Medicine and Surgery. He serves as the Delegate of the Department Director for International Research, Coordinator of the PhD Program in Neuroscience, and Local Representative for Animal Welfare of the University of Parma's primate facility. His laboratory, the Laboratory of Nonhuman Primate Neuroethology, develops cutting-edge techniques for studying primate brains under naturalistic conditions.
Bonini earned his Psychology degree with highest honors (110/110 e lode) from the University of Parma in 2003, followed by a PhD in Neuroscience in 2008 under Prof. Leonardo Fogassi and directed by Prof. Giacomo Rizzolatti. His postdoctoral training included positions at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genoa from 2010-2016, where he worked at the 'Brain Center for Social and Motor Cognition.'
His research focuses on the neural mechanisms of social cognition, particularly the mirror neuron system, and how primates understand and interact with their environment. Bonini's work spans from single neuron recordings in freely moving monkeys to the study of social affordances and emotional processing. He has pioneered the development of wireless neural recording technologies to study primates in natural social contexts, bridging laboratory neuroscience with ethologically relevant behavior.
Bonini's recent publications reveal a sophisticated investigation of parieto-frontal circuits involved in action observation and execution, with particular attention to how the brain processes social and pragmatic aspects of object use. His work combines advanced neural recording techniques with behavioral analysis to investigate how primates understand both their own actions and those of others, with significant implications for understanding the neural basis of social cognition.
- 2018 - National Scientific Qualification for Full Professor of 'General Psychology, Psychobiology and Psychometrics' (PSI02)
- 2017 - National Scientific Qualification for Full Professor of 'Physiology' (BIO09)
- 2013 - $1000 Travel award 'Federation of the European Neuroscience Societies' (FENS)
- 1999-2000 and 2003 - University tuition reimbursement awards for being the top student
Bonini has supervised over 60 Psychology students for thesis work and more than 10 PhD students and post-docs. His research is supported by substantial grants including an ERC Consolidator Grant 'EMACTIVE' (2020, €1,999,231), an ERC Proof of Concept Grant 'FUTURE-NHP' (2020, €150,000), and a US Army Research Office grant (2021, $396,772). His laboratory maintains strong international collaborations with institutions across Europe and the United States.
The Bonini Lab at the University of Parma represents a vibrant research environment with multiple researchers, postdocs, and PhD students working on various aspects of primate neuroethology, with a commitment to ethical research practices and refinement techniques in non-human primate studies.
