معرفی
Maria Alessandra Umiltà is an Associate Professor of Physiology at the Department of Food and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Parma. She has maintained a dual academic appointment as Adjunct Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University's Department of Art History and Archaeology since 2010. Her academic journey began with a Laurea cum laude in Biological Sciences from the University of Bologna (1996) followed by a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Parma (2000). She previously held a permanent Researcher position in Physiology at the University of Parma from 2005 to 2015 and completed a Wellcome Trust-funded research fellowship at University College London.
Professor Umiltà's research focuses on the cortical motor system's role in higher cognitive functions, voluntary movement inhibition mechanisms, and the neural basis of social cognition. Her work bridges neuroscience with art, aesthetics, and social cognition, examining how sensorimotor processes contribute to emotional recognition, aesthetic experiences, and social understanding. She has made significant contributions to mirror neuron research and embodied cognition theories, with recent work exploring childhood trauma effects, motor inhibition in language processing, and the relationship between bodily movements and cognitive processes.
Her publication record spans over two decades, with recent work (2021-2024) demonstrating continued productivity in high-impact journals. These studies explore diverse topics including childhood maltreatment impacts, multisensory integration, aesthetic experiences, and the embodiment of language processing. Her research consistently applies neuroscience methods to understand fundamental cognitive and social processes.
- National Scientific Qualification as Associate Professor in Physiology (2014)
- National Scientific Qualification as Full Professor in Physiology (2017)
- Wellcome Trust Research Fellowship
Professor Umiltà has been actively involved in teaching physiology to pharmacy and audiology students since 2006 and has served on the Neuroscience PhD program faculty since 2013. She has participated in major European research projects including NEUROBOTICS and NeuroProbes, with the latter contributing to technological transfer that led to the creation of ATLAS neuro, a company producing neural recording electrodes. Her research demonstrates strong interdisciplinary connections between neuroscience, psychology, art, and clinical applications.
