Pietro Pietrini

Pietro Pietrini is a Full Professor and Director of the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca since 2015. Previously, he held roles including Chair of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Pisa Medical School. He earned an MD from the University of Pisa and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, with board certification in Psychiatry. His research integrates neuroimaging (MRI, PET, TMS) and neuropsychological tools to study brain function in sensory deprivation, mental disorders, and social behavior. He pioneered studies on cortical reorganization in the blind and developed a multidisciplinary approach spanning neuroscience, ethics, and linguistics.

Education: MD (1986, University of Pisa), Ph.D. Neuroscience (Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna), Board Certification in Psychiatry (University of Pisa).

Research focuses on: neuroplasticity in sensory-deprived brains, affective neuroscience, and the neural basis of antisocial behavior. Key projects include studying empathy in incarcerated populations and the ethics of neuroscience in legal contexts.

Scientific Awards: Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2015), International Recognition in Biological Psychiatry and Neuroscience.

Labs/Teams: Leads the MOMILAB, focusing on translational research at the intersection of neuroscience and social sciences.