Lorenzo De Angelis

 Research

At the Social Brain Lab we investigate the neural foundations of empathy. As part of a highly multidisciplinary team I contribute to a wide range of research, involving:

• Functional ultrasound imaging: development and application in social experiments;
• Inter-subject correlation for neural responses to complex, naturalistic stimuli;
• Analysis tools for neuroimaging data (fMRI, EEG, …);
• Predictability and entropy in behavioral experiments;Bayesian inference and learning models;
• Deep Learning for automatic cell segmentation.
• Teaching

I am in charge of the ONWAR course “Python for Science“. The course covers the fundamentals of python programming for (neuro)science applications.

BioSketch

I have always been fascinated by the idea of describing nature in mathematical terms. This fascination motivated me to pursue physics studies, where I had the opportunity to develop a rigorous scientific approach while learning about some of the most fundamental and counterintuitive laws that rule our universe. My passion for the most exotic physical systems led me to pursue a PhD on singular optics, unraveling the physics of tiny spots of light’s darkness known as optical singularities. After the PhD studies, my scientific career reached a turning point. I realized that many domains of science can benefit from the rigorous analytic approach typical of physics. That is when I decided to leave my comfort zone and redirected my physics knowledge towards neuroscience research. Understanding the brain is one of the most active challenges of our times, from the clinical, technological and fundamental point of view. At the Social Brain Lab I have the opportunity to focus on very fundamental aspects of how our brains work and study what are the neural mechanisms that tune individuals to each other.

For more info and fun facts feel free to take a look at my blog or check my record on Scholar.