SISSA combines cutting-edge research with technological innovation, offering advanced laboratories and scientific facilities that are accessible for collaborations with industry and external partners. These labs serve as hubs of interdisciplinary expertise, supporting activities ranging from theoretical modeling to applied development, data science and neuroscience. These facilities provide opportunities for collaborative design, prototyping and specialist training.
SISSA MathLab is an interdisciplinary laboratory for mathematical modelling and scientific computing. It develops methods to address problems arising in industry and complex systems, combining computational mechanics and numerical analysis with artificial intelligence, data science, high-performance computing, reduced-order modelling and uncertainty quantification. Its expertise supports companies seeking mathematical solutions for innovation, including the development of digital twins.
Scientific lead: Prof. Gianluigi Rozza
The TSDS Group develops theoretical and applied approaches to data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence for the natural sciences. Its expertise includes neural networks, deep learning, dimensionality reduction and Bayesian inference, with applications in biology, medicine, cosmology and astrophysics. The group works with industrial and business partners on specialist training and the translation of research into practical applications.
Scientific leads: Prof. Alessandro Laio | Prof. Guido Sanguinetti | Prof. Roberto Trotta
SISSA’s high-performance computing facilities support scientific simulation, computational research and specialist training through the Master in High Performance Computing (MHPC), offered jointly with ICTP. The Ulysses supercomputer provides an experimental environment for MHPC students. Expertise in parallel computing, numerical methods and reduced-order modelling helps connect large-scale simulations with applications in industry and other settings where computing resources are limited.
Scientific lead: Prof. Gianluigi Rozza
SISSA’s neuroscience laboratories investigate perception, cognition and behaviour through complementary approaches to human and animal research. Facilities include behavioural testing booths, eye tracking, high-density EEG, neuronavigation-guided transcranial magnetic stimulation and access to fMRI at a partner hospital in Udine. Animal research facilities support electrophysiological recordings, optogenetics, automated behavioural testing and experiments in real and virtual environments.
Scientific lead: Prof. Mathew E. Diamond
SISSA brings together molecular biology, functional genomics and computational approaches to investigate biological systems at different scales. Research spans protein structure and dynamics, prion biology, genome organisation and statistical biophysics. Experimental methods and computational modelling provide complementary ways to study molecular mechanisms and their relationship to health and disease, drawing on the specialist expertise of the laboratories described below.
The Mechatronics Lab is a shared workshop supporting the design and construction of experimental equipment. Its facilities include a 3D printer, laser cutter, four-axis CNC milling machine, lathe and other mechanical tools. Technical expertise spans electronics, mechanics, CAD and software development. The laboratory also offers technical courses for researchers and facilitates contacts between research and industry to support technology transfer.
The Laboratory of Prion Biology studies prion diseases and the molecular mechanisms involved in protein misfolding and neurodegeneration. Its research combines structural biology, transcriptomics and investigations of prion protein function, alongside work on prion-like processes in other neurodegenerative conditions. Research into diagnostic and therapeutic approaches includes the study of compounds that target protein aggregation.
Scientific lead: Prof. Giuseppe Legname
The Laboratory of Computational Genomics combines molecular biology and functional genomics with the development of bioinformatics pipelines, tools and databases for large-scale data analysis. Its research examines genome organisation, non-coding DNA and transposable elements, with particular attention to the nervous system and disease. Expertise includes data integration and harmonisation, sequencing analysis and the identification and prioritisation of genetic variants.
Scientific lead: Prof. Remo Sanges
The Neurobiology Group combines molecular, cellular, integrative and computational methods to investigate the nervous system, from individual molecules to sensory processing and neural computation. Its laboratories offer instrumentation for physiological research, DNA sequencing and molecular biology, alongside electron, confocal and fluorescence microscopy. Research also draws on molecular modelling, hybrid bioelectronic devices and the study of interactions between neurons and nanomaterials.
Scientific lead: Prof. Paul Alexander Heppenstall
The Laboratory of Cerebral Cortex Development investigates the molecular mechanisms that specify cortical precursor cells and regulate their proliferation and differentiation. Research focuses on conserved transcription factors and their role in neural stem cells and progenitors during normal development and in selected neurodevelopmental disorders. The laboratory also explores methods based on non-coding RNA to stimulate endogenous gene expression as a potential therapeutic approach to haploinsufficiency.
Scientific lead: Prof. Antonello Mallamaci
The Molecular and Statistical Biophysics Group develops theoretical and computational approaches to study the kinetics, thermodynamics and mechanics of proteins and nucleic acids. Its multiscale expertise ranges from quantum-mechanical calculations and hybrid quantum–classical simulations to atomistic molecular dynamics and coarse-grained models of large molecular assemblies. Comparisons with experimental data support the validation of methods and their application to biological problems.
Scientific leads: Prof. Alessandro Laio | Prof. Guido Sanguinetti | Prof. Giovanni Bussi | Prof. Cristian Micheletti
The SPINAL Laboratory investigates spinal cord injury and other neuromotor disorders through neurophysiology, neuropharmacology and the development of stimulation technologies. Its research explores whether electrical and pharmacological modulation can strengthen weak signals reaching the spinal cord and support motor control. A particular focus is Dynamic Stimulation, a neuromodulation method that delivers electrical inputs with varying amplitudes and frequencies through multiple electrodes.
Scientific lead: Prof. Giuliano Taccola
The Laboratory of Neurogenetics uses Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism to investigate the genetic and molecular mechanisms of brain development and nervous system diseases. Its research examines cellular differentiation, neural circuit formation and interactions between neurons and glial cells. It also studies how epitranscriptomic modifications contribute to these processes.
Scientific lead: Prof. Alessia Soldano
The Neural Computation Laboratory investigates how animal brains perform inference and prediction under constraints on computational resources. Its work connects the study of behaviour and cognition in animals and humans with information processing in neuronal circuits. The laboratory develops and applies methods from statistical learning, information theory, artificial neural networks and Bayesian statistics to understand the computational principles underlying these abilities.
Scientific lead: Prof. Eugenio Piasini