Call Expression of Interest MSCA Postdoctoral fellowships at UNIGE – N. Sleep and ep

Position: Call for Expression of Interest for MSCA Postdoctoral fellowships at UNIGE – N. 54 Sleep and ep[...]
Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics and Systems Engineering (DIBRIS)
Organisation / Company University of Genoa Department Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics and Systems Engineering (DIBRIS) Is the Hosting related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Description - Call for Expression of Interest for a joint application under the upcoming Call for MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026
University of Genoa, UNIGE, located in Genoa, ITALY, welcomes postdoctoral researchers of any nationality, with an excellent track record, to apply to the European Commission Marie Sklodowska-Curie (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026. Our University has been beneficiary of several MSCA-PF in Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.
The Marie Sklodowska Curie (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship is one of funding scheme of the European Commission’s Horizon Europe Research & Innovation programme, dedicated to excellent research promoting international mobility, as well as interdisciplinary and intersect oral exchanges.
MSCA fellowship grant provides a competitive salary plus mobility and family allowances if applicable, as well as a contribution to cover research, training and networking costs. The research projects will have 2- or 3-years duration.
Selected candidates will be provided with special support for proposal writing and development.
The University of Genoa will organize in May the fifth edition of the Masterclass MSCAectedcandidate researchers will have the opportunity to attend a 2-days online intensive training and coaching course on how to write a successful proposal. This masterclass is a pathway of support to candidates and their supervisors in preparing project proposal, including prescreening activity of the draft proposals and the organisation of dedicated B2B meetings, by the European Research Office of Uni Ge, National Contact Point and other experts.
The masterclass will take place in May 2026.
MSCA domain:
Life Sciences (LIF);

Information Science and Engineering (ENG)
Research Project Description
Sleep and epilepsy are closely intertwined. In humans, seizures occur more frequently during unstable stages of NREM sleep, whereas REM sleep has traditionally been considered protective against seizure onset. However, findings from animal models often suggest the opposite pattern, highlighting important unresolved translational questions. Similarly, while REM sleep was historically thought to offer superior localization of the epileptogenic zone, more recent evidence indicates that NREM sleep may provide more reliable results.
This project aims to further elucidate the complex bidirectional relationship between sleep and epilepsy and to explore novel avenues with potential clinical applications. In close collaboration with the Epilepsy Surgery Centre at IRCCS Gaslini, the primary objective will be to identify large-scale network-level modifications underlying sleep–epilepsy interactions. By characterizing how sleep dynamics shape epileptic networks, the project seeks to generate new insights that may inform behavioural and neurophysiological interventions aimed at enhancing neuroprotection and reducing seizure susceptibility.

The interested candidate will exploit a decade long collaborations between the University of Genoa and clinical partners as well as advanced setups including hdEEG, Stereo

EEG, and a large battery of imaging sequences. Of particular interests would be to investigate system-level modulation of brain activity during electrical stimulations (i.e., cortico-cortico evoked potentials) as well as long-lasting effects of alternative surgical interventions such as radio‑frequency thermo‑coagulation.
Research Group
The Neuroengineering Genoa Group is a multidisciplinary research unit within the Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics and Systems Engineering (DIBRIS), University of Genoa. The group operates at the interface of neuroengineering, computational neuroscience, and translational brain technologies, combining experimental and computational approaches to investigate brain function and dysfunction across scales.
The group brings together senior…