Mental imagery
Investigating mental imagery as an internally generated form of conscious experience, with a focus on how its perceptual, bodily and subjective qualities can be studied through a neurophenomenological approach.
Available for collaborations · Roma, IT
Matteo Laurenzi
Cognitive neuroscientist investigating the bodily foundations of conscious experience, the sense of self and mental imagery through phenomenological, EEG and behavioural methods.
About
A short introduction
I am a researcher in cognitive neuroscience investigating the bodily foundations of conscious experience, the sense of self and mental imagery.
My doctoral research at Sapienza University of Rome combined EEG, behavioural paradigms and phenomenological methods to study the minimal bodily self, the narrative self and the gradual structure of conscious experience. I continue to collaborate with the same research group on ongoing projects exploring embodied cognition, contemplative practice and subjective experience.
Beyond the laboratory, I serve as Topic Coordinator and Review Editor for Frontiers in Psychology.
- Peer-reviewed publications4+
- LanguagesIT · EN (C2)
- Based inRoma, IT
- DoctorateDoctor Europaeus
Research focus
Themes & methods
EEG & neurophysiology
Acquisition, pre-processing and analysis of EEG signals to probe the temporal dynamics of attention, awareness and embodied cognition.
Embodied self-experience & contemplative science
Investigating the embodied roots of self-experience with a focus on bodily illusions, attention, emotion and the effects of meditative training on self-referential processing.
Pattern Theory of Self
A multidimensional, gradualist account of the self extended to non-human animals and questions of consciousness, ethics and method.
Experience
Selected positions
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Topic Coordinator & Review Editor
Frontiers in Psychology
Academic editorial work coordinating research topics and peer-review across cognitive and consciousness studies.
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Visiting Researcher
Department of Neurobiology · Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia
International research stay contributing to the Doctor Europaeus distinction; cross-laboratory collaboration on neurophysiology of consciousness.
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Coordinator of Educational Activities
PNRR · NextGenerationEU — Orientation programs for upper-secondary schools
Designed and coordinated orientation courses linking neuroscience to learning, identity and well-being for high- school students across Italy.
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Doctoral Researcher · PhD candidate
Sapienza University of Rome — Psychology & Cognitive Science
Doctorate (Doctor Europaeus) on the gradual structure of the self, integrating EEG, behavioural paradigms and phenomenological method.
Teaching
Lectures & laboratories
Sapienza Università di Roma
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Master — Mindfulness: practice, clinic and neuroscience
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MSc course — Psychology of Emotions & Mindfulness Techniques
Università Europea di Roma
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MSc course — Affective Neuroscience
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Qualifying course — Support Teachers
Publications
Selected works
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2025
A multidimensional approach to the self in non-human animals through the Pattern Theory of Self
Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1561420.
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2025
Animal consciousness: exploring theoretical, methodological and ethical issues
Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1627261.
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2023
Behavioral, neuroimaging and phenomenological evidence of the minimal-bodily self
Atti del XXIX Congresso AIP, pp. 410–410.
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2023
Le neuroscienze della Mindfulness
In: Gli Interventi Basati sulla Mindfulness (II ed.), pp. 370–408. Giovanni Fioriti Editore.
Speaking & conferences
- Brain Awareness Week — keynote Cervello, essenza e identità: le basi neuroscientifiche dell'esperienza di Sé · Narrative Self, Minimal Self and Selflessness — March 2024
- AIP — Italian Psychology Association · Experimental Section Blitz Talk: Behavioral, neuroimaging and phenomenological evidence of the minimal-bodily self — September 2023
- Organising Committee — ICEM 2023 / ICEM 2026 International Conference on Mindfulness
- Organising Committee — ICSC 2024 (9th edition) International Conference on Spatial Cognition
Skills & education
Tools & training
Technical
Languages
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ItalianNative
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EnglishC2 · TOEFL 106/120
Communication
Mentoring international thesis interns, supporting cross-cultural research training and chairing scientific sessions at academic events.
Education
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2026PhD in Psychology and Cognitive Science · Doctor EuropaeusSapienza Università di Roma
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Cognitive & Affective Neurophysiology Summer SchoolEEG signal acquisition, processing and analysis · University of Porto
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MSc · Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychological RehabilitationSapienza Università di Roma
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BSc · Applied Psychological SciencesUniversità degli Studi dell'Aquila
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Let's talk.
Open to research collaborations, invited talks, teaching and consulting in the cognitive and neurological sciences.