Giulia Barsuola

Giulia Barsuola is a queer bisexual/pansexual nonbinary PhD candidate in Cognitive Neuroscience at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, where they are affiliated with Darwin College.

They work in Mike Anderson’s Memory Control Lab, where they study the cognitive and brain mechanisms of how we voluntarily forget unwanted intrusive negative memories, both in clinical and non-clinical populations. They are studying the ability to direct our attention away from intrusive negative autobiographical memories and thoughts in order to foster resilience and to reduce the risks of developing mental health difficulties. Their aim is to move towards translational applications of our basic knowledge of memory and attention to shed light on the trans-diagnostic mechanisms underlying intrusive repetitive thoughts in depression, anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Before starting their PhD in Cambridge, they studied and did research in Italy, California, The Netherlands, Germany, and Japan. They love neuroscience, cognitive and clinical psychology, art, poetry, literature, photography, and architecture.