Dr. Simone Ferrari Toniolo

Biography

Simone Ferrari-Toniolo is a BBSRC Discovery Fellow at the University of Oxford in the Department of Experimental Psychology. His research focuses on the neuronal mechanisms underlying economic and social decisions, examining how individual neurons drive complex behavior. His work rigorously quantifies aspects of individual social behavior and investigates the neuronal underpinnings of social learning and interaction. By employing large-scale neuronal recordings and brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial ultrasound, he aims to uncover the flow of neuronal information across brain areas that impact behavior. His research primarily focuses on the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and dopaminergic midbrain in relation to economic decisions and social cognition. A distinctive aspect of his work is the application of rigorous mathematical models derived from economic theory, which help to characterize choice behavior in social learning, providing a precise framework for understanding decision-making processes. Simone completed his Master's Degree in Physics with a specialization in electronics and cybernetics, followed by a PhD in Neurophysiology studying cortical control of movement and social interaction at the University of Rome, Italy. He later worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Wolfram Schultz's laboratory in Cambridge, UK, unraveling the code of reward in economic decisions in primates' dopamine neurons.

Research Interests