Workshop Information

Participation to the school is limited

• Registration and abstract submission deadline

  15 Mar 2026 24:00 UTC

• Deadline for payment is

  31 Mar 2026 24:00 UTC

Participation Fees

• 600€/each for Master and Ph.D. Students
• 750€/each for Postdoc and Faculty Members

Contribution is ALL-INCLUSIVE and covers registration to the workshop, lodging, meals (participants will receive vouchers to eat in local restaurants), coffee breaks and transport to and from the airport (Trapani or Palermo). Students will be kindly requested to share their room.

Posters and Short Communications

Submission of an abstract is required for registration. Accepted submissions will be presented as posters or short communications during the workshop.

Short Communications

Eight abstracts will be selected for short communications (10 min + 5 min discussion)

Poster Dimensions

Posters should be a maximum of 100cm high and 60cm wide

Abstract Preparation

A 250 words abstract must be submitted for each type of presentation (poster or oral). We are only able to accept files saved in Microsoft Word format (.doc). Please save and upload your file using the naming convention ‘<Full name>.doc’ (eg. JohnSmith.doc )

Workshop description

This six-day advanced course is designed as an immersive and intellectually stimulating experience that brings together students and postdocs with established experts in the field of mental health, neuroscience, psychology, and related disciplines. The school aims to provide students with a platform to discuss, in both formal and informal ways, their research projects and to learn new approaches. A central feature of the school is its highly interactive and participatory format, designed to foster critical thinking, open dialogue, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The thematic core of the school revolves around four interrelated topics:

• Embracing the complexity of mental health: integrating the brain, body, and context to promote wellbeing
• Risk and resilience: predicting transitions to and from psychopathology
• Causality and specificity: the intricate link between neural substrates and mental states
• Precision: how to deal with the uniqueness of each individual

Hands-On Training

Participants will take part in hands-on sessions designed to build practical skills to approach the complexity of mental health. These training sessions will focus on the application of computational and statistical techniques—such as network analysis—using R and Python programming languages. Participants will be guided through real-world examples and simulation exercises that reflect the types of analyses used in cutting-edge mental health research. No prior experience in programming is mandatory, and support will be provided for learners at all levels.

Training in Soft Skills

Complementing the theoretical content, workshops will focus on building essential soft skills for academic success, such as science communication, interdisciplinary collaboration, and effective teamwork. In addition, a special session will be led by a scientific editor, offering insights into the peer review process, manuscript preparation, and strategies for successful scientific publishing.

Poster and Oral Presentations

Participants will be invited to present their research through poster sessions and selected oral presentations. This component offers a valuable platform to share ongoing work, receive feedback from peers and faculties, and practice scientific communication in an interdisciplinary setting.

For further information please contact: chiara.musillo@iss.it, aurelia.viglione@iss.it