The following are the titles and descriptions of the topic-specific scholarships that will be included in the 42nd cycle (a.y. 2026–2027) call for applications.

1. A Study of Evaluation Methodologies in Digital Games: Integrating Multimodal Player Data and Peripheral Indexes (financed by FBK Fondazione Bruno Kessler)

Description: This research proposal explores the methodological evolution of impact evaluation within Serious Games (SG) and gamified systems, focusing on the synthesis of disparate data streams to measure pedagogical and behavioral efficacy. A persistent challenge in Games User Research (GUR) is the "subjectivity gap" found in self-reported data, such as psychometric surveys and interviews, which, while essential for understanding conscious motivation, are often susceptible to retrospective bias and social desirability. To address this, the project proposes a comparative analysis of peripheral indexes (including galvanic skin response, heart rate variability, and eye-tracking) against traditional surveys to identify points of convergence and divergence between physiological arousal and perceived experience. 
The research further distinguishes the evaluative requirements of entertainment-focused Video Games versus Serious Games, examining how the definition of effectiveness shifts when the objective is functional rather than purely hedonic. By leveraging AI to process the complexity of multi-modal data, this project aims to provide a robust, evidence-based toolkit that empowers researchers to validate the real-world impact of gamified interventions with unprecedented granularity and accuracy.

Responsible for the project: Simone Bassanelli (sbassanelli@fbk.eu)

2. Enhancing Speech Language Models for Pathological Speech Analysis (financed by FBK Fondazione Bruno Kessler)

Description: This PhD project aims to adapt Speech Large Language Models (SLLMs) for use with clinical speech. Most current SLLMs are trained on typical speech, so they struggle to process speech affected by medical conditions such as dysarthria, aphasia, or dysphonia. This research will develop multimodal models that can recognize unusual acoustic patterns and convert them into clinically meaningful biomarkers. The project will add paralinguistic encoders that capture features such as irregular rhythm and intonation (prosody), unstable voice production, and articulation differences. Instead of focusing only on speech transcription, the goal is to measure disease severity and track its progression from speech signals. A final part of the project will focus on interpretability so that clinicians can understand how the model makes its decisions. This will include visual tools that highlight the time/frequency regions of speech linked to neurological decline. The project will also address practical challenges in clinical research, such as small datasets and privacy-sensitive medical data.

Responsible for the project: Marco Matassoni (matasso@fbk.eu)

3. Cognitive and Motivational Mechanisms for Active Citizen Engagement in Urban Digital Twins (financed by FBK Fondazione Bruno Kessler)

Description: Urban Digital Twins (UDTs) are dynamic digital representations of cities, integrating heterogeneous data sources and advanced modelling techniques to simulate urban processes and support decision-making. While UDTs are increasingly adopted by municipalities, their use remains largely expert-driven, limiting their potential as participatory infrastructures. 
A critical challenge concerns how to actively engage citizens in urban decision processes through Digital Twins in ways that are informed, responsible, and cognitively meaningful. Participation cannot be reduced to mere access to information: it requires mechanisms that foster understanding, sustained motivation, and progressive skill development across heterogeneous populations with different levels of expertise. 
The candidate will be requested to investigate cognitive and motivational mechanisms that enable effective citizen engagement through UDTs. The research will explore advanced methodologies — including gamification strategies, adaptive interfaces, explainable AI techniques, and personalized interaction models — to support incremental learning, long-term engagement, and responsible participation in complex urban decision scenarios. 
The expected contribution is twofold: (1) advancing theoretical understanding of how digital simulation environments influence cognition, motivation, and civic decision-making; (2) providing evidence-based design principles for participatory UDTs capable of fostering informed and active civic engagement.

Responsible for the project: Marco Pistore (pistore@fbk.eu)

4. Transparency in bodily and vocal signals: a tool for metacognition (financed by the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science within the Project “Transparency in bodily and vocal signals: a tool for metacognition”, MUR_FIS_Fondo Italiano per la Scienza, FIS-2024-03075, CUP E53C25003260001)

Description: The doctoral project is part of the five-year research program “TRANSPARENCY IN BODILY AND VOCAL SIGNALS: A TOOL FOR METACOGNITION”, aimed at investigating the role of bodily and vocal signals in the construction of accurate representations of one’s own perceptual experience and that of others. Within this context, the PhD student’s project aims to deepen the concept of “embodied transparency” in metacognitive processes.
In particular, the research will analyze how spontaneous bodily signals associated with states of uncertainty or effort (such as facial expressions, posture) contribute both to the monitoring of one’s own perceptual performance and to the ability to infer states of uncertainty and effort linked to others’ perceptual experience. The central hypothesis is that such signals do not constitute merely accessory manifestations, but play an active role in supporting a feedback loop between body and mind and in facilitating perspective-taking processes.
From a methodological point of view, the project will focus on auditory perception tasks in complex and realistic contexts, also through the use of immersive technologies (e.g., virtual reality). Controlled experimental paradigms will be developed to manipulate and measure the expression and observation of bodily signals, in order to assess their impact on confidence judgments and on the understanding of others’ perceptual experience. The methodological approach will integrate behavioral measures (accuracy and response times), subjective evaluations (confidence judgments), and peripheral indices, including eye-tracking, kinematic analysis of facial and body movements, and physiological signals (e.g., pupil dilation and cardiovascular activity).

Responsible for the project: Chiara Valzolgher (chiara.valzolgher@unitn.it)

5. Impact Evaluation of an Integrated Model for Teacher Training and Neurodivergent Student Inclusion (financed by the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science within the Project “Impact Evaluation of an Integrated Model for Teacher Training and Neurodivergent Student Inclusion”)

Description: This PhD project aims to evaluate the impact of an integrated model of teacher training and support, designed to promote inclusion, well-being, and active participation of students across different school levels. The model seeks to address emerging educational needs in developmental age, with a specific focus on neurodivergent conditions (ASD, SLD, ADHD) and other forms of special educational needs (giftedness, cultural differences, social anxiety). Despite the growing attention to these issues in the educational field, teacher training initiatives are often fragmented and lack systematic evaluation in terms of effectiveness and long-term outcomes. The project will analyze a structured training model that combines theoretical modules, laboratory activities, and case discussion sessions, with a focus on neurodivergent conditions  (ASD, SLD, ADHD) and other educational needs. The candidate will be responsible for designing and implementing an impact evaluation framework based on mixed methods, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches. This will include assessing changes in teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices, as well as the effects on students’ inclusion, participation, and well-being. Particular attention will be paid to how the training translates into classroom teaching practices.

Responsible for the project: Arianna Bentenuto (arianna.bentenuto@unitn.it)

6. Cognition and symbolic production in Late Glacial Alpine and pre-Alpine contexts (co-financed by MUSE - Museo delle Scienze di Trento)

Description: Interdisciplinary study of the cognitive, perceptual and skilled manual processes involved in symbolic production in Late Glacial Alpine and pre-Alpine contexts, through the integration of archaeological, palaeoenvironmental and cognitive approaches, with particular reference to the analysis of graphic representations, their material and spatial context, and their implications for reconstructing the cognitive and perceptive abilities of prehistoric populations.

Responsible for the project: Nicola De Pisapia (nicola.depisapia@unitn.it)

Note:

Intellectual Property Notice for PhD candidates under the UniTrento-FBK Agreement 
Please read the following information carefully before submitting your application. 
Intellectual Property of Research Results.The intellectual property rights of research results generated by PhD students under scholarships within the UniTrento-FBK Agreement shall belong to FBK.
Transfer of Intellectual Property Rights. FBK will establish agreements with PhD students regarding the transfer of intellectual property rights related to their research results.
Collaboration with UniTrento. If UniTrento academic staff contribute to research results obtained through PhD scholarships funded by FBK, the determination of IP shares will be defined through separate written agreements based on each party’s contribution. PhD students are required to collaborate with UniTrento in all necessary activities related to the joint management of IP.