Michele Salluce joins HPS section as a PhD fellow

Michele Salluce will be joining the HPS section as a PhD fellow within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network TRANSCEND.

For his project “Modeling Minds: Philosophical Investigations into Animal Models of Affective Disorders” he will be supervised by Sara Green.

The PhD project examines how animal models are constructed and used in contemporary neuroscience, with a particular focus on research on affective disorders such as depression and stress-related conditions.

The project investigates how complex psychological phenomena are operationalized into experimental measures, how translational inferences between animal models and human disorders are justified, and how experimental design choices shape model validity.

“I am interested in how animal models function as epistemic tools in practice, especially in contexts where subjective human phenomena have to be translated into measurable animal behavior,” says Michele.

A central component of the project is a practice-oriented philosophical approach that combines conceptual analysis with qualitative engagement with experimental research. During his PhD, Michele will collaborate closely with neuroscientists and conduct a secondment at the Genzel Lab, where he will study laboratory practices related to animal models of affective disorders, including recent efforts to improve animal welfare and experimental design.

“This project builds on my background in philosophy of biology and philosophy of mind, while allowing me to work closely with experimental researchers and to engage directly with ongoing debates about translation and animal experimentation,” he adds.

Michele holds a BA in Philosophy and an MA in Philosophical Sciences from the University of Bologna. In his free time, he enjoys reading, walking, and exploring new cities.

“I am very excited to join the HPS section and to start this new chapter in Copenhagen."