Greta Visintin

My name is Greta, born in 1994. Since I was a child, I have always been fascinated by the mysteries of science. Why do leaves change color in autumn? What is the origin of shooting stars? Why do we get goosebumps when we are cold? These were just some of the questions that buzzed in my head. My curiosity for the surrounding world, and above all, for the perfect machine that is the human body, grew with me. For this reason, I decided to study Medical Biotechnologies at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan, where I graduated with honors and honorable mention.

Many of the questions I had finally found an answer. However, countless issues are still open and I want to contribute in searching for possible answers to them. With this goal in mind, I started a PhD in Neuroscience at the Italian Institute of Technology, in collaboration with the University of Genoa. In particular, I am fascinated by the most complex organ in the human body, the brain, and my research concerns the impact that stress has on brain development.

I firmly believe in the importance of making science accessible to everyone, promoting its constant successes and stimulating curiosity in young people. This year, in fact, I participated in the FameLab science communication competition.

I love orchids, alpacas, sunsets, pizza, surprises, and making origami. Last but not least, I enjoy traveling.

I was fortunate enough to attend part of my 4th year of high school in a Gymnasium near Cologne, living with a German family. This experience was truly formative and sparked my desire to travel to constantly confront myself with different situations and cultures and to keep my mind as open as possible.