| The main objective of this PhD is to train high-level researchers in the field of psychopathology applied to forensic and criminological sciences and to enable them to expand the body of scientific literature on medical, psychological and social sciences applied to forensic and legal contexts. The doctoral programme is designed to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skills necessary for successful access to national and international research contexts. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary approach of this PhD ensures that each student can be supported and explore his/her specific research interests. The educational programme is articulated in advanced institutional courses that deepen the study of research methodology in relation to: i) life-cycle psychology and psychopathology; ii) criminality and deviance; iii) neurobiology; iv) neuroscience and neuroimaging; v) memory and testimony; vi) decision-making processes and biases; vii) assessment and psychodiagnostic evaluation in forensic contexts. Irrespective of the curriculum chosen, students will be trained in statistics and data analysis, including both traditional methods and the latest and most up-to-date systems of artificial intelligence (e.g. machine learning algorithms). In fact, this doctoral programme, in addition to the advanced institutional courses mentioned above, requires students to choose between three curricula to complement their training: Legal Psychology, Forensic Psychopathology and Forensic Neuroscience, which are interrelated and represent a cornerstone of legal and forensic sciences. The articulation of the curricula allows students to deepen their knowledge of specialist topics through lectures given by national and international experts, with a focus on the specific evidence-based methodologies of each field. Specifically, the primary educational objective of the Forensic Psychology curriculum is to provide specialised skills related to the advancement of methodologies and techniques for the assessment of personality, family relationships, parenting capacity, victimology, offender treatment, and the credibility of adult and juvenile witnesses. The Forensic Psychopathology curriculum aims to refine methodologies useful in forensic psychiatric semeiotic research, particularly relevant to the assessment of decision-making capacity, the methodology of conducting a psychiatric expert report, and the in-patient, out-patient and pharmacological treatment of offenders. Finally, the Forensic Neuroscience curriculum focuses on refining research methodologies related to the assessment of cognitive processes in forensic settings - in particular, memory, testimony and free will - and to the decision-making processes of professionals working in the legal context. |