Neurons

Emily Clarke

Hello and welcome to the very first episode of Synapses – Connections 4 Research! I’m Emily Clarke, and I’m really excited to kick off this journey with all of you. We’re diving into the world of the LeSDiT PhD program—Learning Sciences and Digital Technologies—which, I have to say, is such a fascinating program for anyone curious about how people learn and how digital innovations are changing everything from classrooms to, well, basically life. Giacomo, do you want to tell everyone a bit about what makes this PhD program stand out?

Giacomo Di noto

Oh, absolutely! Thanks, Emily. So, just to give everyone an idea: the LeSDiT program really is unique in how broad and international it is. I mean, it’s not just ‘another’ doctoral program—you’ve got around 35 top Italian universities and research partners, all connected through this one network. And it is very much about breaking silos. You have three main research areas: there's e-Teaching and e-Learning, or ETEL, which covers how to design and plan mixed models of teaching, combining physical and digital... and also some really interesting work on the neuroscience of learning. Then there’s Technology Enhanced Learning & Advanced Technologies for Education—TEL-ATE. That one’s close to my heart because it deals with advanced tools, artificial intelligence, big data in education, things like that. The last one is New Literacies & Digital Citizenship—NELIT. That’s all about how literacy is changing—so you’ve got data literacy, digital literacy, even AI literacy, and their psychological and societal impacts.

Emily Clarke

And, honestly, it’s such a rare thing to find a PhD where digital technology, data, and pedagogy mix so naturally. My own background in cognitive science, I always find myself bouncing between social questions and digital ones, and here, you don’t have to pick a side. By the way, Giacomo—you had a great story about how you first came across LeSDiT, right?

Giacomo Di noto

Yeah, yeah—I mean, I remember the first time I was at this seminar with LeSDiT. It was one of those “aha” moments! I walked in, and suddenly there were people from, I don’t know, 35 different institutions? Something like that. And everyone’s working on something completely, eh, out of my comfort zone, honestly. One person’s doing neuroscience of learning, another’s building AI models for education… And, for me, coming from physical oceanography and digital tech—let’s say I felt right at home and completely thrown in at the deep end at the same time. It was this big mix of culture, research, languages—it’s international by design. And that kind of sets the tone for everything in the program.

Emily Clarke

That’s such a good way of putting it, “thrown in the deep end!” I think that’s the charm, though—it’s a programme for people who want to learn not just content, but how to connect with others and, you know, tackle problems from every angle. So, today, we’re going to explore not only what’s happening in LeSDiT, but also how this all comes together in our new podcast series...

Emily Clarke

Which brings us to Synapses! Our whole idea behind this podcast is to go beyond just celebrating individual research. We really want to show what happens when you connect all these different backgrounds, skills, and personalities. Synapses is all about making those collaborations visible—and, hopefully, a bit infectious. So each episode is going to dive into one of four core themes, all linked to the main groups in the PhD cohort this year.

Giacomo Di noto

Yeah, and I think, maybe, let’s give folks a little teaser. The very first episode is, obviously, on AI in Learning & Society—how artificial intelligence is shaping everything from personalized learning to, ehh, even language and media. Then we’ve got Digital Humanities & Creative Media. That’s where you find those projects on digital museums, reconstructing historical soundscapes… really creative uses of tech. The third is Social Dynamics in a Digital World—so psychological aspects of digital communities, sustainable behavior on social platforms, that kind of thing. And last, but definitely not least, Immersive & Specialized Technologies—think virtual reality for medicine, engineering, all the cutting-edge stuff.

Emily Clarke

And I think what excites me most is how these groups sometimes blur together. Like, my favourite story—I hope she won’t mind my sharing this—I had this completely impromptu chat over coffee, just offhand, talking about digital literacy and online safety. Turns out, that chat became a whole project, because we realized we were both struggling with some of the same issues, but from very different research angles. That’s really what Synapses is about— those spontaneous connections that wouldn’t happen if everyone just stayed in their own lane, you know?

Giacomo Di noto

Absolutely, Emily—those moments are, sometimes, where the magic happens. I always say, you can plan all the big projects you want, but the best ideas usually come from two people meeting by chance, maybe with wildly different research focus, and suddenly you’re like, “Wait, so what if we tried to solve this together?” That’s Synapses. And we want to bring listeners with us into those moments.

Emily Clarke

We’ll showcase not only the research, but the stories and the sparks that set it all in motion—across AI, digital humanities, social research, immersive tech… And hope it gives you a sense of what’s possible when those worlds collide.

Emily Clarke

And really, what we keep coming back to is this—academic community makes innovation actually possible. It’s not just a nice-to-have. People can get a bit lost in their own work, but when you collaborate—whether it’s a huge partnership or just a one-off workshop—it’s like, suddenly everything opens up. Giacomo, you’ve had some wild collaborative projects, right? Didn’t you do something on AI and neuroscience?

Giacomo Di noto

Yeah! I mean, last semester there was this joint seminar where we brought in both the AI folks and the neuroscience group. It was a bit chaotic at first—lots of different vocabularies flying around—but, honestly, in the end, we discovered some overlaps even we hadn’t expected. And from there, a couple of interdisciplinary project ideas just sprung up. Like, trying to merge technical approaches with social research questions… and, sometimes, just learning how to ask better questions together.

Emily Clarke

That’s exactly it—sometimes the best research comes from places where you least expect it. I think that’s why the international side matters, too. When you’re not limited by geography, suddenly you’ve got new perspectives, new methods, just because someone else thinks differently. I’d love to hear from our listeners as well: Have you experienced a collaboration that changed the way you worked on a problem? Or do you think coming from a different background can make research better?

Giacomo Di noto

Yeah, what surprised you? Did any collaboration totally change your project’s direction? Let us know, because we want Synapses to be a real conversation—a place where we can all learn from each other.

Emily Clarke

Definitely. So, that about wraps up our first episode! Next time, we’ll dive deep into how AI is transforming learning and, well, the rest of society, too. Giacomo, it’s honestly been a pleasure—I think we’re in for a wild ride with these episodes.

Giacomo Di noto

Same here, Emily. I think we set the stage for some really exciting conversations. Ciao for now, and see you all in the next one!

Emily Clarke

Bye everyone—thanks for listening, and don’t forget to share your stories with us. See you soon!