Daniela Calvigioni, PhD
Daniela Calvigioni, PhD, is a neuroscientist, Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine fellow, Assistant Professor at Karolinska Institutet, and incoming Assistant Professor at Linköping University. Her research focuses on understanding how brain circuits process emotional stimuli and transition to long-lasting brain states and psychiatric disorders.
Dr. Calvigioni established her independent research group as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, in March 2024. In the same year, she was awarded an Assistant Professor position at the Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine (WCMM) at Linköping University (LiU). Her team will join the Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience (CSAN) within the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV).
While completing her postdoctoral training at Karolinska Institutet with Prof. Konstantinos Meletis, Dr. Calvigioni worked on the multimodal definition of brain circuits in reward and valence processing, identifying a sexually dimorphic hypothalamic-habenula circuit. She holds a Karolinska Institutet-NIH PhD, during which she conducted research across Sweden, Austria (laboratory of Prof. Tibor Harkany), and the USA (laboratory of Prof. Christopher J. McBain). Her doctoral work focused on electrophysiological, anatomical, and molecular analyses of cortical interneurons and the long-lasting effects of cannabinoid exposure during pregnancy on brain development and behavior.
Independent Career Funding: Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (WCMM at LiU), the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (2024 NARSAD Young Investigator Award), the Swedish Research Council Starting Grant (Vetenskapsrådet Etableringsbidrag), the Hjärnfonden Research Foundation (with the additional support of the Rynkeby Skolloppet 2024), the StratNeuro start-up, and the Harald och Greta Jeanssons Stiftelse Foundation.
Postdoctoral Funding: David and Astrid Hagelén Foundation, the Hjärnfonden Research Foundation, the Fredrik and Ingrid Thuring Foundation, StratNeuro, and the Karolinska Institutet Research Foundation.
Experience
Professional appointments
Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine (WCMM) - Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), Linköping University, Sweden.
Neuroscience Department, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
Neuroscience Department, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
Mentor: Konstatinos Meletis.
NIH, Section on Cellular and Synaptic Physiology (NICHD), Bethesda, USA.
Mentor: Christopher James McBain.
Education
Karolinska Institutet‐NIH doctoral partnership program in neuroscience.
Mentors: Tibor Harkany (CBR, Austria and KI, Sweden)/ Christopher James McBain (NIH, USA).
Thesis: Molecular determinants underlying the development of specific excitatory and inhibitory neuronal populations of the neocortex.
Medical biotechnology and molecular medicine, Neuroscience program, University of Milan, Italy.
Mentor: Michela Matteoli (CBR, Italy).
Thesis: Eps8 controls dendritic spine density and synaptic plasticity through its actin‐capping activity.
Medical biotechnologies, University of Camerino. Italy.
Mentor: Roberto Spurio (University of Camerino, Italy) - Peiwu Wang (Jilin University, China).
Grant support
Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine, WCMM fellow at Linköping Univiersity.
Project grant (as Principal Investigator).
Starting grant - Swedish research council (as Principal Investigator).
Startup Grant (as Principal Investigator).
Project grant (as Principal Investigator).
Project grant (as Principal Investigator).
Startup Grant (as Principal Investigator).
Project grant (as Postdoctoral fellow).
Project grant (as Postdoctoral fellow).
Postdoctoral fellowship.
Project grant (as Postdoctoral fellow).
Postdoctoral fellowship.
Project grant (as Postdoctoral fellow).
Postdoctoral fellowship.
Fellow award, NIH (as Postdoctoral fellow).
Mentoring experience
KI-NIH PhD student, Karolinska Institute, Sweden.
Role: Co-supervisor, main supervisor: Janos Fuzik.
PhD student. Karolinska Institute, Sweden.
Role: Co-supervisor, main supervisor: Konstantinos Meletis.
PhD student. University of Milan, Italy.
Role: External mentor.
Master’s student in Biomedicine, KI, Sweden.
Role: Main supervisor - Master thesis.
Master’s student in Biomedicine, KI, Sweden.
Role: Co-supervisor, main supervisor: Janos Fuzik.
Master’s student in Biomedicine, KI, Sweden.
Role: Main supervisor - Master thesis.
Master’s student in Neurochemistry, Stockholm University, Sweden.
Role: Co-supervisor, main supervisor: Konstantinos Meletis.
Master’s student in Biomedicine, KI, Sweden.
Role: Co-supervisor - Master thesis, main supervisor: Konstantinos Meletis.
Master’s student, University of Lubeck, Germany.
Role: Co-supervisor - Internship.
Master’s student, University of Maastricht, Netherlands.
Role: Co-supervisor - Master thesis, main supervisor: Konstantinos Meletis.
Bachelor student Erasmus, Bonn, Germany.
Role: main supervisor – Bachelor thesis.
Bachelor student in Biomedicine, KI, Sweden.
Role: Main supervisor - Internship.
Bachelor student in Biomedicine, KI, Sweden.
Role: Main supervisor - Internship.
Bachelor student in Biomedicine, KI, Sweden.
Role: Main supervisor - Internship.
Bachelor student in Biomedicine, KI, Sweden.
Role: Main supervisor - KI summer school.
Bachelor’s student in Biomedicine, KI, Sweden.
Role: Co-supervisor - Internship.
High school student, Research Academy for Young Scientists (Rays).
Role: Main supervisor - Internship.
High school student, Research Academy for Young Scientists (Rays).
Role: Main supervisor - Internship.
High school student, Research Academy for Young Scientists (Rays).
Role: Main supervisor - Internship.
High school student, Research Academy for Young Scientists (Rays).
Role: Main supervisor - Internship.
Teaching experience
Mouse behaviour and Metabolism Course.
Master’s degree in Biomedicine, KI, Sweden.
Brain circuits Course.
PhD course, KI, Sweden.
Master’s degree in Biomedicine, KI, Sweden.
Introduction to teaching course, KI, Sweden.
General and Organic Chemistry Course.
Bachelor’s degree in Biomedicine, KI, Sweden.
Talks and conferences
Symposium.
Tromsø, Norway, June 24-29.
Symposium.
Chania, Greece, June 7-11.
Invited speaker.
Aachen University, Germany, November 21.
Poster presentation.
Lucca, Italy, July 21-26.
Invited speaker.
Newcastle, UK, July 2-4.
Invited speaker.
Stockholm, Sweden, June 4-5.
Invited speaker.
Lausanne, Switzerland, April 15-16
Invited speaker.
Oxford, UK, February 27.
Poster presentation.
Washington D.C., USA, November 11-15.
Poster presentation.
Les Diablerets, Switzerland, May 21-26.
Poster presentation.
Washington D.C., USA, November 15-19.
Invited speaker.
Berlin, Germany, October 18-21.
Poster presentation.
Milan, Italy, July 5-9.
Invited speaker, Winner ECNP Poster Awards.
Nice, France, March 6-9.
Poster presentation.
Vienna, Austria, November 21.
Courses and certificates
Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
MIT, USA, June-September.
EU Function B: Designing scientific procedures and projects involving animals.
Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
Poster presentation.
Stockholm, Sweden, October 1-2.
KTH-SciLifeLab.
Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, June.
Neuroscience school of advanced studies (NSAS).
Cortona, Italy, June 7-14.
Neuroscience school of advanced studies (NSAS).
Cortona, Italy, June 14-21.
EU Function A: carrying out procedures on animals.
Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
