On Friday 24 November the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano will officially mark the start of the academic year 2023-24 with a special Opening Ceremony, where the guest of honour will be Prof. Gordon Cheng, Chair of Cognitive Systems, Co-Director of the elite Master's programme in Neuroengineering at the Technical University of Munich and recipient of the 2023 ERC Advanced Grant.

Professor Cheng's keynote address will be entitled 'From Brain Science to Deep-tech' and will explore the fascinating intersection of brain science and technology.
Professor Cheng is a leading researcher in the fundamental understanding and design of cognitive systems. With over 20 years of pioneering contributions in humanoid robotics, neuroengineering and artificial intelligence, he brings a wealth of expertise to the academic community. After studying computer science at the University of Wollongong (Australia) and receiving his PhD in systems engineering from the Australian National University in 2001, Prof. Cheng has held key positions at renowned institutions in Japan and is currently a full professor of cognitive systems at TUM.

Prof. Cheng's talk will highlight the remarkable advances in neuroengineering, a field that has revolutionised problem-solving by merging neuroscience and engineering. He will present recent work that demonstrates the profound impact of neuroengineering and its potential to positively shape the future.

The event will take place in the Aula Magna in Bolzano from 11.00 to 13.00.

The Rector, Prof. Paolo Lugli, will preside over the ceremony and officially declare the academic year open. The event will be enriched by the musical talents of Prof. Arnaldo De Felice from the Istituto di Alta Formazione Musicale - Conservatory of Music "Claudio Monteverdi" in Bolzano.

To participate in the event, registration is recommended at: ceremonial-rectorate@unibz.it

(zil)