The Early Career Award of the European Society for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience honors the early achievements of scientists working in the area of Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience and is meant to encourage career development and scientific endeavors in the field.

This year we have two recipients of the ESCAN Early Career Award:

Dr. Paula Celeste Salamone

Dr. Paula Celeste Salamone has made substantial and innovative contributions to the field of cognitive and affective neuroscience, particularly in understanding brain–body communication in emotional and social functioning. Her work, focusing on interoception and affective touch, combines behavioral approaches, electrophysiology, neuroimaging, and pharmacological models to investigate how bodily signals are integrated across multiple levels of the nervous system. By bridging basic and clinical research, her studies provide important insights into the mechanisms underlying emotional regulation and socio-affective processes.

Dr. Rita Pasion

Dr. Rita Pasion has made substantial and innovative contributions to the field of cognitive and affective neuroscience, specifically in the study of psychopathology from a transdiagnostic perspective. Grounded in contemporary frameworks such as the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) and the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), her research aims to identify multimodal neurobiological mechanisms underlying vulnerability to mental disorders. Her work integrates EEG-based measures to advance the understanding of shared processes across psychopathological conditions.

Congratulations!

With warm wishes,
The ESCAN Board

The ESCAN 2026 Conference will take place in Rome from 3 to 6 June 2026, bringing together the international community in cognitive, affective, and social neuroscience.

• Call for symposia & single presentations opens: 1 December 2025
• Symposia deadline: 7 January 2026
• Single presentation deadline (postponed): 25 February 2026 (23:59 CET)
• Early registration deadline: 20 March 2026

Official ESCAN 2026 Conference Website

Ahead of ESCAN 2026 in Rome, two complementary pre-conference events will highlight key directions in contemporary neuroscience and offer high-impact opportunities for scientific exchange and collaboration.

Social Neuroscience Pre-Conference Symposium

Focused on translating social neuroscience into societal impact, this symposium addresses major domains including AI and human interaction, clinical and health applications, environmental and climate neuroscience, and societal and political decision-making.

The programme combines expert introductions, Early Career Researcher flash talks, and focused discussions.

→ Detailed programme (Social Neuroscience)

SIREN Pre-Conference Workshop – Embodied Neuroscience

This workshop marks the launch of SIREN, a new ESCAN network dedicated to Embodied Neuroscience. It focuses on multisensory integration in body representation and brings together researchers working on body representation, interoception, and sensory systems.

The event features invited expert talks and structured networking sessions designed to foster collaborations and future grant initiatives.

→ Detailed programme (SIREN Workshop)

Both pre-conferences are open to all ESCAN delegates and provide a strong, visible opening to ESCAN 2026—combining cutting-edge science with community building across applied, social, and embodied neuroscience.