Nuno Rocha is an associate professor (professor coordenador), vice-president at the School of Health of Polytechnic University
of Porto (ESS|P.PORTO), and a member of the general council of the Polytechnic University of Porto. He is a senior researcher
(integrated member) and director of the Center for Translational Health and Medical Biotechnology Research (TBIO). He earned
his PhD in Psychology from the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Porto in 2012, focusing on social cognition in schizophrenia.
Nuno's educational background includes psychology (BSc and MSc) and rehabilitation (BSc in occupational therapy), and he is
a registered occupational therapist and psychologist (member of the Order of Psychologists).
Nuno started his PhD studies in 2007 and received a scholarship from the Foundation for Science and Technology. His doctoral
thesis introduced a novel approach to social cognition rehabilitation for patients with schizophrenia and related disorders.
During this period, he was a visiting graduate student at the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory - Department of Cognitive
Science at the University of California - San Diego, where he received training in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and EEG
methods for recording mirror neuron activity under the supervision of Prof. Jaime Pineda. Additionally, in 2008 he obtained
certification in neurofeedback and biofeedback accredited training programs from the Biofeedback Institute of America.
Between 2010 and 2014, Nuno joined a team at the Center for Psychology of the University of Porto (Faculty of Psychology and
Educational Sciences) and in 2009 the Psychosocial Research Lab (a joint lab between the School of Health – P.PORTO and the
Faculty of Psychology – UP). There, he continued to specialize in methods for cognitive remediation, social cognition training,
and non-invasive brain stimulation.
Nuno initiated his career as a lecturer at the School of Health of the Polytechnic University of Porto (ESS|P.PORTO) in 2004,
teaching courses in psychiatry and mental health, rehabilitation methods, and occupational therapy, particularly for the undergraduate
program in occupational therapy. Upon earning his PhD in January 2012, he secured a permanent position as an assistant professor
at ESS|P.PORTO, including teaching applied neurosciences and advanced rehabilitation methods to undergraduate and graduate
students. In 2021, Nuno secured a position as associate professor through an international public competition for ESS|P.PORTO.
From 2017 to 2022, he was the vice-director of the Center for Rehabilitation Research, which received a positive classification
from the Foundation for Science and Technology (Good). In October 2022, Nuno started the coordination of the new established
Center for Translational Health and Medical Biotechnology Research, that resulted from the transformation of a medical biotechnology
lab that was created during the COVID-19 pandemia.
Currently, Nuno is actively involved in several clinical trials focusing on cognitive and behavioral training methods for
psychiatric and neurological disorders. Main research interests are in cognitive and social dysfunctions in mental disorders
and remediation, including behavioural and brain stimulation methods, as well as neurophysiological mechanisms underlying
social cognition. N. Rocha has >80 publications in peer-review journals.