Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) is a leading research and innovation organization based in Trento, Italy. With over 450 researchers across 12 Research Centers, FBK operates in diverse scientific and technological fields, organized into two main clusters: Technology & Innovation and Humanities & Social Sciences. More information: https://www.fbk.eu/en/about-us/.
The Digital Health & Wellbeing Center conducts interdisciplinary research on innovative digital technologies for health and wellbeing, with particular attention to person-centered, preventive, personalized, and evidence-based approaches. Within the Center, the Digital Health Research Unit (dHRes) focuses on the design, development, and evaluation of digital technologies for health promotion, prevention, and therapeutic interventions. The Unit combines expertise from Human-Computer Interaction, digital health, computer science, psychological science and related disciplines.
We are looking for Master’s students interested in carrying out a curricular internship, a Master’s thesis, or a combined internship and thesis research project within the dHRes Unit. The opportunity is particularly suitable for students enrolled in degree programs related to Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and related disciplines who are interested in conducting empirical research at the intersection of behavioral science, health, and emerging digital technologies.
Research Area
The overarching research area concerns Digital Therapeutics, digital health interventions, and Technology-Mediated Behavior Change. Projects investigate how digital and interactive technologies can be designed, implemented, and scientifically evaluated to support psychological wellbeing, prevention, health promotion, therapeutic processes, and sustainable behavioral change. Research may involve mobile and web-based interventions, interactive applications, Virtual and Extended Reality, immersive environments, serious games, persuasive technologies, and other emerging digital health solutions. Depending on the student’s interests, academic background and on the projects active within the Unit, possible research topics may include:
- Nature-Based Digital Interventions, exploring how digital and immersive experiences inspired by natural environments may support relaxation, stress reduction, emotional regulation, and psychological wellbeing;
- Cyberdelics and Immersive Experiences, investigating immersive and virtual experiences designed to influence cognitive, emotional, and perceptual processes; - Eating Disorders, including digital approaches for prevention, assessment, engagement, and support of therapeutic interventions;
- Anxiety, Depression and related disorders, investigating digital tools and interventions aimed at supporting emotional regulation, psychological wellbeing, prevention, and self-management;
- Healthy Aging, exploring technologies designed to support cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and social wellbeing across the lifespan;
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders, investigating digital, interactive, game-based, and immersive approaches that may support individuals with different neurodevelopmental profiles;
- Psychological Wellbeing of Caregivers, Siblings, and Healthcare Professionals, investigating digital and technology-mediated interventions aimed at supporting the psychological wellbeing, emotional regulation, coping, resilience, and quality of life of family caregivers, siblings, and healthcare professionals involved in the care of individuals with chronic medical conditions or acute health conditions. Research in this area may also address caregiver burden, stress, burnout, adaptation to illness, and the psychological impact of caregiving and healthcare work.
The specific research question will be defined together with the student according to their academic background, methodological skills, interests, and the research activities currently underway within dHRes.
Possible Research Activities
Depending on the project and their academic background and interests & experience level, Master’s students may participate in several stages of the research process, including:
- conducting bibliographic searches and structured reviews of the scientific literature;
- identifying, reading, critically evaluating, and synthesizing scientific papers relevant to the selected topic;
- contributing to the definition of research questions and hypotheses; - interpreting research findings in relation to the existing scientific literature; - participating in interdisciplinary research meetings;
- contributing to scientific reports, conference submissions, and journal publications.
(Psychology and HCI background)
- supporting the design of experimental, observational, usability, or mixed-method research protocols;
- selecting validated psychological, behavioral, usability, and user-experience measures;
- preparing questionnaires, interview protocols, experimental materials, instructions, and research documentation;
- contributing to the preparation of documentation required for ethical review, when applicable;
- supporting participant recruitment and study organization;
- administering experimental procedures to participants, under the supervision of the research team, when involved in pilot studies or empirical research projects;
- conducting interviews, usability tests, behavioral assessments, or other procedures included in the approved research protocol;
- collecting self-report, behavioral, interaction, and, where applicable, psychophysiological data;
- organizing and managing research datasets;
- conducting quantitative and/or qualitative data analyses;
(Computer Science/Engineering and HCI background)
- contributing to the design of user studies that evaluate the developed system, including interaction and technical metrics (e.g., engagement and usage logs, task performance, frame rate and latency in immersive settings); - designing and developing interactive systems or components that implement specific intervention mechanisms or behavior change techniques, turning requirements from psychologists and clinicians into technical specifications;
- defining and refining the software architecture of research prototypes so they are modular and extensible, and so that different experimental conditions can be configured easily;
- profiling and optimizing performance on target devices (e.g., standalone VR headsets, smartphones), with attention to factors that affect user experience, such as comfort and cybersickness;
- analyzing the existing codebase to find maintainability issues, tight coupling, and anti-patterns, and proposing and carrying out refactoring strategies;
- building data collection pipelines for interaction, sensor, or psychophysiological data (where applicable), with attention to data quality, privacy, and GDPR-compliant handling;
- where relevant, exploring AI-based components (e.g., personalization, adaptive content, conversational agents);
- analyzing interaction data and improving the system based on study results; - producing technical documentation to support the system's future development and reuse within the Unit.
For Master’s thesis projects, students will be encouraged to progressively take ownership of a clearly defined research question and, where appropriate, participate directly in the design, execution, analysis, and interpretation of an empirical study.
Requirements
Candidates should:
- be enrolled in a Master’s degree, particularly in Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering or a related discipline;
- have a strong interest in digital health, Digital Therapeutics, Behavior Change, digital mental health, Human-Computer Interaction, or experimental research; - have at least a B2 level of written and spoken English;
- be able to read, understand, and critically discuss scientific papers in English; - have basic knowledge of research methodology and experimental design; - have good knowledge of prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Adobe XD); - (Psychology and HCI background) have basic knowledge of statistics and psychometrics; be familiar with the interpretation of basic quantitative research results; be able to follow structured research protocols carefully and reliably; be willing, when required by the project, to interact with study participants and administer standardized experimental procedures;
- (Computer Science/Engineering and HCI background) have strong knowledge of software engineering methodologies and software development (JavaScript, C#); knowledge of game engine and 3D development platforms such as Unity is a plus; - be able to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary research environment.
Depending on the specific project, the following skills may be considered an advantage:
- experience with statistical software such as R, Python, SPSS, JASP, or similar tools;
- knowledge of psychometric assessment and validated psychological questionnaires;
- experience with qualitative research, interviews, or thematic analysis; - knowledge of usability testing and user research methods;
- experience with prototyping and interaction design;
- experience with Virtual Reality, Extended Reality, serious games, or interactive technologies;
- experience with behavioral or psychophysiological data collection.
Candidates are not expected to possess all of these additional skills. The required methodological profile will depend on the selected research project.
Internship and Thesis Opportunities
Students may apply for one of the following formats:
- a curricular internship, focused on a clearly defined component of an ongoing dHRes research project;
- a Master’s thesis, centered on an original research question developed together with the dHRes research team;
- a combined curricular internship and Master’s thesis, allowing the student to participate in a broader research project and subsequently develop an empirical thesis based on the research activities and data collected.
Students interested in an academic or research career will have the opportunity to gain experience in the full research process, from literature review and study design to data collection, analysis, interpretation, and scientific communication.
Depending on the nature of the project, the scientific results obtained, and the student’s contribution, research activities may also lead to involvement in conference contributions and/or co-authored scientific publications.
Practical Information
Type: Curricular internship, Master’s thesis, or combined internship and thesis. - Duration: Defined according to the academic requirements and the scope of the selected research project. Internship activities will generally be planned over a period of approximately 3 to 6 months, while thesis activities may extend beyond the formal internship period.
Location: FBK, Povo, Trento, with possible hybrid arrangements depending on the specific research activities.
Supervision: Students will work under the supervision of researchers from the Digital Health Research Unit and, where applicable, in collaboration with a University of Trento academic supervisor.
Other benefits: Interdisciplinary research environment combining psychology, behavioral science, Human-Computer Interaction, digital health, and emerging interactive technologies. Access to the internal canteen (except for UniTN students).
How to Apply
Interested candidates should submit:
- a Curriculum Vitae;
- a brief motivation letter describing their academic background, research interests, and methodological experience;
- an indication of one or more research areas of interest among those described above; ● an indication of whether they are interested in a curricular internship, Master’s thesis, or combined internship and thesis;
- when available, their preferred starting period.
Candidates are not required to submit a complete thesis proposal. The specific research question, methodology, and scope of the project will be developed together with the dHRes research team according to the candidate’s interests, methodological background, and the projects available at the time of application.
For any information, contact Susanna Pardini (spardini@fbk.eu) and Elio Salvadori (esalvadori@fbk.eu).
For any further information, please contact: jobs@fbk.eu.
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