Human-IST
Digital Neuroscience

Program Overview

Most neuroscience graduates cannot code. Most computer scientists have never recorded a brain signal. This program produces people who do both.

But technical fluency alone is not enough. The program is built on two deeper commitments: human-centered design — the principle that technology must serve people, not the other way around — and systems thinking — the ability to see how brain, behavior, technology, and society interact as a whole.

Neuroscience
Brain, cognition & behavior
Computation
ML, data & signal processing
Human-Centered Design
Interfaces that serve people
Systems Thinking
Brain, tech & society as one
120 ECTS over 4 semesters. Year 1 builds dual fluency. Year 2 puts it to work in a 12-month research thesis embedded in an active lab — culminating in a GitHub portfolio and public presentation at the Annual Day of Cognition.
Taught in English
What You Will Actually Learn 7 skill domains from the study plan

Concrete skills grounded in the four pillars above.

Neural Signal Acquisition & Decoding

Record, preprocess, and decode brain signals from EEG. Extract physiological data from wearable biosensors. Turn raw signals into actionable features.

From: Neural Decoding of EEG Signals, Analysing Health Data from Wearable Biosensors, Intro to Neuroscience

Machine Learning & Deep Learning

Build, train, and evaluate neural networks. Apply pattern recognition to neural and behavioral data. Understand when deep learning helps — and when simpler models are enough.

From: Introduction to Deep Learning, Pattern Recognition, Data Analytics in Python

Human-Centered Interface Design

Design multimodal interfaces that combine gaze, gesture, speech, and physiological signals. Conduct user research. Build systems that adapt to people — not the other way around.

From: Multimodal User Interfaces, User Centered Design

Data Engineering & Analytics

Process data at scale in Python and R. Build pipelines for neural, behavioral, and clinical datasets. Extract insight from sensor streams to social media.

From: Data Analytics in Python, Big Data Infrastructures, Social Media Analytics, Statistics with R

Neuroscience & Cognitive Foundations

Understand how the brain processes information, forms memories, and drives behavior. Evaluate clinical neuroscience findings critically. Ground technical work in biological reality.

From: Intro to Neuroscience, Current Topics in Digital Neuroscience, Clinical Neuroscience, Behavioural Methods

Cybernetic Systems & Systems Thinking

Model feedback loops between brain, technology, and environment. Analyze how interventions propagate through complex systems — from neural circuits to sociotechnical ecosystems.

From: Cybernetic Systems, Current Topics in Digital Neuroscience

Scientific Communication & Ethics

Write publishable research papers. Present findings to technical and non-technical audiences. Navigate the ethical dimensions of neurotechnology, AI, and human data.

From: Advanced Scientific Writing, Scientific Communication, Neuroethics
What You Could Become 6 career pathways

This program does not train you for a single job title. It gives you a rare profile — someone who understands the brain, builds the technology, designs for the human, and sees the system.

Research & PhD Programs

"I want to push the frontier of what we know."

Join a lab studying brain-computer interfaces, sleep and memory, visual neuroscience, or computational neuroscience. You arrive with the programming, signal processing, and statistical skills that many neuroscience PhDs spend their first year catching up on.

Neurotechnology & MedTech

"I want to build devices that interface with the brain."

Design and validate neural interfaces, neurofeedback systems, and cognitive assessment tools. Companies developing EEG headsets, sleep trackers, and clinical decision support need people who understand both the neuroscience and the engineering.

AI & Data Science in Healthcare

"I want to apply AI where it matters most."

Build ML pipelines for clinical data, wearable health sensors, and drug discovery. Your neuroscience training means you understand the biology behind the data — not just the patterns.

Human-Centered Technology

"I want to design technology that works with people, not against them."

Design adaptive interfaces, personalized learning systems, and accessible technology. Your training in multimodal interaction and user-centered design is grounded in an understanding of perception, cognition, and attention.

Policy, Ethics & Governance

"I want to shape how these technologies are regulated."

Contribute to governance frameworks for AI in healthcare, neurotechnology regulation, and data privacy. Your technical depth means you can evaluate what these technologies actually do — not just what their marketing claims.

Entrepreneurship

"I want to build something new."

Launch ventures in healthtech, edtech, cognitive assessment, or neurofeedback. You understand the science, the technology, and the user — three things most founding teams are missing at least one of.

Industry Context BCI & AI in Healthcare market data

Brain-Computer Interface Market

Global size by product, 2020–2030 (USD Billions)

$2.4B2024 $6.5B2030 ↑ 18.1% CAGR
'20$1.5B
'21$1.7B
'22$1.9B
'23$2.1B
'24$2.4B
'25$2.9B
'26$3.4B
'27$4.0B
'28$4.8B
'29$5.6B
'30$6.5B

By End-Use, 2024

Medical (48%)
Military (27%)
Others (25%)

AI in Healthcare Market

Global size, 2020–2030 (USD Billions)

$19.3B2023 $187.7B2030 ↑ 38.5% CAGR
'20$6.5B
'21$10.0B
'22$14.0B
'23$19.3B
'24$26.6B
'25$36.7B
'26$50.7B
'27$70.2B
'28$97.3B
'29$135.0B
'30$187.7B

By Technology, 2023

Machine Learning (40%)
NLP (25%)
Computer Vision (20%)
Context-aware (15%)

Digital neuroscience graduates are positioned at the convergence of two rapidly expanding markets. Brain-computer interfaces — led by non-invasive technologies (86% of revenue) — are transforming medical diagnostics, neural prosthetics, and cognitive assessment. AI in healthcare, growing at nearly 39% annually, is reshaping drug discovery, clinical decision support, and personalized medicine through machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision.

Data: Grand View Research (2024–2025). Projected values shown with reduced opacity. Hover bars for values.