Marcello Costa was born in Torino (Turin, Italy) in 1940 where obtained in 1967 his Medical Degree (Laurea in Medicina e Chirurgia)
Migrated to Australia in 1970, was one of the founders of the new discipline of Neuroscience and the Australian Neuroscience Society (ANS), of which become President in the 90s. He holds a personal chair in Neurophysiology at Flinders University, the first in Australia. He has published over 230 scientific papers in international journals, 55 reviews and chapters and written two books in enteric neuroscience and gastrointestinal motor functions.
He was foundation co-chair of the the South Australian Neuroscience Institute (SANI) from 2003 to 2010.
He is active in the field of philosophy of science and education in neuroscience to university students and to the broader public (see publications and CV).
 He actively participates in the activities of the association Friends of Science in Medicine opposing pseudosciences (http://www.scienceinmedicine.org.au/).

Marcello has been a pioneer in the study of the neural control of gastrointestinal functions with his first paper in this field published in 1965.
He has obtained research funds from National and International competitive peer reviewed granting bodies since his arrival to Flinders in 1975.
His laboratory was funded by the Pharmaceutical company Astra Zeneca for 11 years.
His research interest has been expanded to general issues of neuroscience and he is actively involved in exploring the conceptual foundations that brings neurosciences into fields as diverse as Philosophy, Social sciences, Psychology, History of Science, History of Art etc.
He has been funded by National and international granting bodies uninterruptedly since his arrival at Flinders University in 1975.
He is leading a team of researchers from 5 Institutions recipient of a significant   ARC discovery grant for 2012-2014 entitled "Unified framework of intestinal motility".