Dr. Kiyohito Iigaya

Biography

Kiyohito Iigaya is an Assistant Professor at the Data Science Institute at Columbia University, specializing in computational psychiatry. His research focuses on identifying computational principles underlying learning and decision-making behavior to enhance the understanding of mental disorders. The Iigaya lab bridges computational models and their neural implementations, utilizing algorithms such as reinforcement learning models alongside neural circuit models. The lab aims to test the predictions of these models through empirical studies involving human participants, including techniques like functional MRI, while collaborating closely with basic and clinical neuroscience and psychiatry laboratories. Iigaya obtained his Ph.D. from the Physics Department at Columbia University, where he worked under the guidance of Stefano Fusi. Following his doctoral studies, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at University College London within the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit and at the Max Planck Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, working with advisors Peter Dayan and Ray Dolan, as well as John O’Doherty at Caltech.

Research Interests