Dr. Nathaniel Daw

Biography

Nathaniel Daw is an expert in computational theoretical neuroscience affiliated with the Princeton Neuroscience Institute. His lab investigates the intersection of computational modeling and neuroscientific understanding of how humans and animals learn from trial and error, making decisions influenced by rewards and punishments. His research focuses on understanding how subjects cope with computationally demanding decision-making scenarios, particularly in tasks where choices involve uncertainty and require sequential decision-making, such as spatial games like chess. His work includes long-standing research questions in machine learning, leveraging algorithms to form detailed, quantitative hypotheses about how the brain approaches problem-solving. Current projects in his lab explore how the brain regulates its own decision-making processes—examining the implications of making higher-level decisions versus simply reacting, as well as the neural processes involved in self-control and psychiatric disorders characterized by compulsion.

Research Interests