Erie D. Boorman

Erie D. Boorman is an Associate Professor of Psychology and a core member of the Center for Mind and Brain at the University of California, Davis. His research explores computational and neural mechanisms underlying learning and decision-making, with a focus on reward prediction, social prediction, and abstract cognitive mapping.

• Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford (2010)
• Postdoctoral Fellowships at Caltech and Oxford University

His work spans Psychology, Neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence, and Behavioral Economics, emphasizing cross-disciplinary approaches to understanding how the brain forms predictive models of the environment.

Recent publications highlight his investigations into credit assignment in structured environments, social hierarchy inferences using grid-like coding, and abstract cognitive map construction. Research trends reveal a focus on neural systems underlying adaptive behavior and computational flexibility.

• NSF CAREER Award (2019-2024)
• Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship (2010-14)
• Wellcome Trust Prize Studentship (2005-10)
• Overseas Research Student Award (2006-09)

He teaches courses on cognitive neuroscience, neuroeconomics, and reinforcement learning across Psychology, Cognitive Science, and Economics departments. Lab members Alex Park and Phil Witkowski have recently transitioned to new research roles.