About
Mehdi Khamassi is a Research Director at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), assigned to the Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics (ISIR) at Sorbonne University in Paris, France. He holds an engineering background in computer science (specializing in AI and statistical modeling) from the National School of Computer Science for Industry and Business (2003), a Cogmaster in cognitive science from Pierre and Marie Curie University (2003), and a PhD in cognitive neuroscience from UPMC/Collège de France (2007). Recruited by CNRS in 2010, he co-organizes the Symposium of Biology of Decision-Making (SBDM) and co-directs the modeling major for the Cogmaster program.
His research integrates computational modeling, neuroscience experiments, and robotic systems to study decision-making and learning mechanisms. Key interests include:
- Reinforcement learning in biological and artificial systems
- Role of social/non-social rewards in adaptive behavior
- Ethical implications of autonomous decision-making in AI
- Neuro-robotic models of hippocampal-prefrontal interactions
Recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate strong focus on reinforcement learning paradigms, AI alignment with human values, neurorobotics, and computational neuroscience. Work frequently bridges machine learning theory with empirical validation in biological systems or robotic platforms.
He leads research within the ACIDE team at ISIR, exploring adaptive coordination of learning strategies in brains and robots. Current collaborations include NTUA (Greece), University of Oxford, and University of Trento.
