Christopher A. Baldassano

Christopher A. Baldassano is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Columbia University, maintaining offices in Schermerhorn Hall (370 for office, 312 for lab). Contact is available via email c.baldassano@columbia.edu or phone +1 212 854 1902 by appointment.

Education

• Ph.D., Stanford University, 2015

Research Focus

Dr. Baldassano leads the Dynamic Perception and Memory Lab investigating how humans process and recall complex real-world experiences through event segmentation, temporal/spatial structure modeling, and neural representation formation. His work integrates cognitive neuroscience with machine learning approaches to analyze fMRI data during narrative, movie, and virtual reality experiments. Key research themes include event cognition dynamics, memory summarization mechanisms, and how prior knowledge shapes mental representations of everyday experiences.

Scientific Awards

No awards or fellowships were documented in the provided materials.

Advising and Grants

While specific student advisees and grant details weren't listed, his lab structure implies active mentorship of graduate researchers in cognitive neuroscience methodologies. Funding likely supports fMRI experimentation and computational modeling infrastructure.

Laboratory Operations

The Dynamic Perception and Memory Lab employs functional MRI combined with data-driven machine learning techniques to model neural representation variations across stimuli and individuals. Current projects examine event boundaries in continuous experiences using ecologically valid paradigms like movies and virtual environments, with emphasis on how temporal/spatial world structures influence cognitive processing.