Erie Boorman

Erie D. Boorman is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Davis, and a core member of the Center for Mind and Brain. His research focuses on the computational and neural mechanisms of learning and decision-making, bridging psychology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and behavioral economics. He leads the Learning and Decision Making (LDM) Lab, investigating how the brain constructs predictive models of the environment and uses them for decisions involving rewards, social contexts, and latent states.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford (2010)
• MSc (Distinction) in Neurosciences, University of Oxford (2006)
• B.A. (Honors) in Psychology, Stanford University (2004)

Research Interests:

• Computational models of learning and decision-making
• Neural basis of prediction systems (reward, social, and state prediction)
• Cognitive flexibility and structure learning
• Role of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex in decision processes

Awards:

• NSF CAREER Award (2019–present)
• Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship (2010–2014)
• Wellcome Trust Prize Studentship (2005–2010)

His work has been supported by grants such as the NSF CAREER and Wellcome Trust Fellowships.

Laboratory: The LDM Lab explores how humans form and adapt cognitive maps, leveraging multi-disciplinary approaches to understand neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying decision strategies.