Matthias Nau

Matthias Nau is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology within the Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His work focuses on computational cognitive neuroscience, exploring how neural and behavioral signals shape human experiences through active vision, memory, and imagery.

Fields of interest include computational cognitive neuroscience, active vision, memory, mental imagery, neuroimaging, behavioral tracking, and artificial intelligence. He develops open-access AI-powered tools to study human brain activity and behavior.

Recent research trends highlight collaborations between cognitive neuroscience and AI, utilizing fMRI and eye tracking to decode task demands, sensorimotor timing, and spatial perception mechanisms. His 2024 paper in Nature Neuroscience emphasizes generalization across tasks.

Scientific awards and grants:

• Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship (2021)
• NIH Visiting Fellowship (2021)

He coordinates and teaches Brain Imaging and Programming for Psychologists in the Research Master Cognitive Neuropsychology program. Grants include AAPG Research Grant (2023), Fyssen Research Grant (2023), and iBBA Research Support Fund (2024). No ancillary activities are listed.