Nathaniel Daw

Nathaniel Daw holds the Huo Professorship in Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University. His research integrates computational, neural, and behavioral approaches to study decision-making through trial-and-error learning and reward/punishment processing.

Research Interests:

• Computational Neuroscience
• Decision-Making Under Uncertainty
• Model-Based and Model-Free Learning
• Neural Mechanisms of Self-Control

Publications (2025-2019) explore intersections of machine learning and neuroscience, focusing on reward-guided behavior, memory systems, and psychiatric implications like anorexia nervosa and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Key themes include neural replay, cognitive effort allocation, and predictive modeling of human and animal learning.

Scientific Awards:

• Princeton-Rutgers $16M Research Grant for mental illness studies

Grants and Collaborations: Highlighted by a major interdisciplinary grant with Rutgers University to advance understanding of mental illness through computational frameworks.

Labs and Teams: Leads the Daw Lab at Princeton Neuroscience Institute, focusing on neurocomputational models of decision-making and self-control.