Tali Sharot

Professor Tali Sharot is a leading cognitive neuroscientist at University College London, holding dual appointments in the Department of Experimental Psychology (since 2018) and the Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research (since 2020). She directs the Affective Brain Lab, focusing on neural mechanisms of human cognition and emotion.

Education

• B.A. in Psychology and Economics, Tel Aviv University (1998)
• Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience, New York University (2006)

Research Focus

Her interdisciplinary research bridges neuroscience, psychology, and computational modeling to investigate:

• How motivation shapes evidence accumulation in decision-making
• Neural basis of belief formation and confirmation bias
• Information-seeking behaviors and their impact on mental health
• Pharmacological and neuroimaging approaches to affective disorders

Awards & Fellowships

• Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow (2019-2024)
• Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellow (2011-2017)
• British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow (2007-2011)

Leadership

She leads the Affective Brain Lab and serves as Group Leader at the Max Planck UCL Centre, integrating computational methods with neuroimaging to study psychiatric conditions.