Tomaso Poggio

Tomaso Poggio serves as the Eugene McDermott Professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and holds appointments at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). He is a founding member of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research and currently directs the Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines (CBMM), a major NSF-funded collaboration headquartered at the McGovern Institute.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Genoa (1970)

Poggio's research fundamentally bridges computational neuroscience and artificial intelligence, investigating how biological vision systems operate and how these principles inform machine learning architectures. His work spans theoretical foundations of learning algorithms, neural network modeling, and computer vision systems that emulate biological processes. Key contributions include regularization theory for learning, feedforward models of rapid object recognition, and mathematical analyses of deep versus shallow networks.

Analysis of his publication history (1990-2016) reveals an evolving trajectory from foundational learning theory toward deep neural networks and biological vision modeling, with consistent emphasis on mathematical rigor. His recent work (2014-2016) demonstrates strong integration of computational neuroscience with deep learning, particularly in visual cortex modeling and face recognition systems.

His distinguished scientific recognition includes:

• Foreign Membership in the Italian Academy of Sciences
• Fellowship in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• 2014 Swartz Prize for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience

As director of the Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines, Poggio leads one of the largest interdisciplinary collaborations in computational neuroscience, securing substantial NSF funding to advance research at the intersection of neuroscience, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence. While specific graduate students aren't listed in source materials, his leadership positions indicate extensive mentorship within the CBMM consortium.

His laboratory ecosystem centers around the McGovern Institute and CBMM, which unites over 100 researchers from MIT, Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, and Rockefeller University to investigate intelligence through computational, neural, and behavioral approaches.