MCB is pleased to announce that Naoshige (Nao) Uchida, a leading neuroscientist whose work has reshaped our understanding of learning, decision-making, and sensory processing, has been appointed the…
Tag: Nao Uchida
How Brains (and AI) Use Variability in Rewards to Bolster Learning
In domains as diverse as mastering video games, controlling robotic limbs, and finetuning ChatGPT, a family of approaches known collectively as “reinforcement learning” (RL) has revolutionized the field…
Neuroscience Graduate Adam Lowet Wins Bowdoin Prize for Essay on Risk and Learning
Adam Lowet, a recent PhD graduate from Harvard’s Program in Neuroscience, has been awarded the prestigious Bowdoin Prize for Graduate Essay in the Natural Sciences with his composition…
Postdocs Awarded Funding from the NIH and Branco Weiss
For many postdocs, research fellowships are a vital form of funding. This semester, three postdocs from MCB labs have recently been awarded fellowships. Bongmin Bae of the Whipple…
Naoshige Uchida Becomes Director of Undergraduate Studies in Neuroscience, Taking Over from Jeff Lichtman
MCB faculty Naoshige Uchida will succeed MCB faculty Jeff Lichtman as Head Tutor of Neuroscience. Each undergraduate concentration at Harvard has a Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS)—also known…
How Neuron Types Work Together to Process Punishment and Reward [Uchida Lab]
As they navigate their environment, animals readily learn to repeat actions which yield reward and avoid actions which cause punishment. This kind of learning is especially efficient when…
Uchida Lab Postdoc Iku Kimura Receives Funding from Japan Science and Technology Agency
Postdoc Iku Kimura of the Uchida Lab has been awarded a prestigious fellowship from the Japan Science and Technology Agency. The fellowship program, named “Promoting Individual Research to…
Uchida Lab Connects Machine Learning Theory to Biological Brains
In our new study published in Nature Neuroscience, we found evidence that rodent brains use a specific form of learning called temporal difference (TD) learning. TD learning has…
Always Checking Errors in Brains and Machines [Uchida Lab]
The last several years have seen remarkable developments in artificial intelligence (AI). Computers can now play complex video games such as Pac-Man, Space Invader, and even StarCraft II…
Believing in Dopamine [Uchida Lab]
Predicting future rewards depends critically on beliefs about the current state of the world. For example, suppose you go to a restaurant with two chefs, one who you’ve…
