Naoshige Uchida

Naoshige Uchida is Jeff C. Tarr Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University. He received his Ph.D. from Kyoto University, Japan, where he worked on the molecular mechanism of synaptic adhesions in Masatoshi Takeichi’s laboratory. He first began studying olfactory processing in Prof. Kensaku Mori’s laboratory at the RIKEN, Center for Brain Science in Japan. He then joined Zachary F. Mainen’s laboratory at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he pioneered the study of decision tasks in rodents. He started his laboratory at Harvard University in 2006.

Uchida’s current research focuses on the neurobiology of decision-making and learning, including neural computation in the midrain dopamine system, functions of the cortico-basal ganglia circuit, foraging decisions, and motor learning. His research combines quantitative rodent behaviors with multi-neuronal recordings, two-photon microscopy, computational modeling and modern neurobiological tools such as optogenetics and neural circuit tracing using virus-based methods.