Headshot of Samuel Gershman.

Samuel Gershman

Professor in the Department of Psychology and Center for Brain Science
Harvard University

Sam Gershman is professor in the Department of Psychology and Center for Brain Science at Harvard University. His lab studies the computational mechanisms of learning, memory, decision-making and perception. He is also affiliated with the Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence at Harvard. He is author of the 2021 book “What Makes Us Smart: The Computational Logic of Human Cognition.”

Gershman received his B.A. in neuroscience and behavior from Columbia University in 2007 and his Ph.D. in psychology and neuroscience from Princeton University in 2013. From 2013 to 2015 he was a postdoctoral fellow in the brain and cognitive sciences department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined Harvard University as assistant professor in 2015.

Explore more from The Transmitter

Seattle skyline.

Reporter’s notebook: Highlights from INSAR 2025

The annual meeting brought autism researchers, advocates and clinicians to Seattle to discuss the latest research, including attempts to define subgroups, a potential new CHD8 macaque model and life expectancy gaps.

By Daisy Yuhas
15 May 2025 | 5 min read
A researcher stands at the top of a staircase that leads to nowhere.

NIDA shutters diversity fellowship program, axes active awards

It’s unclear if the cancellation at the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse extends to the fellowships awarded by other institutes within the National Institutes of Health.

By Calli McMurray
14 May 2025 | 4 min read
Composite illustration of Ashley Bourke, Christian Cazares, Minerva Contreras, De-Shaine Murray, Fernanda Juarez Anaya, Maeghan Murie-Mazariegos and Maribel Patiño.

‘We still exist’: How four neuroscience advocacy groups are navigating federal DEI funding cuts

Trainees from underrepresented backgrounds are losing pillars of support in the current funding climate. Grassroots mentorship organizations are stepping in to continue championing early-career researchers.

By Paige Miranda
14 May 2025 | 2 min read