Science Meets Music [February 2020] - Dr. Peter Dayan - "Send in the Computational Psychiatrists

Lecture: Dr. Peter Dayan

Peter Dayan’s research focuses on decision-making processes in the brain, the role of neuromodulators as well as neuronal malfunctions in psychiatric diseases. Dayan has long worked at the interface between natural and engineered systems for learning and choice, and is also regarded as a pioneer in the field of Artificial Intelligence.

Dr. Dayan studied mathematics at Cambridge University and received his doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. After postdoctoral research at the Salk Institute and the University of Toronto he moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston as assistant professor in 1995. In 1998, he moved to London to help co-found the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, which became one of the best-known institutions for research in theoretical neuroscience, and was its Director from 2002 to 2017. He was also Deputy Director of the Max Planck/UCL Center for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research. In 2018, he moved to Tübingen to become a Director of the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics.

Peter Dayan was also awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Professorship, Germany´s most highly endowed research prize and for which he will join the Department of Computer Science at the University of Tübingen.

Music: Sofiya Uryvayeva Martin

Originally from Siberia, phenomenal pianist Sofiya Uryvayea Martin was granted an “Einstein visa” and subsequently American citizenship due to her superlative achievements in the music field. (It is a rare privilege reserved for individuals of extraordinary ability, recognized as the best of the best in their field of endeavor.)

She has performed with great success throughout the world, including in the United States, Mexico, Switzerland, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Italy and Austria. Her YouTube channel has become very popular in promoting classical music around the world, with many videos of her live performances. Modern composers from all over the world have dedicated their music to her, and she has performed numerous world premieres.