Michael Platt, Ph.d

Michael Platt is a scientist known for asking some of the most challenging questions in 21st century neuroscience - and conceiving innovative ways to find the answers. Principle questions focus on the biological mechanisms that underlie decision-making and social interaction, the grasp of which has broad-scale implications for improving health, welfare, and business in societies worldwide. Broad expertise in anthropology, psychology, economics, evolutionary biology, ethology, and marketing have enabled him to reach deeper levels of understanding about the neural bases of decision making and cognition. As Director of the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative, his interests focus on applying insights and technology from brain science to business, particularly questions in branding, marketing, management, finance, and innovation. He received his B.A at Yale and his Ph.D. at Penn, both in anthropology, and did a post-doctoral fellowship in neuroscience at NYU. His work has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Klingenstein Foundation, the McDonnell Foundation, the EJLB Foundation, the Simons Foundation, and the Dept. of Defense, among others. He is winner of a MERIT award from the National Institute of Mental Health, the Williams Faculty Research Prize in the Duke School of Medicine, and was an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow. He has authored over 140 peer-reviewed papers and over 60 review and opinion papers, and his work has been cited over 13,000 times. Michael is a former president of the Society for Neuroeconomics, winner of the Master Teacher Award from the Duke School of Medicine and the Teaching Commitment and Curricular Innovation Award from the Wharton School. He has also served as a consultant on several films, currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards of several companies, and served on the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Brain Science. Michael is also co-founder of Cogwear LLC, a revolutionary neurotechnology startup.