Aaron Andalman

Aaron Andalman is the CSO and co-founder of Cognitiv. As a startup veteran, top CS graduate from Stanford, and PhD in Neuroscience from M.I.T., Aaron specialized in neural networks at Stanford for six years before founding Cognitiv. As a Postdoctoral Scholar, Aaron was awarded the prestigious Helen Hay Whitney Fellowship and focused on developing advanced computational microscopy methods and data analysis techniques to better understand learning and memory. In the process of earning his PhD at MIT, Aaron discovered two fundamental functions of cortical-basal ganglia neural circuits for the acquisition of new motor skills; techniques included in-vivo awake-behaving electrophysiology, localized pharmacological manipulation, light field microscopy, optogenetics, two-photon microscopy, and computational modeling with recurrent neural networks. Aaron’s research on learning in neural systems is published in several prestigious journals (Cell, Science, Nature, PNAS) and has been recognized with national and international awards and fellowships. Aaron’s academic background is complemented by his experience as an engineer at the successful startup Financial Engines.