Dr. Cathy Chen is a candidate for a tenure track faculty position in the Neuroscience and Behavior Department. Her talk will address: Whether it’s trying a new restaurant or rethinking a life goal, we face the daily challenge of deciding whether to stick with what we know or explore something new. This “exploration-exploitation tradeoff” reflects a fundamental computation performed by the brain to balance learning and reward in uncertain environments. In this talk, I will highlight that there is not one “optimal” way to learn, but rather a diversity of cognitive strategies tuned by biology. This translational research will show how individual differences in decision-making can inform a more nuanced understanding of brain function and mental health.