Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience
Stanford University
Bldg. 420, 470 Jane Stanford Way
Stanford, CA 94305-2130

(First-person): We seek to elucidate the neural basis of emotion (affective neuroscience), and to explore implications for decision-making (neuroeconomics) and psychopathology (neurophenomics).

(Third-person): Brian Knutson is a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Stanford University, and codirector of Stanford's Neurochoice Initiative. His research focuses on the neural basis of emotional experience and expression. His group has conducted pioneering research in affective neuroscience and neuroeconomics by leveraging interdisciplinary methods (including self-report, measurement of nonverbal behavior, comparative ethology, psychopharmacology, and neuroimaging). Their long-term goal is to understand the neurochemical and neuroanatomical mechanisms responsible for emotional experience, and to explore the implications of these findings for tracking and treating clinical disorders as well as for optimizing economic behavior.

He received B.A.s in experimental psychology and comparative religion from Trinity University, a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Stanford University, and conducted postdoctoral research in affective neuroscience at the University of California, San Francisco and the National Institutes of Health. He is a fellow of the Academy for Behavioral Medicine Research, the Association for Psychological Science, and the Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences (2026 class), as well as past president of the Society for Neuroeconomics. His group's work has been funded by numerous public and private organizations (e.g., the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, several private foundations), published in top venues (e.g., Science, Nature, Nature Neuroscience, Neuron), and featured in the popular press (e.g., ABC, BBC, NPR, New York Times, Wall Street Journal).

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Research

Symbiotic Project on Affective Neuroscience (SPANlab)

NeuroChoice

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Writing

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Teaching

Winter 2026: Judgment and Decision Making

Spring 2026: Brain and Decision

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