Luke Chang Receives Presidential Early-Career Award

Luke Chang, an associate professor of psychological and brain sciences, was awarded the prestigious Presidential Early-Career Award for Scientists and Engineers on Jan. 14. The highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding young researchers in STEM fields, the award recognizes Chang's pioneering work in understanding the complex interplay between emotions, social interactions, and the human brain.

As director of Dartmouth's Computational Social Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, Chang researches the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms underlying emotions and social interactions. His team utilizes cutting-edge computational methods to investigate fundamental questions such as: How does the brain create emotional experiences? How do emotions impact our choices? What drives us to connect with others, and how do social interactions influence our well-being?

Chang was nominated for the award by the National Institutes of Health for his groundbreaking research on decoding dynamic emotional experiences from brain activity and facial expressions. This innovative work could lead to more accurate diagnoses, personalized treatments, and a better understanding of psychiatric conditions like depression and anxiety.

"Luke has created a research program that leverages the most sophisticated tools from neuroscience, psychology, and computer science to tackle some of the most important and challenging problems to do with social behaviour and decision making," says Jane Lipson, associate dean for the sciences. "I am delighted by this fitting award, not only for its recognition of Luke's accomplishments to date, but also because it represents justified confidence in further groundbreaking progress for years to come."

"I am incredibly honored to receive this award, and I am deeply grateful for the support of my mentors, the National Institutes of Health, and the vibrant intellectual community at Dartmouth," Chang says. "I have tremendous pride in being able to work alongside and be inspired by such talented, hardworking, and brilliant students and colleagues. It is an absolute dream to have a career where I can be creative, indulge my curiosity, and connect with others through solving puzzles to unravel how our minds work."

Beyond his research, Chang is deeply committed to training the next generation of scientists. He created DartBrains, a free online interactive textbook that has empowered thousands of students globally to analyze neuroimaging data. He also co-founded the Methods in Neuroscience at Dartmouth (MIND) computational summer school with fellow psychological and brain sciences professors Jeremy Manning and Matt van der Meer. Recently, in collaboration with professor Thalia Wheatley, he launched the Consortium for Interacting Minds, a collective of laboratories at Dartmouth that share state-of-the-art research facilities dedicated to studying social interactions. The consortium has enabled research trainees to pioneer new methods for studying how individuals interact in pairs and small groups, leading to novel insights such as how gossip and conversations forge interpersonal bonds.

Chang's research has garnered widespread recognition. In 2019, he received the Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions from the Association for Psychological Science, an honor recognizing "new and cutting-edge ideas coming out of the most creative and promising investigators who embody the future of psychological science." He also received a prestigious CAREER award from the National Science Foundation, supporting "early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education." This past year, he was awarded the inaugural Mid-Career Award from the Social and Affective Neuroscience Society for his "significant contributions" to the field and "outstanding scholarship and service."

In 2023, Chang and Wheatley were featured in the PBS NOVA production, "Your Brain: Who's in Control?". In the program, Chang discusses how emotions like greed and guilt impact our decision making. He also highlights the fascinating case of Phineas Gage, a 19th-century railroad worker from Lebanon, N.H., who survived a severe injury to the prefrontal cortex. Gage's story has provided invaluable insights into how the brain drives our behavior and personality.