About Me

Thanks for visiting Tactical Neuroscience!  I'm Justin Smith, the face behind the brand.  
Alaska born-and-raised, turned Idahoan by way of Bozeman, MT (Montana State), Vaxjo, Sweden (Linnaeus University), and South Dakota (USD). I have always been interested in decision-making under stressful conditions. Growing up in Alaska, I was presented with many opportunities for outdoor adventures where in a split second, making the correct decision could have dramatic consequences.  A combination of my interests in human behavior and leading an outdoor lifestyle, lead me from Alaska to Montana to study experimental psychology.  Next, I moved to Sweden upon being accepted to graduate school at the Institute of Social Sciences at Linnaeus University.  For my master’s thesis I chose to investigate the role of cognitive biases and overconfidence in the field of medical decision making.  It was during my master’s work that I became interested of the inner workings of specific brain regions and the decision-making process.  This interest led me to The University of South Dakota to complete my Ph.D. in Neuroscience.  I was able to research specific pathways and molecular processes that influence decision making and stress.