Ev Fedorenko
@evfedorenko.bsky.social
I study language using tools from cognitive science and neuroscience. I also like snuggles.
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
(1/2) ICoN Fellow Andrea de Varda @andreadevarda.bsky.social and Ev Fedorenko @evfedorenko.bsky.social have revealed that AI reasoning models & humans struggle with the same tough problems—and take longer on them in parallel ways.
Article 🔗 news.mit.edu/2025/cost-of...
Article 🔗 news.mit.edu/2025/cost-of...
The cost of thinking
MIT McGovern Institute researchers find a surprising parallel in the ways humans and new AI models solve complex problems.
news.mit.edu
November 21, 2025 at 4:55 PM
(1/2) ICoN Fellow Andrea de Varda @andreadevarda.bsky.social and Ev Fedorenko @evfedorenko.bsky.social have revealed that AI reasoning models & humans struggle with the same tough problems—and take longer on them in parallel ways.
Article 🔗 news.mit.edu/2025/cost-of...
Article 🔗 news.mit.edu/2025/cost-of...
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
Our paper “The cost of thinking is similar between large reasoning models and humans” is now out in PNAS! 🤖🧠
w/ @fepdelia.bsky.social, @hopekean.bsky.social, @lampinen.bsky.social, and @evfedorenko.bsky.social
Link: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... (1/6)
w/ @fepdelia.bsky.social, @hopekean.bsky.social, @lampinen.bsky.social, and @evfedorenko.bsky.social
Link: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... (1/6)
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
November 19, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Our paper “The cost of thinking is similar between large reasoning models and humans” is now out in PNAS! 🤖🧠
w/ @fepdelia.bsky.social, @hopekean.bsky.social, @lampinen.bsky.social, and @evfedorenko.bsky.social
Link: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... (1/6)
w/ @fepdelia.bsky.social, @hopekean.bsky.social, @lampinen.bsky.social, and @evfedorenko.bsky.social
Link: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... (1/6)
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
Friends (and friends-of-friends) in LA: Please help spread the word!
On Saturday, November 15th 2p, @mameister4.bsky.social and I will be in conversation at the Burbank Library discussing bottlenecks and next steps for brain research.
It's free! Register here:
burbank.libnet.info/event/14639190
On Saturday, November 15th 2p, @mameister4.bsky.social and I will be in conversation at the Burbank Library discussing bottlenecks and next steps for brain research.
It's free! Register here:
burbank.libnet.info/event/14639190
November 3, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Friends (and friends-of-friends) in LA: Please help spread the word!
On Saturday, November 15th 2p, @mameister4.bsky.social and I will be in conversation at the Burbank Library discussing bottlenecks and next steps for brain research.
It's free! Register here:
burbank.libnet.info/event/14639190
On Saturday, November 15th 2p, @mameister4.bsky.social and I will be in conversation at the Burbank Library discussing bottlenecks and next steps for brain research.
It's free! Register here:
burbank.libnet.info/event/14639190
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
A heartwarming write-up in the Harvard Gazette about my recent visit to @harvardbookstore.bsky.social to discuss Elusive Cures.
I'm grateful for these opportunities to spread the news about all the exciting developments happening in brain & mind research.
news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
I'm grateful for these opportunities to spread the news about all the exciting developments happening in brain & mind research.
news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
Why don’t we have cures for Alzheimer’s, depression? — Harvard Gazette
Neuroscientist says AI and changes in the way we think about brain function will likely help speed progress.
news.harvard.edu
October 31, 2025 at 10:51 AM
A heartwarming write-up in the Harvard Gazette about my recent visit to @harvardbookstore.bsky.social to discuss Elusive Cures.
I'm grateful for these opportunities to spread the news about all the exciting developments happening in brain & mind research.
news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
I'm grateful for these opportunities to spread the news about all the exciting developments happening in brain & mind research.
news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
Pandas, snow leopards...and bacteria. A newly formed team of scientists is setting out to conserve the world's diversity of microbes. Here's my story: nyti.ms/47vEfRC
October 17, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Pandas, snow leopards...and bacteria. A newly formed team of scientists is setting out to conserve the world's diversity of microbes. Here's my story: nyti.ms/47vEfRC
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
Here's the newest piece in the @nytimes.com "Lost Science" series. @emilyanthes.bsky.social talks to a scientist who was learning about the minds of elephants--and how to use those insights to help the animals coexist with farmers. Gift link: nyti.ms/3KXVSAG
nyti.ms
October 16, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Here's the newest piece in the @nytimes.com "Lost Science" series. @emilyanthes.bsky.social talks to a scientist who was learning about the minds of elephants--and how to use those insights to help the animals coexist with farmers. Gift link: nyti.ms/3KXVSAG
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
Why do brain networks vary? Do these differences shape behavior? If every 🧠 is unique, how can we detect common features of brain organization?
@rodbraga.bsky.social and I dig in, in @annualreviews.bsky.social (ahead of print):
go.illinois.edu/Gratton2025-...
#neuroskyence #psychscisky #MedSky
🧵👇
@rodbraga.bsky.social and I dig in, in @annualreviews.bsky.social (ahead of print):
go.illinois.edu/Gratton2025-...
#neuroskyence #psychscisky #MedSky
🧵👇
Dense Phenotyping of Human Brain Network Organization Using Precision fMRI
The advent of noninvasive imaging methods like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) transformed cognitive neuroscience, providing insights into large-scale brain networks and their link to cog...
go.illinois.edu
October 16, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Why do brain networks vary? Do these differences shape behavior? If every 🧠 is unique, how can we detect common features of brain organization?
@rodbraga.bsky.social and I dig in, in @annualreviews.bsky.social (ahead of print):
go.illinois.edu/Gratton2025-...
#neuroskyence #psychscisky #MedSky
🧵👇
@rodbraga.bsky.social and I dig in, in @annualreviews.bsky.social (ahead of print):
go.illinois.edu/Gratton2025-...
#neuroskyence #psychscisky #MedSky
🧵👇
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
📣 New preprint from the Braga Lab! 📣
The ventral visual stream for reading converges on the transmodal language network
Congrats to Dr. Joe Salvo for this epic set of results
Big Q: What brain systems support the translation of writing to concepts and meaning?
Thread 🧵 ⬇️
The ventral visual stream for reading converges on the transmodal language network
Congrats to Dr. Joe Salvo for this epic set of results
Big Q: What brain systems support the translation of writing to concepts and meaning?
Thread 🧵 ⬇️
October 7, 2025 at 9:51 PM
📣 New preprint from the Braga Lab! 📣
The ventral visual stream for reading converges on the transmodal language network
Congrats to Dr. Joe Salvo for this epic set of results
Big Q: What brain systems support the translation of writing to concepts and meaning?
Thread 🧵 ⬇️
The ventral visual stream for reading converges on the transmodal language network
Congrats to Dr. Joe Salvo for this epic set of results
Big Q: What brain systems support the translation of writing to concepts and meaning?
Thread 🧵 ⬇️
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
UT Austin Linguistics is hiring in computational linguistics!
Asst or Assoc.
We have a thriving group sites.utexas.edu/compling/ and a long proud history in the space. (For instance, fun fact, Jeff Elman was a UT Austin Linguistics Ph.D.)
faculty.utexas.edu/career/170793
🤘
Asst or Assoc.
We have a thriving group sites.utexas.edu/compling/ and a long proud history in the space. (For instance, fun fact, Jeff Elman was a UT Austin Linguistics Ph.D.)
faculty.utexas.edu/career/170793
🤘
UT Austin Computational Linguistics Research Group – Humans processing computers processing humans processing language
sites.utexas.edu
October 7, 2025 at 8:53 PM
UT Austin Linguistics is hiring in computational linguistics!
Asst or Assoc.
We have a thriving group sites.utexas.edu/compling/ and a long proud history in the space. (For instance, fun fact, Jeff Elman was a UT Austin Linguistics Ph.D.)
faculty.utexas.edu/career/170793
🤘
Asst or Assoc.
We have a thriving group sites.utexas.edu/compling/ and a long proud history in the space. (For instance, fun fact, Jeff Elman was a UT Austin Linguistics Ph.D.)
faculty.utexas.edu/career/170793
🤘
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
🧠 This paper is a part of my first brain project, and I had a lot of fun working on it with the amazing @gretatuckute.bsky.social, @alexanderfung.bsky.social, Ashley Malkin, and @evfedorenko.bsky.social!
Paper link: arxiv.org/abs/2508.11536
Code+data: github.com/ryskina/conc...
Paper link: arxiv.org/abs/2508.11536
Code+data: github.com/ryskina/conc...
Language models align with brain regions that represent concepts across modalities
Cognitive science and neuroscience have long faced the challenge of disentangling representations of language from representations of conceptual meaning. As the same problem arises in today's language...
arxiv.org
October 4, 2025 at 2:15 AM
🧠 This paper is a part of my first brain project, and I had a lot of fun working on it with the amazing @gretatuckute.bsky.social, @alexanderfung.bsky.social, Ashley Malkin, and @evfedorenko.bsky.social!
Paper link: arxiv.org/abs/2508.11536
Code+data: github.com/ryskina/conc...
Paper link: arxiv.org/abs/2508.11536
Code+data: github.com/ryskina/conc...
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
All of us (@kanishka.bsky.social @kmahowald.bsky.social and me) are looking for PhD students this cycle! If computational linguistics/NLP is your passion, join us at UT Austin!
For my areas see jessyli.com
For my areas see jessyli.com
September 30, 2025 at 7:30 PM
All of us (@kanishka.bsky.social @kmahowald.bsky.social and me) are looking for PhD students this cycle! If computational linguistics/NLP is your passion, join us at UT Austin!
For my areas see jessyli.com
For my areas see jessyli.com
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
As our lab started to build encoding 🧠 models, we were trying to figure out best practices in the field. So @neurotaha.bsky.social
built a library to easily compare design choices & model features across datasets!
We hope it will be useful to the community & plan to keep expanding it!
1/
built a library to easily compare design choices & model features across datasets!
We hope it will be useful to the community & plan to keep expanding it!
1/
🚨 Paper alert:
To appear in the DBM Neurips Workshop
LITcoder: A General-Purpose Library for Building and Comparing Encoding Models
📄 arxiv: arxiv.org/abs/2509.091...
🔗 project: litcoder-brain.github.io
To appear in the DBM Neurips Workshop
LITcoder: A General-Purpose Library for Building and Comparing Encoding Models
📄 arxiv: arxiv.org/abs/2509.091...
🔗 project: litcoder-brain.github.io
September 29, 2025 at 5:33 PM
As our lab started to build encoding 🧠 models, we were trying to figure out best practices in the field. So @neurotaha.bsky.social
built a library to easily compare design choices & model features across datasets!
We hope it will be useful to the community & plan to keep expanding it!
1/
built a library to easily compare design choices & model features across datasets!
We hope it will be useful to the community & plan to keep expanding it!
1/
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
The compling group at UT Austin (sites.utexas.edu/compling/) is looking for PhD students!
Come join me, @kmahowald.bsky.social, and @jessyjli.bsky.social as we tackle interesting research questions at the intersection of ling, cogsci, and ai!
Some topics I am particularly interested in:
Come join me, @kmahowald.bsky.social, and @jessyjli.bsky.social as we tackle interesting research questions at the intersection of ling, cogsci, and ai!
Some topics I am particularly interested in:
September 30, 2025 at 4:17 PM
The compling group at UT Austin (sites.utexas.edu/compling/) is looking for PhD students!
Come join me, @kmahowald.bsky.social, and @jessyjli.bsky.social as we tackle interesting research questions at the intersection of ling, cogsci, and ai!
Some topics I am particularly interested in:
Come join me, @kmahowald.bsky.social, and @jessyjli.bsky.social as we tackle interesting research questions at the intersection of ling, cogsci, and ai!
Some topics I am particularly interested in:
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
Excited to share new work with @hleemasson.bsky.social , Ericka Wodka, Stewart Mostofsky and @lisik.bsky.social! We investigated how simultaneous vision and language signals are combined in the brain using naturalistic+controlled fMRI. Read the paper here: osf.io/b5p4n
1/n
1/n
September 24, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Excited to share new work with @hleemasson.bsky.social , Ericka Wodka, Stewart Mostofsky and @lisik.bsky.social! We investigated how simultaneous vision and language signals are combined in the brain using naturalistic+controlled fMRI. Read the paper here: osf.io/b5p4n
1/n
1/n
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
Brown’s Department of Cognitive & Psychological Sciences is hiring a tenure-track Assistant Professor, working in the area of AI and the Mind (start July 1, 2026). Apply by Nov 8, 2025 👉 apply.interfolio.com/173939
#AI #CognitiveScience #AcademicJobs #BrownUniversity
#AI #CognitiveScience #AcademicJobs #BrownUniversity
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
September 23, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Brown’s Department of Cognitive & Psychological Sciences is hiring a tenure-track Assistant Professor, working in the area of AI and the Mind (start July 1, 2026). Apply by Nov 8, 2025 👉 apply.interfolio.com/173939
#AI #CognitiveScience #AcademicJobs #BrownUniversity
#AI #CognitiveScience #AcademicJobs #BrownUniversity
A fantastic piece by two of my favorite linguists!
📣@futrell.bsky.social and I have a BBS target article with an optimistic take on LLMs + linguistics. Commentary proposals (just need a few hundred words) are OPEN until Oct 8. If we are too optimistic for you (or not optimistic enough!) or you have anything to say: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
How Linguistics Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Language Models
How Linguistics Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Language Models
www.cambridge.org
September 15, 2025 at 10:47 PM
A fantastic piece by two of my favorite linguists!
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
📣@futrell.bsky.social and I have a BBS target article with an optimistic take on LLMs + linguistics. Commentary proposals (just need a few hundred words) are OPEN until Oct 8. If we are too optimistic for you (or not optimistic enough!) or you have anything to say: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
How Linguistics Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Language Models
How Linguistics Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Language Models
www.cambridge.org
September 15, 2025 at 3:46 PM
📣@futrell.bsky.social and I have a BBS target article with an optimistic take on LLMs + linguistics. Commentary proposals (just need a few hundred words) are OPEN until Oct 8. If we are too optimistic for you (or not optimistic enough!) or you have anything to say: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
Come join us at University of Toronto. We're hiring a Professor of computational cognitive neuroscience.
#neuroAI #compneuro jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...
#neuroAI #compneuro jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...
Professor - Computational Cognitive Neuroscience
Professor - Computational Cognitive Neuroscience
jobs.utoronto.ca
September 5, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Come join us at University of Toronto. We're hiring a Professor of computational cognitive neuroscience.
#neuroAI #compneuro jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...
#neuroAI #compneuro jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
@benhayden.bsky.social
@tyrellturing.bsky.social
@jmgrohneuro.bsky.social
@pessoabrain.bsky.social
I see a lot of talk on here about how we should avoid
"x does y" talk because the brain is "a dynamic, reverberant, reciprocally interconnected system".
But this does not follow.
A thread...
@tyrellturing.bsky.social
@jmgrohneuro.bsky.social
@pessoabrain.bsky.social
I see a lot of talk on here about how we should avoid
"x does y" talk because the brain is "a dynamic, reverberant, reciprocally interconnected system".
But this does not follow.
A thread...
September 5, 2025 at 9:57 PM
@benhayden.bsky.social
@tyrellturing.bsky.social
@jmgrohneuro.bsky.social
@pessoabrain.bsky.social
I see a lot of talk on here about how we should avoid
"x does y" talk because the brain is "a dynamic, reverberant, reciprocally interconnected system".
But this does not follow.
A thread...
@tyrellturing.bsky.social
@jmgrohneuro.bsky.social
@pessoabrain.bsky.social
I see a lot of talk on here about how we should avoid
"x does y" talk because the brain is "a dynamic, reverberant, reciprocally interconnected system".
But this does not follow.
A thread...
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
Harvard University won a crucial legal victory in its clash with the Trump administration on Wednesday, when a federal judge said that the government had broken the law by freezing billions of dollars in research funds. Gift link: nyti.ms/41CEOWy
nyti.ms
September 3, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Harvard University won a crucial legal victory in its clash with the Trump administration on Wednesday, when a federal judge said that the government had broken the law by freezing billions of dollars in research funds. Gift link: nyti.ms/41CEOWy
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
Let’s talk @storiesofwin.bsky.social. I’m flattered to be among their profiles (coming soon) & I want to elevate the team behind this terrific effort. /1
www.storiesofwin.org
www.storiesofwin.org
Stories of WiN
www.storiesofwin.org
August 17, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Let’s talk @storiesofwin.bsky.social. I’m flattered to be among their profiles (coming soon) & I want to elevate the team behind this terrific effort. /1
www.storiesofwin.org
www.storiesofwin.org
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
📌 👉 The 14th International Construction Grammar conference will be held at Princeton, June 4-7, 2026
Usage-based analyses and Empirical methods
Stay tuned for updates!
Usage-based analyses and Empirical methods
Stay tuned for updates!
August 15, 2025 at 4:37 PM
📌 👉 The 14th International Construction Grammar conference will be held at Princeton, June 4-7, 2026
Usage-based analyses and Empirical methods
Stay tuned for updates!
Usage-based analyses and Empirical methods
Stay tuned for updates!
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
The rumors are true! #CCN2026 will be held at NYU. @toddgureckis.bsky.social and I will be executive-chairing. Get in touch if you want to be involved!
August 15, 2025 at 4:43 PM
The rumors are true! #CCN2026 will be held at NYU. @toddgureckis.bsky.social and I will be executive-chairing. Get in touch if you want to be involved!
Reposted by Ev Fedorenko
🤖 🧠 NEW PAPER ON COGSCI & AI 🧠 🤖
Recent neural networks capture properties long thought to require symbols: compositionality, productivity, rapid learning
So what role should symbols play in theories of the mind? For our answer...read on!
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2508.05776
1/n
Recent neural networks capture properties long thought to require symbols: compositionality, productivity, rapid learning
So what role should symbols play in theories of the mind? For our answer...read on!
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2508.05776
1/n
August 15, 2025 at 4:27 PM
🤖 🧠 NEW PAPER ON COGSCI & AI 🧠 🤖
Recent neural networks capture properties long thought to require symbols: compositionality, productivity, rapid learning
So what role should symbols play in theories of the mind? For our answer...read on!
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2508.05776
1/n
Recent neural networks capture properties long thought to require symbols: compositionality, productivity, rapid learning
So what role should symbols play in theories of the mind? For our answer...read on!
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2508.05776
1/n
"The entire language network constitutes <1.5% of the brain volume and is about the size of a large strawberry." www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
The extended language network: Language selective brain areas whose contributions to language remain to be discovered
Although language neuroscience has largely focused on ‘core’ left frontal and temporal brain areas and their right-hemisphere homotopes, numerous other areas—cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar—have...
www.biorxiv.org
August 12, 2025 at 8:02 PM