Anna Ivanova

Anna Ivanova is an Assistant Professor at the School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on the intersection of language, cognition, and neuroscience, employing neuroimaging, computational modeling, and behavioral studies. She holds a PhD in Brain & Cognitive Sciences from MIT (2017-2022) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT's Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab (2022-2023).

Her work explores three core areas: neuroimaging investigations of language networks, computational evaluations of large language models (LLMs), and behavioral studies of inner speech. Key themes include understanding neural interactions between language and non-verbal thought, assessing LLMs' human-likeness through neuroscience-inspired metrics, and linking subjective cognitive experiences to task performance.

Her most recent publications (2022-2025) emphasize advancing fMRI analysis tools (e.g., funROI package), evaluating LLMs' cognitive capabilities, and resolving debates around language network localization. Her lab (https://www.language-intelligence-thought.net) bridges computational and experimental approaches to unravel fundamental questions about human thought processes.

Notable contributions include demonstrating that the language network isn't required for nonverbal semantic processing and revealing gaps between LLMs' syntactic understanding and human judgment. Her work often challenges conventional assumptions about brain organization and artificial intelligence's cognitive plausibility.