Alexander Petrov

Dr. Alexander Petrov is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Ohio State University with a courtesy affiliation in the Department of Philosophy (since 2019). He directs the Visual Cognition Lab and holds a PhD in Cognitive Science from New Bulgarian University (1998) and a BS/MS in Computer Science from Sofia University (1995). His post-doctoral training included work with John R. Anderson at Carnegie Mellon University and Barbara A. Dosher at UC Irvine.

Research Focus: Petrov's interdisciplinary work bridges cognitive psychology, vision science, and philosophy. His lab investigates: (1) High-level relational reasoning and analogy-making mechanisms, (2) Visual extraction of spatial relationships in dynamic scenes, (3) Neural implementations of cognitive processes, and (4) Philosophical foundations of perception. Methodologies combine behavioral experiments, computational modeling (ACT-R, Leabra), eye-tracking, and pupillometry.

Publication Trends: His 15 most recent articles demonstrate consistent focus on visual perception dynamics (shape processing, stereoscopy), perceptual learning mechanisms, and cognitive modeling. Recent work increasingly incorporates neurophysiological validation and methodological innovations in measurement techniques.

Awards and Honors:

• Fred Brown Research Award (2023, 2017)
• Clifford T. Morgan Best Article Award (2022, 2016)
• Extraordinary Ability status, U.S. Immigration (2002)
• Grigor Parlichev Award for Outstanding Achievements (1997)

Academic Leadership: Actively advises PhD students (recent graduates: Yuhui Du, 2023; Ying Yu, 2020). Leads the Visual Cognition Lab, recruiting students from psychology, computer science, and philosophy. Organized the interdisciplinary workshop Philosophy and Psychology of Visual Space (2019).