Zaid Zada
- Neuroscience Institute, Princeton, NJ 08540
- zzada@princeton.edu
- www.zaidzada.com
Education
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- Princeton University Princeton, NJ
- PH.D. in Psychology. December, 2025
- Advisor(s): Uri Hasson & Diana Tamir
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- Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA
- M.Sc. in Computer Science (machine learning). May, 2019
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- James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
- B.Sc. in Computer Science. May, 2012
- Advisor(s): David Bernstein
Selected works
- Zada, Z., Nastase, S., Speer, S., Mwilambwe-Tshilobo, L., Tsoi, L., Burns, S., Falk, E., Hasson, U., & Tamir, D. (2025). Linguistic coupling between neural systems for speech production and comprehension during real-time dyadic conversations. bioRxiv.
- Zada, Z., Nastase, S., Michelmann, S., Hasenfratz, L., Doyle, W., Friedman, D., Dugan, P., Melloni, L., Devore, S., Flinker, A., Devinsky, O., Goldstein, A., & Hasson, U. (2025). The “Podcast” ECoG dataset for modeling neural activity during natural narrative comprehension. bioRxiv.
- Zada, Z., Goldstein, A., Michelmann, S., Simony, E., Price, A., Hasenfratz, L., Barham, E., Zadbood, A., Doyle, W., Friedman, D., Dugan, P., Melloni, L., Devore, S., Flinker, A., Devinsky, O., Nastase, S. A.*, & Hasson, U.* (2024). A shared model-based linguistic space for transmitting our thoughts from brain to brain in natural conversations. Neuron, 112(18), 3211-3222.e5.
- Goldstein, A., Zada, Z., Buchnik, E., Schain, M., Price, A., Aubrey, B., Nastase, S. A., Feder, A., Emanuel, D., Cohen, A., Jansen, A., Gazula, H., Choe, G., Rao, A., Kim, C., Casto, C., Fanda, L., Doyle, W., Friedman, D., … Hasson, U. (2022). Shared computational principles for language processing in humans and deep language models. Nature Neuroscience, 25(3), 369-380.
Publications
[* shared authorship]
- Samara, A.*, & Zada, Z.* (2025). In search of a neural mechanism for domain-general value comparison in decision making. The Journal of Neuroscience, 45(7), e2233242025. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2233-24.2025
- Zada, Z., Goldstein, A., Michelmann, S., Simony, E., Price, A., Hasenfratz, L., Barham, E., Zadbood, A., Doyle, W., Friedman, D., Dugan, P., Melloni, L., Devore, S., Flinker, A., Devinsky, O., Nastase, S. A.*, & Hasson, U.* (2024). A shared model-based linguistic space for transmitting our thoughts from brain to brain in natural conversations. Neuron, 112(18), 3211-3222.e5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2024.06.025
- Goldstein, A., Grinstein-Dabush, A., Schain, M., Wang, H., Hong, Z., Aubrey, B., Schain, M., Nastase, S. A., Zada, Z., Ham, E., Feder, A., Gazula, H., Buchnik, E., Doyle, W., Devore, S., Dugan, P., Reichart, R., Friedman, D., Brenner, M., … Hasson, U. (2024). Alignment of brain embeddings and artificial contextual embeddings in natural language points to common geometric patterns. Nature Communications, 15(1), 2768. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46631-y
- Goldstein, A., Zada, Z., Buchnik, E., Schain, M., Price, A., Aubrey, B., Nastase, S. A., Feder, A., Emanuel, D., Cohen, A., Jansen, A., Gazula, H., Choe, G., Rao, A., Kim, C., Casto, C., Fanda, L., Doyle, W., Friedman, D., … Hasson, U. (2022). Shared computational principles for language processing in humans and deep language models. Nature Neuroscience, 25(3), 369-380. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-022-01026-4
- Hong, Z.*, Wang, H.*, Zada, Z., Gazula, H., Turner, D., Aubrey, B., Niekerken, L., Doyle, W., Devore, S., Dugan, P., Friedman, D., Devinsky, O., Flinker, A., Hasson, U., Nastase, S. A., & Goldstein, A. (2024). Scale matters: Large language models with billions (rather than millions) of parameters better match neural representations of natural language. eLife 13:RP101204. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.101204.1
Preprints
- Zada, Z., Nastase, S., Speer, S., Mwilambwe-Tshilobo, L., Tsoi, L., Burns, S., Falk, E., Hasson, U., & Tamir, D. (2025). Linguistic coupling between neural systems for speech production and comprehension during real-time dyadic conversations. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.02.14.638276
- Zada, Z., Nastase, S., Michelmann, S., Hasenfratz, L., Doyle, W., Friedman, D., Dugan, P., Melloni, L., Devore, S., Flinker, A., Devinsky, O., Goldstein, A., & Hasson, U. (2025). The “Podcast” ECoG dataset for modeling neural activity during natural narrative comprehension. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.02.14.638352
- Bhattacharjee, A., Zada, Z., Wang, H., Aubrey, B., Doyle, W., Dugan, P., Friedman, D., Devinsky, O., Flinker, A., Ramadge, P. J., Hasson, U., Goldstein, A., & Nastase, S. A. (2024). Aligning Brains into a Shared Space Improves their Alignment to Large Language Models. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.06.04.597448
- Goldstein, A., Wang, H., Sheffer, T., Schain, M., Zada, Z., Niekerken, L., Aubrey, B., Nastase, S. A., Gazula, H., Casto, C., Doyle, W. K., Friedman, D., Devore, S., Dugan, P., Hassidim, A., Brenner, M., Matias, Y., Devinsky, O., Flinker, A., & Hasson, U. (2024). Information-making processes in the speaker's brain drive human conversations forward. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.27.609946
- Goldstein, A., Wang, H.*, Niekerken, L.*, Zada, Z.*, Aubrey, B.*, Sheffer, T.*, Nastase, S. A., Gazula, H., Schain, M., Singh, A., Rao, A., Choe, G., Kim, C., Doyle, W., Friedman, D., Devore, S., Dugan, P., Hassidim, A., Brenner, M., … Hasson, U. (2023). Deep speech-to-text models capture the neural basis of spontaneous speech in everyday conversations. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.06.26.546557
- Goldstein, A.*, Ham, E.*, Nastase, S. A., Zada, Z., Grinstein-Dabus, A., Aubrey, B., Schain, M., Gazula, H., Feder, A., Doyle, W., Devore, S., Dugan, P., Friedman, D., Brenner, M., Hassidim, A., Devinsky, O., Flinker, A., Levy, O., & Hasson, U. (2022). Correspondence between the layered structure of deep language models and temporal structure of natural language processing in the human brain. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.07.11.499562
Conference Presentations
[presenter]
- Zada, Z., Nastase, S., Tamir, D., & Hasson, U. (2025). A shared linguistic embedding space for communication between brains (and machines). Princeton Neuroscience Institute In-House Seminar, Princeton. [talk]
- Zada, Z., Nastase, S., Speer, S., Mwilambwe-Tshilobo, L., Tsoi, L., Burns, S., Hasson, U., & Tamir, D. (2024). Mapping individual and shared cortical language representations during real-time natural dialogues. Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Seoul. [talk]
- Zada, Z., Nastase, S., Speer, S., Mwilambwe-Tshilobo, L., Tsoi, L., Burns, S., Hasson, U., & Tamir, D. (2023). Mapping cortical language representation during real-time natural dialogues. Society for Neuroscience, Washington D.C. [poster]
- Zada, Z., Goldstein, A., Michelmann, S., Simony, E., Price, A., Hasenfratz, L., Barham, E., Zadbood, A., Doyle, W., Friedman, D., Dugan, P., Melloni, L., Devore, S., Flinker, A., Devinsky, O., Nastase, S. A., & Hasson, U. (2023). Speaker-listener neural coupling in a shared linguistic embedding space during natural conversations. Society for the Neurobiology of Language, Marseille. [talk]
- Zada, Z., Goldstein, A., Michelmann, S., Simony, E., Price, A., Hasenfratz, L., Barham, E., Zadbood, A., Doyle, W., Friedman, D., Dugan, P., Melloni, L., Devore, S., Flinker, A., Devinsky, O., Nastase, S. A., & Hasson, U. (2023). Speaker-listener neural alignment in linguistic embedding space during spontaneous conversations. Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Montreal. [poster]
- Zada, Z., Goldstein, A., Michelmann, S., Simony, E., Price, A., Hasenfratz, L., Barham, E., Zadbood, A., Doyle, W., Friedman, D., Dugan, P., Melloni, L., Devore, S., Flinker, A., Devinsky, O., Nastase, S. A., & Hasson, U. (2022). Speaker-listener linguistic alignment in natural conversations. Princeton Neuroscience Institute Annual Meeting, Princeton. [talk]
- Zada, Z., Goldstein, A., Michelmann, S., Simony, E., Price, A., Hasenfratz, L., Barham, E., Zadbood, A., Doyle, W., Friedman, D., Dugan, P., Melloni, L., Devore, S., Flinker, A., Devinsky, O., Nastase, S. A., & Hasson, U. (2022). Language models mediate speaker-to-listener coupling in natural conversations. Society for Neuroscience, San Diego. [poster]
- Zada, Z., Nastase, S., Goldstein, A., & Hasson, U. (2022). Brain-to-Brain Linguistic Coupling in Natural Conversations. Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience, San Francisco. [poster]
- Zada, Z., Nastase, S., Goldstein, A., & Hasson, U. (2022). Linguistic brain-to-brain coupling in natrualistic conversation. Princeton Neuroscience Institute annual meeting, Princeton. [poster]
(Contributing Author)
- Goldstein, A., Wang, H., Niekerken, L., Zada, Z., Aubrey, B., Sheffer, T., Nastase, S., Singh, A., Gazula, H., Schain, M., Rao, A., Choe, G., Kim, C., Doyle W., Friedman, D., Devore S., Dugan, P., Hassidim, A., Brenner, M., Matias, Y., Devinsky O., Flinker, A., Hasson U. (2024). Deep Speech-to-Text Models Capture the Neural Basis of Spontaneous Speech in Everyday Conversations. Organization of Human Brain Mapping, Seoul. [talk]
- Wang, H., Hong, Z., Zada, Z., Gazula, H., Aubrey, B., Doyle, W., Devore, S., Dugan, P., Friedman, D., Devinsky, O., Flinker, A., Hasson, U., Nastase, S., Goldstein, A. (2024). Larger Language Models Better Predict Neural Activity During Natural Language Processing. Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience, Boston. [poster]
- Aubrey, B., Goldstein, A., Zada, Z., Hasenfratz, L., Doyle W., Friedman, D., Dugan, P., Melloni L., Devore S., Devinsky O., Flinker, A., Hasson U. (2023). Applying language models to study the neural basis of language production in the real world before, during, and after ictal aphasia. Society for Neuroscience Conference, Washington D.C. [talk]
- Chen, Y., Zada, Z., Rice, R. E., Nastase, S. (2023). Modeling the content of event representations along the cortical hierarchy during natural vision. Society for Neuroscience Conference, Washington D.C. [poster]
- Goldstein, A., Niekerken, L., Wang, H., Aubrey, B., Zada, Z., Sheffer, T., Nastase, S., Singh, A., Gazula, H., Schain, M., Rao, A., Choe, G., Kim, C., Doyle W., Friedman, D., Devore S., Dugan, P., Hassidim, A., Brenner, M., Matias, Y., Devinsky O., Flinker, A., Hasson U. (2023). Unraveling the Neural Basis of Everyday Conversations through Deep Speech-to-Text Models. Society for Neuroscience Conference, Washington D.C. [poster]
- Chen, Y., Zada, Z., Ashby, G. F., Nastase, S. (2023). Belief-dependent Narrative Features Reconfigure Cortical Network Dynamics. Organization of Human Brain Mapping, Montreal. [poster]
Teaching Experience
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- Princeton University 2022 – 2025
- Preceptor
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- Cognitive Psychology
- The Life Cycle of Behaviors
- Mathematical Tools for Neuroscience
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- James Madison University 2010 – 2011
- Teaching Assistant
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- Advanced Programming
Awards
- Graduate Student Merit Award from Society for the Neurobiology of Language.
- Centennial Fellowship from Princeton University Graduate School.
- C.S. Exceptional Graduate Award from James Madison University.
- C.S. Dennis Ritche Award from James Madison University.
Service Positions
- Neuroscience Hackathon Organizer, Princeton University WinterSession.
- Emerging Scholars of Psychological Sciences Committee, Princeton University.
- Prospective Graduate Visiting Day Committee, Princeton University.
Industry Experience
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- Princeton University 2018 – 2020
- Research Specialist
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- SILA Solutions Group 2013 – 2017
- Software Engineer and Consultant
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- IBM 2012 – 2013
- Software Engineer