Ida Momennejad
About
Ida Momennejad is a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research NYC, where she develops and evaluates generative AI systems inspired by her work in cognitive neuroscience, reinforcement learning, and NeuroAI, with a focus on how humans and machines build internal world models for memory, exploration, and planning. She designs brain- and behavior-inspired algorithms—combining reinforcement learning, neural networks, large language models, machine learning, behavioral experiments, fMRI, and electrophysiology—with applications ranging from AI for Xbox gaming to foundational advances in AI reasoning. Beyond her research, she co-hosts The Learning Salon every Friday at 4 PM ET, mentors creative scientists at the New Museum’s New Inc incubator, and shares her insights on the Microsoft Research AI Frontiers podcast and other outlets. Academically, she earned a BSc in software engineering in Tehran, an MSc in Philosophy of Science in Utrecht, and a PhD in psychology from the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience in Berlin, followed by postdoctoral research at Princeton University and earlier work at Columbia University’s Electrophysiology, Memory, and Navigation Lab. Read more