Hello, Computer - Episode 12 - Alexander Huth

Alexander is assistant professor of Neuroscience and Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin. His research uses computational methods to model how the brain processes language and represents meaning. Alexander is also interested in fMRI technology and data visualization.

In 2016, he authored a paper that explored the relationship between language meaning and brain activity. Through his research, Alex demonstrated that models based on the semantic properties of words can effectively predict functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) responses to naturally spoken narrative stories. Additionally, he conducted a thorough analysis of these models to determine the specific semantic properties represented in various brain areas, resulting in detailed maps of semantic representation across the human cortex.

Alex discovered that these maps exhibit remarkable consistency across different individuals. To further enhance his findings, he developed a generative model of cortical maps to create a group atlas from the collected data, and created a web-based 3D viewer to facilitate the exploration of this dataset.

He completed his Ph.D. and postdoctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley, working in Dr. Jack Gallant's laboratory within the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute. Prior to this, he pursued both a bachelor's and master's degree in computation and neural systems (CNS) at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).