Decoding the listening brain.

fMRI  ·  Naturalistic Speech  ·  Computational Models  ·  Auditory Neuroscience

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Ali Tafakkor

Ali Tafakkor

I'm a Ph.D. student at the CoNCH Lab and Khan Lab at Western University, Ontario. My work sits at the junction of auditory neuroscience, computational modeling, and neuroimaging. I hold an M.Sc. in Neuroscience and a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering — a background that lets me move between brain and signal, experiment and code.
fMRI Naturalistic Stimuli Speech in Noise Functional Connectivity Open Science Python

Where cognition meets sound.

Cognitive Neuroscience

Examining neural mechanisms behind cognitive processes, with a focus on naturalistic stimuli related to hearing and speech.

Computational Neuroscience

Utilizing computational methods to model auditory and speech processing in the brain — bridging signal processing and neuroscience.

Neuroimaging

Employing fMRI techniques to investigate the neural basis of auditory and speech functions, with clinical applications in mind.

Functional Connectivity

Studying how auditory cortex subdivisions and the Multiple Demand Network reconfigure dynamically during challenging listening conditions.

Instruments & Investigations.

Software built to move research forward — and studies that use it to map how the brain hears.

Instruments Open-source tools for neuroscience research
Open Source

Triton 🔱

A modular audio signal processing toolkit for speech-in-noise research. Triton standardizes stimuli preparation and signal degradation with a project-centric workflow — import, normalize, label, pipeline, and generate babble noise, all reproducibly.

Features: SNR-based noise mixing, spectrogram viewer, pipeline matrix sweeps, CLI + Streamlit GUI, sidecar provenance.

Investigations Scientific studies & ongoing research
Ongoing Research

Auditory–MD Network Connectivity

Using fMRI with naturalistic speech stories at varying SNRs to map how auditory cortex and the Multiple Demand Network reconfigure under degraded listening conditions.

The right insula emerges as a key hub — bridging auditory and cognitive systems when speech becomes hard to follow.

Things I make for fun.

Hobby builds, photography, and whatever else keeps the hands busy outside research hours.

builds

tmux Cheat Sheet

Comprehensive keyboard shortcut reference for tmux — sessions, windows, panes, copy mode, and power tips. Printable A4 layout.

View →
builds

Yad-nameh

A daily journaling app that transforms your writing into verse styled after Ferdowsi's Shahnameh — built with Google AI Studio.

View →
photography

Coming soon

Photos will go here.

Work in the field.

2025
ICAC · Poster
Probing Connectivity among Auditory Cortex Subdivisions and the Multiple Demand Network During Listening to Clear and Degraded Speech
Ali Tafakkor, Madison Tutton, Aysha Motala, Björn Herrmann, Ingrid Johnsrude
International Conference on Auditory Cortex, 2025 · Session 21 · PDF
2024
OHBM · Poster
Feasibility of Localizing Epileptogenic Tissue with Naturalistic Stimulation in fMRI
Ali Tafakkor et al.
Organization of Human Brain Mapping, 2024
2024
CNS · Poster
Dynamics of the Multiple Demand Network Connectivity Under Varied Speech to Noise Ratios
Ali Tafakkor et al.
Cognitive Neuroscience Society, 2024
2023
OHBM · Poster
Temporal Dynamics of Neural Sound Categorization
Ali Tafakkor et al.
Organization of Human Brain Mapping, 2023
2023
Thesis
Temporal Dynamics of Natural Sound Categorization
Ali Tafakkor
M.Sc. Thesis · University of Western Ontario · View

Recent milestones.

Jul 2025
Honored to receive the WIN Open Science Peer Support Award for contributions to open and collaborative research at Western University.
May 2025
Received an Erasmus+ grant to undertake a research exchange between the WIN and the Donders Institute (Radboud University, Nijmegen), supporting international collaboration and training in neuroscience.
Mar 2025
Head organizer of Brainhack Western 2025, fostering collaboration and innovation in neuroscience and open science.
Jan 2025
Started Ph.D. in the Neuroscience program at Western University in the CoNCH Lab and Khan Lab.
Oct 2024
Started role as computational server support staff at BrainsCAN Computational RIC.
Jun 2024
Presented a poster on "Feasibility of Localizing Epileptogenic Tissue with Naturalistic Stimulation in fMRI" at the Organization of Human Brain Mapping 2024 annual meeting.
Apr 2024
Presented a poster on "Dynamics of the Multiple Demand Network Connectivity Under Varied Speech to Noise Ratios" at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society 2024 annual meeting.
Sep 2023
Began role as Research Technician at the CoNCH lab.
Aug 2023
Graduated with a Master's in Neuroscience from Western University. View Thesis.
Contact

Let's talk about the listening brain.

atafakko@uwo.ca