Ilker Yildirim

Assistant Professor of Psychology

Ilker Yildirim is Assistant Professor of Psychology, with a secondary appointment in Statistics and Data Science, at Yale University. His research aims to elucidate the biological computations underlying how we see, reason about, and interact with our physical environments. He explores how perception transforms raw sensory signals into things we can think about with computational modeling that brings together a diverse range of approaches including probabilistic models, simulation engines (including graphics and physics engines), advanced approximate Bayesian inference methods, and deep neural networks. These models are empirically evaluated to give a unified account of neural function, cognitive processes, and behavior, all in precise engineering terms. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Rochester in 2014 and held a subsequent postdoc at MIT.