About
I’m Ian, an AI researcher and Computational Neuroscientist. I’m finishing my PhD at Harvard and MIT in the Labratory for Computational Audition. I recently interned at Meta Reality Labs building human-level perceptual models. Previously, I worked with Liberty Hamilton, and have a background in Cognitive Science from UC Berkeley, where I worked at the Redwood Center. I’ve also been lucky enough to collaborate with the Flatiron Institute Center for Computational Neuroscience.
I’m broadly interested in studying minds and machines to better understand the principles of intelligence, to improve artificial systems and better understand humans.
News
- March 13, 2026 – Our paper Optimized feature gains explain and predict successes and failures of human selective listening published in Nature Human Behaviour & Featured in MIT News
- September 18, 2025 – Starting internship @ Meta Reality Labs
- February 22, 2025 – Invited talk @ ARO 2025
- January 5, 2024 – Travel Award for ARO
- June 15, 2022 – Awarded the Amelia Peabody Scholarship
Research
 | Optimized feature gains explain and predict successes and failures of human selective listening Ian M. Griffith, R. Preston Hess & Josh H. McDermott Nature Human Behaviour, 2026. [Paper (web)] [Paper (pdf)] [Code] |
 | Task-optimized models of relative pitch Ian M. Griffith*, Malinda J. McPherson*, Mark Saddler*, Josh H. McDermott Association for Research in Otolaryngology, Orlando, FL, 2023. |