Language, Meaning, and AI Systems
Exploring how meaning is represented across human language and artificial intelligence.
Researcher in Language and AI
I study how human meaning is represented, interpreted, and operationalized across linguistic and computational systems.
My work spans linguistic theory, multilingual NLP, low-resource language technologies, AI evaluation, and cultural alignment in large language models with a particular interest in the edge cases and linguistic phenomena that challenge simplistic assumptions about language and AI.
As a computational linguist and AI researcher, I have spent more than two decades working at the intersection of language, meaning, and intelligent systems, including 18 years at MITRE, most recently as Principal AI Engineer.
Through the Zoorna Institute for Language, AI and Society , I focus especially on multilingual and low-resource languages of the Middle East and the Caucasus, while advancing linguistically grounded and culturally informed approaches to AI.
What I Work On
Language & AI Systems
Exploring how linguistic structure, semantics, and meaning representation shape the design, behavior, and evaluation of AI systems.
Low-Resource & Multilingual AI
Developing linguistically grounded approaches to multilingual AI for underrepresented languages, with a focus on the languages of the Middle East and the Caucasus.
AI, Culture, and Meaning
Studying how AI systems interpret social and cultural meaning across languages, including questions of pragmatics, bias, contextual fit, and cultural alignment.
Language Learning & Heritage Contexts
Applying linguistic theory and AI to heritage language analysis, multilingual pedagogy, culturally informed educational technologies.
Selected Talks & Publications
AI is Deciding Our Lives. Are Women Deciding AI?
Invited Talk
March 2026
Invited talk, FEMINNO Armenia CSW70 Parallel Event, part of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
A global virtual event contributing to the development of a Feminist AI Manifesto. The talk focused on the role of data, representation, and language in shaping AI systems, and the risks of exclusion for women and low-resource language communities.
Linguistic Data-Driven Approach to Persian Language Pedagogy: Practical Application to Compound Verbs
Book Chapter
Coming Soon.
In Persian Language Pedagogy: New Trends and Innovations. Routledge.
This chapter introduces a collaborative program of practice, which advocates for the integration of linguistic theory, formal language acquisition research, and Artificial Intelligence-driven approaches within the Persian language teaching curriculum. [book information]
We Politely Insist: Your LLM Must Learn the Persian Art of Taarof
Publication
September 2025
Empirical Methods in NLP (EMNLP). Suzhou, China.
Large language models (LLMs) struggle to navigate culturally specific communication norms, such as the Persian taarof, a social norm in Iranian interactions, limiting their effectiveness in global contexts. [read paper]
AI-enabled narrative analytics for Persian and Kurdish.
Conference Presentation
May 2025
4th North American Conference on Iranian Linguistics (NACIL4), University of Toronto Mississauga.
Presented novel methods for extracting narrative structures from multilingual texts, showcasing advances in NLP for Persian and Kurdish low-resource languages. [learn more]
My journey in AI: A perspective on the role of women in Artificial Intelligence.
Invited Talk
March 2025.
Women's History Month program, Miami-Dade College.
My personal journey through computational linguistics and AI research, highlighting the obstacles women face in the field, from microaggressions to systemic pressures that push many to leave, and inspiring new pathways for women to lead and thrive in AI.
Research Highlights
For collaboration, research inquiries, or speaking engagements, please contact me.