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Draft:Zeynep M. Saygin

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  • Comment: The Sloan fellowship would work, but overall the sources are all primary. Get some secondary coverage, and remember WP:RESUME which the research section reads as. Jerod Lycett (talk) 04:26, 19 July 2026 (UTC)


Zeynep Mevhibe Saygin
Alma mater Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Known forResearch in Cognitive Neuroscience, Computational Neuroscience, and Developmental Neuroscience
Scientific career
Fields
InstitutionsThe Ohio State University
ThesisStructure-function relationships in human brain development (2012)

Dr. Zeynep M. Saygin is a neuroscientist and academic researcher specializing in cognitive, computational, and developmental neuroscience. She is an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at the Ohio State University, where she leads a research program focused on understanding the developing human brain and mind..[1]

Early life and education

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Saygin received her undergraduate education at Brown University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience in 2005. She later pursued graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she obtained her Ph.D. in systems neuroscience in 2012.

Following her doctorate, Saygin completed postdoctoral training at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Massachusetts General Hospital, working with Nancy Kanwisher and Bruce Fischl.

Academic career

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Saygin joined the faculty of The Ohio State University in 2017. She is affiliated with the Department of Psychology and contributes to interdisciplinary research in cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, and brain imaging[2]

Her research uses methods such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI), and computer simulation (modeling) to investigate how early brain structure gives rise to function, and involves scanning infants, children, and adults.[1]

Research

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Saygin’s work focuses on the development and organization of the human brain, particularly how neural architecture predicts cognitive abilities and behavioral outcomes. Her research addresses questions about how functional specialization in the brain emerges in the cortex and how it is influenced by development, experience, brain injury, and developmental disorders. She is credited with providing some of the first empirical tests that functional specialization of brain areas is directly linked to their connectivity, a concept called connectivity fingerprints.[3][4]

A central theme of her work is the idea that structural connectivity in the brain can predict later functional responses. For example, her studies discovered that brain scans in early childhood can forecast later abilities such as reading development and susceptibility to disorders like dyslexia.[5][6] Brain connectivity in newborns can also predict reading development suggesting early influence of language connectivity on visual perception[7]

She has also shown that adult-like functional brain networks are present at birth,[8] with individual variability that may relate to later behavioral differences[9][10] Her work demonstrates that language networks are domain-specific for linguistic processing and left-lateralized even in early childhood, and distinct from nearby regions that perform other cognitive functions [11][12][13]. Her research contributes to growing evidence that humans are born with rich capabilities and that developmental Neuroimaging can help discover these capabilities that make the human brain unique.

Her research program often employs longitudinal neuroimaging to study brain development from prenatal stages through adulthood, with applications to clinical conditions such as anxiety, depression, and brain injury.[14] Her work on brain injury focuses on brain and cognitive changes after a child's first season of tackle football and discovering neural markers that make some children more susceptible to injury after head impacts, and neural markers that enable recovery and plasticity.

Awards and honors

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Saygin has received several honors recognizing her contributions to neuroscience. Her image of nerve fibers was a 2014 Wellcome Image Award. [15] She has also been awarded the following:[1]

  • Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (2018)
  • National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • President’s Research Excellence Catalyst Award (2022–2024)

Selected publications

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  • Saygin, Zeynep M; Osher, David E; Koldewyn, Kami; Reynolds, Gretchen; Gabrieli, John D E; Saxe, Rebecca R (2012). "Anatomical connectivity patterns predict face selectivity in the fusiform gyrus". Nature Neuroscience. 15 (2): 321–327. doi:10.1038/nn.3001. ISSN 1097-6256. PMC 3267901. PMID 22197830. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  • Saygin, Zeynep M.; Norton, Elizabeth S.; Osher, David E.; Beach, Sara D.; Cyr, Abigail B.; Ozernov-Palchik, Ola; Yendiki, Anastasia; Fischl, Bruce; Gaab, Nadine; Gabrieli, John D.E. (2013-08-14). "Tracking the Roots of Reading Ability: White Matter Volume and Integrity Correlate with Phonological Awareness in Prereading and Early-Reading Kindergarten Children". The Journal of Neuroscience. 33 (33): 13251–13258. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4383-12.2013. ISSN 0270-6474. PMC 3742917. PMID 23946384. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  • Saygin, Zeynep M; Osher, David E; Norton, Elizabeth S; Youssoufian, Deanna A; Beach, Sara D; Feather, Jenelle; Gaab, Nadine; Gabrieli, John D E; Kanwisher, Nancy (2016). "Connectivity precedes function in the development of the visual word form area". Nature Neuroscience. 19 (9): 1250–1255. doi:10.1038/nn.4354. ISSN 1097-6256. PMC 5003691. PMID 27500407. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  • Saygin, Z.M.; Kliemann, D.; Iglesias, J.E.; van der Kouwe, A.J.W.; Boyd, E.; Reuter, M.; Stevens, A.; Van Leemput, K.; McKee, A.; Frosch, M.P.; Fischl, B.; Augustinack, J.C. (2017). "High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging reveals nuclei of the human amygdala: manual segmentation to automatic atlas". NeuroImage. 155: 370–382. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.04.046. PMC 5557007. PMID 28479476. Retrieved 2026-08-12.

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Dr. Zeynep Saygin | Department of Psychology". psychology.osu.edu.
  2. ↑ "Zeynep Saygin | Neuroscience Major". neurosciencemajor.osu.edu.
  3. ↑ Saygin, Zeynep M.; Osher, David E.; Koldewyn, Kami; Reynolds, Gretchen; Gabrieli, John D. E.; Saxe, Rebecca R. (2011-12-25). "Anatomical connectivity patterns predict face selectivity in the fusiform gyrus". Nature Neuroscience. 15 (2): 321–327. doi:10.1038/nn.3001. ISSN 1546-1726. PMC 3267901. PMID 22197830.
  4. ↑ Saygin, Zeynep M.; Osher, David E.; Augustinack, Jean; Fischl, Bruce; Gabrieli, John D. E. (2011-06-01). "Connectivity-based segmentation of human amygdala nuclei using probabilistic tractography". NeuroImage. 56 (3): 1353–1361. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.03.006. ISSN 1095-9572. PMC 3102511. PMID 21396459.
  5. ↑ Saygin, Zeynep M.; Norton, Elizabeth S.; Osher, David E.; Beach, Sara D.; Cyr, Abigail B.; Ozernov-Palchik, Ola; Yendiki, Anastasia; Fischl, Bruce; Gaab, Nadine; Gabrieli, John D. E. (2013-08-14). "Tracking the Roots of Reading Ability: White Matter Volume and Integrity Correlate with Phonological Awareness in Prereading and Early-Reading Kindergarten Children". Journal of Neuroscience. 33 (33): 13251–13258. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4383-12.2013. ISSN 0270-6474. PMC 3742917. PMID 23946384.
  6. ↑ Saygin, Zeynep M.; Osher, David E.; Norton, Elizabeth S.; Youssoufian, Deanna A.; Beach, Sara D.; Feather, Jenelle; Gaab, Nadine; Gabrieli, John D. E.; Kanwisher, Nancy (2016). "Connectivity precedes function in the development of the visual word form area". Nature Neuroscience. 19 (9): 1250–1255. doi:10.1038/nn.4354. ISSN 1546-1726. PMC 5003691. PMID 27500407.
  7. ↑ Li, Jin; Osher, David E.; Hansen, Heather A.; Saygin, Zeynep M. (2020-10-22). "Innate connectivity patterns drive the development of the visual word form area". Scientific Reports. 10 (1): 18039. Bibcode:2020NatSR..1018039L. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-75015-7. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 7582172. PMID 33093478.
  8. ↑ "New research: Babies are born to read". Sequoyah County Times. 2020-11-11. pp. a4. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  9. ↑ "Newborns' brains already organized into functional networks". Newborns’ brains already organized into functional networks.
  10. ↑ Molloy, M. Fiona; Saygin, Zeynep M. (2022). "Individual variability in functional organization of the neonatal brain". NeuroImage. 253 119101. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119101. ISSN 1095-9572. PMID 35304265.
  11. ↑ Hiersche, K. J.; Schettini, E.; Li, J.; Saygin, Z. M. (2024-06-15). "Functional dissociation of the language network and other cognition in early childhood". Human Brain Mapping. 45 (9) e26757. doi:10.1002/hbm.26757. ISSN 1097-0193. PMC 11184366. PMID 38888027.
  12. ↑ Hiersche, Kelly J.; Saygin, Zeynep M.; Osher, David E. (2026). "Connectivity and function are coupled across cognitive domains throughout the brain". Network Neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.). 10 (1): 80–92. doi:10.1162/NETN.a.504. ISSN 2472-1751. PMC 12798649. PMID 41536424.
  13. ↑ Schettini, Elana; Hiersche, Kelly J.; Saygin, Zeynep M. (2023-03-15). "Individual Variability in Performance Reflects Selectivity of the Multiple Demand Network among Children and Adults". Journal of Neuroscience. 43 (11): 1940–1951. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1460-22.2023. ISSN 0270-6474. PMC 10027032. PMID 36750368.
  14. ↑ "2024 Recipients | Center for Cognitive and Brain Sciences". cog.osu.edu.
  15. ↑ Connor, Steve (2014-03-11). "Small wonder: the art of microscopic life". The Independent. p. 17. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
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