I am Zurna Ahmed, a Medical Engineer and Neuroscientist by training.

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I am interested in understanding exploration and information-seeking behaviors and their underlying neural correlates in both non-human and human primates. My research examines how internal drives interact with external environmental factors to shape exploration and decision-making.

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My work investigates how the brain supports exploration and decision-making in naturalistic contexts. I combine wireless neural recordings in freely moving rhesus macaques with mobile EEG and behavioral paradigms in adults and children to study how sensorimotor state, movement, and information seeking shape cognition.

In parallel, I examine curiosity as a driver of exploration, using theory-driven behavioral tasks to identify which information-theoretic and social factors motivate curiosity-driven behavior.

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Equally central to my work is methods innovation. I develop and refine cutting-edge tools and paradigms that push current limits, enabling the study of freely moving primates—both non-human and human—in ecologically relevant environments.

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Curious to learn more? Please feel free to explore my webpage or reach out to connect.

I look forward to hearing from you!