Shaida Abachi, Ph.D.

Ph.D., Cognitive Sciences

University of California, Irvine · 2024

M.S., Cognitive Neuroscience

University of California, Irvine · 2022

B.S., Neuroscience

University of California, Riverside · 2017

UX Research Scientist / Human Factors Researcher

Meta Reality Labs · Redmond, WA

- Lead end-to-end quantitative and mixed-methods research to inform AR/VR and wearable device development, spanning early concept exploration through product validation.
- Design large-scale behavioral studies, controlled experiments, and surveys to evaluate perception, comfort, usability, and long-term wearability.
- Translate human data into actionable product guidance, influencing hardware specifications, algorithm tuning, and design tradeoffs in close partnership with engineering, perception science, design, and product teams.

Doctoral Researcher, Cognitive Science

University of California, Irvine

- Conducted independent research on human perception, confidence, and decision-making using behavioral experiments, computational modeling, and neuroimaging.
- Built reproducible analysis pipelines for large-scale behavioral and fMRI datasets.
- Published and presented work on perceptual metacognition and confidence modeling.
- Mentored junior researchers and contributed to lab infrastructure within a newly established faculty lab.

Deep Learning Summer Intensive Program

Neuromatch Academy · 2021

Computational Neuroscience Summer Intensive Program

Neuromatch Academy · 2020

A Pilot Study of Computationally-Informed fMRI Decoded Neurofeedback for Modulating Metacognitive Neural Signatures

Society for Neuroscience · Poster Presentation · 2025

Olsson, E., Abachi, S., Maniscalco, B., Cushing, C. A., Peters, M. A. K.

Decoding confidence from frontal regions to validate tuned inhibition as a model of perceptual metacognition

Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness · Concurrent Talk · 2024

Abachi, S., Maniscalco, B., Peters, M. A. K.

Identifying neurocomputational correlates of perceptual confidence in decision-making regions using fMRI in humans

Society for Neuroscience · Poster Presentation · 2022

Abachi, S., Maniscalco, B., Peters, M. A. K.

Simulated voxels from the tuned inhibition model of perceptual metacognition to drive model validation via fMRI

Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience · Poster Presentation · 2022

Abachi, S., Maniscalco, B., Peters, M. A. K.

Evidence of tuned inhibition as the underlying mechanism of perceptual metacognition via fMRI

Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness · Concurrent Talk · 2022

Abachi, S., Maniscalco, B., Peters, M. A. K.

Tuned inhibition as the underlying mechanism of perceptual metacognition identified within decision making areas

Cognitive Sciences Graduate Student Bonanza, UC Irvine · Intramural Talk · 2022

Abachi, S., Maniscalco, B., Peters, M. A. K.

Neuroimaging evidence for metacognitive computations in perceptual decision-making

The Neurobiology of Reward and Decision-Making Meeting · Invited Talk & Poster Presentation · 2022

Abachi, S., Maniscalco, B., Peters, M. A. K.

Toward evidence of tuned inhibition as the underlying mechanism of perceptual metacognition via fMRI

Neuromatch Conference · Flash Talk · 2021

Abachi, S., Maniscalco, B., Peters, M. A. K.

Brain sensitivity to TREM2-regulated microglial functions is region- and age-dependent

Center for Glial-Neuronal Interactions Symposium, UC Riverside · Poster Presentation · 2017

Abachi, S., Grinberg, Y., Carson, M.

Associate Dean’s Fellowship Award

University of California, Irvine · 2023

Mentoring Excellence Certificate

University of California, Irvine · 2021

Social Sciences Teaching Assistant Award

University of California, Irvine · 2019

Eugene Cota Robles Fellowship Award

University of California, Riverside · 2018

GradEdge/JumpStart Internship Stipend Award

University of California, Riverside · 2018