Department of Psychology
Faculty and Staff Directory
Rutvik H. Desai
| Title: | Professor Director, Institute for Mind and Brain |
| Department: | Psychology McCausland College of Arts and Sciences |
| Email: | rutvik@sc.edu |
| Phone: | 803-777-9029 |
| Office: | Discovery, Rm 227 |
| Resources: | Department of Psychology |
Bio
Professor Desai’s research examines neural basis of semantics or conceptual knowledge.
His research asks how and where meanings of words and sentences are represented in
the brain, how are they accessed, and how they are impaired with brain injury. Some recent projects investigate questions pertaining
to the nature of representations in semantic hubs in the brain, representation of
abstract concepts, relationship between sensorimotor systems and concepts, processing
of metaphors, and use of large language models to study human conceptual and language
representations in the healthy and impaired brain. His lab uses function MRI, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Transcranial Direct/Alternating
Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS/tACS), behavioral studies neurotypical individuals, studies
of stroke survivors with aphasia and other neurological disorders, and modern AI systems such as large
language models to address these questions.
His publications can be found at https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=k3RYT0wAAAAJ&hl=en. More information about his research can be found at his lab website: https://go.sc.edu/delab