Zahra Sheikhbahaee

Researcher in AI, world models, active inference, reinforcement learning, and computational neuroscience.

About

I joined the Chandar Lab in May 2026. My current research interests include world models, active inference, multi-agent reinforcement learning, AI alignment, generative models, and interpretable agentic systems.

I received my PhD from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and the Argelander-Institut für Astronomie at the University of Bonn, where my work focused on weak gravitational lensing. I later visited the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen and was a postdoctoral researcher at The David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science in the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Waterloo, Canada.

Research Interests

Editorial Work

I am a co-guest editor for a Royal Society Philosophical Transactions A special issue on agency, self/world models, causal reasoning, and planning. Agency special issue

I am also a co-guest editor for a Royal Society special issue on world models and artificial general intelligence. World models special issue

Contact

You can find more about my work through my GitHub, LinkedIn, and X / Twitter.