About Karine Megerdoomian
I’m a computational linguist and AI researcher with over two decades of experience at the intersection of language and technology. Trained as a formal linguist with a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Southern California, my research spans syntax, semantics, and the structures that shape meaning in human language.
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As founder of Zoorna, a multilingual NLP and AI lab, I focus on developing linguistically informed, ethical approaches to natural language processing—particularly for multilingual and low-resource languages. My work aims to bring underrepresented voices and linguistic diversity into the evolving landscape of AI.
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Throughout my career, I’ve worked across academia, research labs, and applied AI projects—from federal research initiatives to narrative analytics and cross-linguistic NLP solutions. My research examines how linguistic theory can inform computational models of meaning, events, and narrative, moving AI systems toward deeper, more human-centered language understanding.
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I speak and write on various topics including:
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AI at the Margins: Why linguistic diversity matters
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Women in AI: Breaking barriers and shaping leadership
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Bias Mitigation in AI: Balancing innovation, inclusion, and responsibility
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Demystifying AI: Separating hype from reality
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Syntax and semantics of Persian Complex Predicates
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Patterns of Persian: History, linguistics and pedagogy
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Through research and public engagement, my goal is to help shape AI that reflects the richness of human language and serves a linguistically diverse world.
Published Research
Recognized for publications in formal linguistics, Persian NLP, heritage language pedagogy, and multilingual blog analytics. My research contributions in social media analytics, narrative analysis, and risk detection have been awarded, cited, and transitioned into technology licenses and IP disclosures.
Leadership in NLP
Awarded for thought leadership and for spearheading large-scale R&D projects in NLP, including successful technology transfers to the U.S. federal judiciary and the Veterans Administration. As a Principal AI Engineer at MITRE, I directed a diverse portfolio of projects on multilingual NLP, system evaluations, and social media analytics.
Research Leadership &
Linguistic Advocacy
As founder of Zoorna AI, I lead research and consulting efforts to develop tools and resources for underrepresented languages and design and deploy linguistically grounded AI systems that amplify marginalized voices.
Educational Initiatives
Developed and taught interdisciplinary courses in computational linguistics, social media analytics, and heritage language and linguistics as Adjunct Faculty at Georgetown, UCSD, AUA, and for U.S. government. Recently launched the AI4Her initiative to expand access to AI literacy and GenAI training for women.
Community Engagement
I regularly deliver invited talks, join panels on women in AI and AI for Good, and serve the research community through conference committees, journal reviews, and grant evaluations.
Animal Welfare
Beyond academia and AI, I lead Artemis House, an animal rescue initiative dedicated to saving and rehabilitating abandoned and feral cats.
Experience
AI Strategist & Multilingual NLP Researcher
Research Leadership & Applied Innovation
Ethical AI for Global Impact
National-Scale NLP Systems and Linguistic Resources
Founder and CEO of Zoorna, a multilingual NLP and AI lab dedicated to developing linguistically grounded, ethical AI systems. I lead interdisciplinary teams advancing low-resource language technologies, temporal reasoning, event detection, and bias mitigation in large language models.
Led AI adoption, knowledge extraction, and narrative modeling initiatives with applications across judicial, healthcare, and educational domains. Directed the development of NLP-driven systems adopted by U.S. federal agencies, and built cross-linguistic resources—including lexicons, corpora, transliteration, and evaluation tools and guidelines—for Persian (Farsi, Dari, Tajik), Pashto and other underrepresented languages.
AI Literacy & Advocacy
Expanding Access to AI Education
Linguistic Researcher & Educator
Complex Predicates, Heritage Languages, Syntax-Semantic Interface
Founder of AI4Her, an initiative empowering women and girls through AI literacy and responsible GenAI training. I design and teach programs on prompt engineering, multilingual NLP, and ethical AI practices, supporting both individuals and organizations in building future-ready, responsible AI skills.
As a formal linguist with expertise in the syntax–semantics interface, complex predicates, and heritage languages, my publications advance computational grammar and event structure modeling. I’ve taught at Georgetown, UC San Diego, and the American University of Armenia, developing courses on computational linguistics, sociopolitical discourse analysis, and heritage language pedagogy.