Early-career NYU neuroscientist applying within-subject fMRI to value-based decision-making and subjective experience
2
papers here
1
reviewed by Evolve
2
first-author
1
corresponding
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works · OpenAlex
2
h-index · OpenAlex
Bibliometric figures come from OpenAlex (2026-09-20) and cover the author's entire public record, not just the papers listed here. Reproducibility signal comes from Evolve's own reviews.
Research profile
Output—
Not yet scored: the indexed record is too sparse for a reliable output measure. This axis would track total works, first/corresponding-author share, and yearly counts; six works in the last three years, four of them in 2026, hint at an accelerating but very early record.
Impact—
Not yet scored: citation data are insufficient for a meaningful impact estimate, consistent with the reported h-index of 2 and i10-index of 1. This axis would measure citation counts and uptake of the work, especially once the 2026 preprints move into peer-reviewed publications.
Focus100/100
Exceptional concentration: the focus dimension scores 100/100, and the field distribution maps entirely to cognitive neuroscience (decision neuroscience). The topic clusters — neural and behavioral psychology studies (4), functional brain connectivity studies (3), neurotransmitter-receptor influences on behavior (2), EEG and brain-computer interfaces (2), and transcranial magnetic stimulation studies (2) — all orbit one question: how the brain represents value-based decisions and their subjective feel.
Collaboration28/100
The collaboration dimension scores 28/100, reflecting a compact network: only three distinct coauthors appear over the past three years. Brown, J. W. is the recurring collaborator across the record. Both Evolve-catalog preprints are first-authored — one also corresponding — consistent with a small-team, hands-on fMRI analysis model rather than large multi-site consortia.
Activity57/100
Activity scores 57/100 on a clearly accelerating trajectory: the yearly counts show one work in 2018, two in 2021, two in 2024, and four in 2026 — the highest annual count on record and six works within the last three years. Both first-authored bioRxiv preprints in the Evolve catalog appeared in 2026.
Reproducibility20/100
The reproducibility dimension scores 20/100, derived from a reproducibility mean of 20 across one assessed paper. Evolve's reviews flag the risks directly: the objective-versus-subjective fMRI study shows fragile brain-behavior correlations, and the free-will pilot (n=12) is underpowered; both preprints carry a low reproducibility-readiness rating, so larger samples and open analysis pipelines would most strengthen this record.
Research summary
Modak, P. is an early-career researcher at New York University working in cognitive neuroscience, with a declared field specialization in decision neuroscience. The OpenAlex record shows an emerging profile: an h-index of 2, an i10-index of 1, and six works in the past three years, with output concentrated in 2026, the strongest year at four works. Focus is exceptional — the focus dimension scores 100/100 and the field distribution maps entirely to cognitive neuroscience (decision neuroscience) — while topic clusters span neural and behavioral psychology studies (4), functional brain connectivity studies (3), neurotransmitter-receptor influences on behavior (2), EEG and brain-computer interfaces (2), and transcranial magnetic stimulation studies (2). Two first-authored 2026 bioRxiv preprints anchor the Evolve catalog: a within-subject fMRI study contrasting motivationally objective versus subjective decision-making, linking decision contexts to mid-cingulate/dACC activity, and a pilot fMRI study (n=12) of the subjective experience of free will during value-based risky decisions, tracking mid-cingulate/MFG and hippocampal BOLD. Evolve's review finds the behavior convincing in the former but the brain-behavior correlations fragile, and the latter hypothesis-generating but underpowered; both carry low reproducibility-readiness ratings, consistent with a reproducibility score of 20 from one assessed paper. The collaboration network is compact — three distinct coauthors, with Brown, J. W. the recurring partner — and the collaboration dimension scores 28/100 against an activity score of 57/100. Output and impact axes remain unscored pending richer data.
Collaboration pattern
Collaboration is deliberately small-scale: only three distinct coauthors appear in the past three years, and the collaboration dimension scores 28/100. Brown, J. W. is the recurring coauthor across the record. Both Evolve-catalog preprints are first-authored — one additionally corresponding — suggesting Modak drives data collection and analysis within a compact NYU-based team rather than distributed consortia. Prospective collaborators should expect deep fMRI involvement with limited co-author breadth.
Research keywords
Highlights
Within-subject fMRI separates motivationally objective from subjective decision-making
Pilot fMRI study of free-will experience during value-based risky decisions
A sharply focused, accelerating 2026
Focus scores 100/100 with all indexed field weight in decision neuroscience, while 2026 is the most productive year on record (four works), including the two first-authored preprints in the Evolve catalog.
Timeline
- 2018Earliest indexed work appears in the OpenAlex record (one publication that year).
- 2021Two indexed works, keeping overall output sporadic.
- 2024Two further indexed works precede the current acceleration.
- 2026Most productive year: four indexed works, including two first-authored bioRxiv preprints in the Evolve catalog — one also corresponding — on objective versus subjective decision-making and on free-will experience during risky decisions.
Papers in the Evolve catalog
Frequent co-authors
About this profile
This profile is AI-structured by Evolve.Pub from public bibliographic data (OpenAlex) and Evolve's own paper reviews. It is not written or endorsed by the researcher unless the profile is claimed. Radar dimensions are computed from real bibliometrics with fixed formulas — raw figures are shown alongside; missing dimensions mean insufficient data, never zero. Errors? Claim the profile to correct or hide it.
- Bibliometric indicators are drawn from OpenAlex only and may undercount non-indexed outputs.
- Output and impact radar axes are unscored due to insufficient citation and productivity data.
- Both catalog papers are 2026 bioRxiv preprints and may not have completed peer review.
- Profile is name-resolved from public bibliographic data via ORCID 0000-0002-1556-7777; biographical details beyond the bibliometric record are not covered.