SUCHIR SALHAN
Cognitive AI Researcher & Founder of Per Capita Media
SUCHIR SALHAN
Cognitive AI Researcher & Founder of Per Capita Media
Suchir Salhan studies interpretable AI and small language models while leading Per Capita Media.

Research
My research explores how abstract linguistic structure emerges in compact neural systems under realistic developmental and multilingual constraints. I focus on interpretability, learning dynamics, and practical applications of small language models.
Areas of Interest
- Can small models can acquire structure under severe data constraints?
- Multilingual exposure shifts inductive biases, not just capacity
*This work draws on BabyLM benchmarks and related developmental datasets.*
Per Capita Media
Per Capita Media is a national independent student newspaper and magazine. PCM is led by students at the University of Cambridge with contributors from across the UK, including Oxford, London, Birmingham, and Bristol. I am the Editor, Per Capita Media (University of Cambridge) and President of Cambirdge University PCM.
What We Do
- Original reporting, features, and cultural commentary on politics, society, technology, arts, and more
- Platform for emerging writers and thinkers beyond traditional university media
- Outreach and mentorship initiatives for secondary and sixth-form students
Our Mission
Explore issues that matter to young people and broader audiences through thoughtful, research-informed journalism and commentary, building a community of independent student voices. Learn more about our team and vision on LinkedIn.
*Founded August 2023. Contributions from students across the UK.*
Research Projects
- Computational Developmental Linguistics, Human-Scale Language Modelling and Cognitive Interpretability
- Pretraining bilingual and multilingual small language models
- Model Merging and Modular Multilingual Deep Learning
- Tokenization Transfer
- Efficient Language Model Architectures
- Information-, Category-Theoretic and Dynamical Systems Approaches to Language (Modelling)
Research Focus
Affiliation
University of Cambridge
Research Areas
Multilingual NLP · Language Acquisition · Cognitive Modeling
Methods
Pretraining · Evaluation · IRT · Developmental Benchmarks
Tools
PyTorch · Hugging Face · BabyLM · Weights & Biases
Selected Writing
- What Do Language Models Learn Like Children? — long-form essay
Contact
SUCHIR SALHAN
Cognitive AI | Per Capita Media