Evans' research interests include cognitive neuroimaging, neuroanatomical variability, and image-processing methodologies for PET and MRI. He pioneered the technique of multi-modal 3D brain imaging with PET and MRI, which provides detailed 3D images of brain anatomy.

Evans was awarded a Computerworld-Smithsonian Award for achievements in information science and medicine. In 2014, he was awarded the Vezina Prize for Quebec Neuroradiology, and the Margolese National Brain Disorders Prize from the University of British Columbia. In 2015, he was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and elected OHBM Chair. In 2016, he was awarded Quebec’s highest honour for scientific research, the Prix du Québec (Wilder Penfield), and the magazine Science ranked him #6 in a list of the most influential brain scientists of the modern era. In 2020, Evans was awarded one of Canada’s highest honours, the Killam Prize, in recognition of his many contributions to the understanding of the human brain.