Principal Investigator

Duane is from Las Vegas, NV. He is interested in the cognitive processes that underlie language production, comprehension, and reading.

Lecturer

Michelle was born in Queens, NY to immigrant parents. In 2017, she completed her linguistics PhD work with Dr. Edith Kaan at the University of Florida, where she also obtained a Second Language Acquisition and Teaching certificate. Michelle’s current research interests include eliciting spontaneous and naturalistic prosody in a lab setting, characterizing website texts using NLP tools, and examining the impact of digital reading exposure on grammatical processing and language preferences. Her work is inspired by her experiences in linguistically diverse environments as a language learner, a heritage speaker, and an English instructor.

Project Coordinator

Sarah graduated from Carleton College in 2025 with a B.A. in Linguistics and French. Their main research interests are at the intersection of variationist sociolinguistics and second language acquisition. Sarah is also passionate about language teaching and education abroad, and they have a budding interest in the ways generative AI use impacts language development. Outside the lab, Sarah enjoys crossword puzzles, spending time with their cats, and making great coffee. 

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Bio coming soon.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Amy is a senior studying Cognitive Studies and Language Sciences. Her research interests include bilingualism, speech disorders, and language processing. Outside of the lab, she enjoys playing instruments, swimming, and traveling.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Anzi is a sophomore who intends to major in Cognitive Studies and Philosophy with a minor in Data Science. Her education experience all over the world has inspired her interests in bilingualism, social cognition, and cultural-linguistic influences on mental disorders. She aspires to pursue a career in research and therapy. Outside of work, Anzi is a passionate gamer who also enjoys a good novel while listening the songs from her growing CD collection.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Arnav is a senior pursuing a double major in cognitive studies and neuroscience with a minor in history. He is interested in language processing and sensory memory in the brain. Outside of that he loves a good movie and board game.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Jessica is a senior majoring in cognitive studies and language sciences. She is interested in bilingualism and language processing. Outside of schoolwork, she loves to watch horror movies and listen to music.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Kesney is a junior majoring in Computer Science, Cognitive Studies, and Applied Mathematics, with a minor in Data Science. His interests lie in socio-computational cognitive science and sociolinguistics.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Mihika is a junior majoring in Cognitive Studies and minoring in Gender and Sexuality Studies. Her research interests include sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and the cognitive components of language. Outside of the lab, She enjoys watching films/TV, making jewelry, and traveling.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Bio coming soon.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Wendy is a senior majoring in Child Studies and Cognitive Studies. Her research interests include bilingual learners’ language acquisition across social networks, cognitive flexibility, and language processing. She is fluent in her hometown dialect from China and identifies as bilingual, with her personal experiences as an immigrant strongly shaping her academic interests.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Bio coming soon.

Ansley Potter is starting an exciting career in industry.

Ariel is now an assistant professor at Macalester College.

Brett is now an Associate Professor at the University of Utah Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Wei Lai is now a language engineer with Amazon Web Services.

Sarah is now an NRC Research Psychologist at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Want to know more about the work she’s doing and her dog? Visit https://my.vanderbilt.edu/sabibyk/.

Andrés Buxo-Lugo is now an assistant professor at the University at Buffalo in the Department of Psychology.

Doriana proudly served as lab manager of the Communication and Language Lab. She transitioned to an exciting new role at Vanderbilt.

Jenna is now a psychology Ph.D. graduate student at the University of California - Davis.

Siva is now a student in the Stanford Linguistics Graduate Program.

Van’s updates coming soon!

Delin’s updates coming soon!

Ebony is now a Machine Learning Data Associate at Amazon.