I am an Assistant Professor of Psychology. In my research, I combine insights from monolingual and multilingual individuals, who process language through speech or sign, to inform an inclusive and comprehensive neurobiology of language
My research combines data from neuroimaging, computational and behavioral methods with theoretical insights from linguistics, psychology and neuroscience. I try to leverage data from traditionally understudied populations like multilingual individuals and signers to try to answer questions like a) how lexical access works (i.e., how do we select the word we intend to) or b) what are the core properties of language organization that are constant despite articulatory differences between speech and sign. I take the most naturalistic approach possible to inform a theory that can not only account for laboratory based experiments but rather aims to capture the multifaceted and socially influenced experience of what it means to communicate in the real world.
I obtained my PhD from NYU and I completed my post-doctoral training at Harvard University. In 2019, I was recognized as a Forbes 30 under 30 scientist. In addition to being a scientist, I devote a significant portion of my time to transgender rights advocacy and activism.