Research Participation

Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience Lab
Dr. Fatima T. Husain

The ACN Lab studies how we perceive hearing and speech, including related disorders like hearing loss and tinnitus. We use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine brain structure and function, comparing individuals with these conditions to those without. This helps us assess treatments and develop new therapies to address these disorders.

Auditory Neuro Experience Lab
Dr. Brian Monson

This lab’s research explores how our brains develop to process sound and understand speech in different people. We aim to understand how our experiences shape our auditory brain and our ability to perceive sounds.

Binaural Hearing Lab
Dr. Justin Aronoff

The Binaural Hearing Lab studies how people with bilateral cochlear implants use sound from both ears. Our research aims to understand how these signals are processed together to improve the performance and technology for individuals with bilateral cochlear implants.

Child Speech Research Lab
Dr. Mary M. Flaherty

Dr. Flaherty’s research centers on how children, with and without hearing loss, understand speech. Specifically, she examines how age and listening experience affect younger listeners’ ability to hear in noisy settings. Her current work aims to characterize children’s immature ability to use acoustic voice differences between talkers to improve speech-in-speech recognition. Ultimately, her research seeks to improve communication for children with hearing loss by better understanding and addressing the challenges they face in complex listening environments.

Hearing Research Lab
Dr. Ian Mertes

This lab studies how our inner ear and brain work together to help us hear when it’s noisy. Studies also investigate how permanent hearing loss impacts these parts of our auditory system. The ultimate goal is to improve how we diagnose and treat hearing problems.

Speech Perception Laboratory
Dr. Dan Fogerty

The Speech Perception Laboratory works to figure out what helps us understand speech best. We’re currently looking at: 

• defining acoustic interactions between speech and noise that predict speech understanding in complex listening situations,
• what sound and language factors help us recognize speech in these situations,
• and what hearing and language skills predict how well individuals perform.

The goal is to create personalized ways to improve speech understanding in challenging environments, especially for older adults and people with hearing loss.

Aging and Neurocognition Lab
Dr. Raksha Mudar

This lab’s research focuses on how neurodegenerative disorders affect cognitive functions. We also study how specific mental exercises can help people with these conditions. Some examples include the impact of hearing loss on the brain and cognition in older adults and strategy-based cognitive training in individuals with mild cognitive impairment.

Applied Psycholinguistics Lab
Dr. Pamela Hadley 

The primary mission of the APL is to improve early identification and intervention of preschoolers at-risk for developmental language disorder. To accomplish this, the APL investigates the relative contributions of parent-child interaction and language input properties along with other biological, environmental and developmental predictors of between-child differences in children’s later language outcomes.

Development in Neurogenetic Disabilities Lab
Dr. Laura (Hahn) Mattie

The main goal of the DND Lab is to better understand how infants and young children with neurogenetic disabilities develop. This knowledge will help us support their positive growth and well-being, as well as that of their families.

Intellectual Disabilities Communication Lab
Dr. Marie Channell

The IDCL wants to understand how people with different intellectual disabilities learn to communicate. Our  goal is to describe how their everyday communication skills develop to find the best ways to help them succeed socially and academically.

Literacy Lab
Dr. Meaghan McKenna 

The Literacy Lab partners with communities to tackle real-world challenges in reading and writing. Currently, the lab is focused on improving how researchers and educators understand, evaluate, and support writing skills in kindergarten through second grade. 

AAC Lab
Dr. Savanna Brittlebank

The AAC Lab’s goal is to research how people with disabilities who have limited speech (like those with autism, cerebral palsy or Down syndrome) develop language and literacy. Our main research goal is to create and test communication technologies and teaching methods that best support these individuals.

SpAA Lab – Speech Accommodation to Acoustics
Dr. Pasquale Bottalico

The SpAA Lab unites researchers interested in how clearly we understand speech, how sound behaves in rooms (like classrooms and concert halls), and how we produce and perceive voices and music. Our long-term goal is to find the best classroom acoustics that allow students to clearly understand their teachers while minimizing strain on the teachers’ voices. We study how classroom acoustics affect student learning, how room acoustics impact vocal effort and tiredness and the vocal health of teachers and singers.

Neuro + Swallowing Research Lab
Dr. Mariana Mendes Bahia

The Neuro + Swallowing Research Laboratory focuses on understanding normal and disordered swallowing (dysphagia). Our research explores how swallowing works, how it interacts with breathing and the brain, behavioral training to improve swallowing and how the brain recovers after swallowing rehabilitation.