Hi there!

I am currently a postdoctoral scholar with Ioulia Kovelman at the University of Michigan (soon moving to the University of Texas at Dallas), where I study the neurodevelopment of children's language and literacy. My research focuses on how language is represented and processed in the developing brain as a function of bilingualism and language disorders such as dyslexia and developmental language disorder (DLD), using fNIRS neuroimaging and advanced NLP techniques.

My path to this work is rooted in the classroom. Before pursuing my PhD, I taught preschool and kindergarten, where I had a front-row seat to observe how my students navigated multiple languages at the same time with curiosity and confidence. Not only did I feel a sense of wonder and amazement that grew by the day witnessing their (seemingly) effortless growth, but I also developed countless questions regarding the mechanisms that made them such incredible language learners across languages and developmental differences.

I carry my time as a teacher with me as both a source of motivation and a reminder of why this work matters. My goals and values as a researcher are to build a body of knowledge that not only advances our understanding of language and the brain, but that ultimately reaches back into classrooms to help students and teachers feel supported and seen during the complex process of learning.