What is your role in the lab? 

As a postdoctoral research fellow, my work in the lab is focused on investigating aspects of speech, language, and movement behavior that may play a role in developmental stuttering, as well as looking into how these factors relate to differences in brain development associated with stuttering. I am involved in collecting information and completing behavioral tests with participants during their research sessions, including the collection of neuroimaging data through fMRI, and analyzing this data to find answers to the many questions we still have about the experience of stuttering and the processes that support fluent speech.

What excites you most about your work?

What excites me most is being able to take on some of the most challenging research questions in my work, collaborating and learning from others as we combine our efforts to answer these, and gaining insight into the many complexities of the human experience in the process. 

What do you like to do in your free time? Do you have any hobbies?

In my free time, I enjoy running and spending time outdoors. This helps me clear my mind, consolidate my ideas, and reenergize, and is now an essential part of my daily routine. I also love to practice yoga, and to read—mainly autobiographies and books on life sciences. One of my favorite hobbies is painting and one that I really should dedicate more time to!

Besides the unknowns around stuttering, what’s another scientific mystery that you find interesting?

I am fascinated by the full extent of human behavior—from sport psychology to research on the factors that not only influence human cognition, but the human health span as well as the environment. In the health sciences, I feel that the female experience remains a bit of a mystery, due to being understudied historically. It’s interesting to read more recently emerging research on the genetic as well as experiential factors that can lead to different strengths and outcomes between the sexes.