Labs & Faculty

Please note that not all labs or faculty will be open for rotation and visits each year. 

Program Leadership

		Dr. Susannah Levi, Program Director/PI Dr. Levi is the director of the Acoustic Phonetics and Perception Lab, which examines spoken language processing across the lifespan.
		Dr. Sudha Arunachalam, Program Director/PI Dr. Arunachalam is the director of the LEARN Lab, which examines first language acquisition in children ages 5 and under, including typically developing children, children with language delay, and children with autism spectrum disorder.
		Nusrat Jahan, Program Director Nusrat received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Hunter College. She participated in the SHARE-CSD program in Summer 2023 and currently works as the Program Director.

 

Associated Faculty (Potential Research Mentors)

In addition to the two program directors (Dr. Levi and Dr. Arunachalam), the following faculty members may host program participants in the summer on a rotating basis.

		Dr. Adam Buchwald Dr. Buchwald directs the Psycholinguistics, Aphasia, and Neuromodulation Lab, which focuses on speech and language production and treatment in adults with acquired communication impairments.
		Dr. Maria Grigos Dr. Grigos directs the Motor Speech Lab, which focuses on speech motor control during development and rehabilitation following facial transplant surgery.
		Dr. Eric Jackson Dr. Jackson directs the Stuttering and Vvariability (savvy) Lab, which focuses on speech production and neural processing in children and adults who stutter.
		Dr. Tara McAllister Dr. McAllister directs the Biofeedback Intervention Technology for Speech Lab (BITS Lab), which focuses on technology-enhanced interventions for speech sound disorders.
		Dr. Sonja Molfenter Dr. Molfenter directs the NYU Swallowing Research Lab, which focuses on physiological measurement of both healthy and impaired swallowing with the goal of improving overall health, nutrition and quality of life.
		Dr. Si On Yoon Dr. Yoon directs the Communication, Memory, and Mind Lab which focuses on how people use social-pragmatic information in conversation and how this ability varies across populations.

 

Professional and Career Support Mentors

SHARE-CSD participants will have the opportunity to participate in career development workshops to learn more about navigating diversity in higher education and grad school application processes.

		Dr. María Rosa Brea  Dr. Brea has focused her research and teaching on social justice, equity, and the intersections of ethnicity, language, and reading disabilities.
		Dr. George Castle  Dr. Castle has carried out initiatives that support SLPs and audiologists as well as students, including through high school recruitment and academic support and mentoring programs.

 

Lab Tour Faculty

SHARE-CSD participants will have the opportunity to tour 3-4 other labs across the university. Each summer, a subset of the listed faculty will host these lab tours. 

		Dr. Ryan Branski Dr. Branski’s research focuses on speech, voice, and swallowing disorders using gene therapy and tissue engineering approaches.
		Dr. Natalie Brito Dr. Brito is a developmental psychologist whose research focuses on neurocognitive development and the role of adversity/poverty on language and cognitive outcomes, including in bilingual children. She uses EEG and behavioral techniques.
		Dr. Catherine Hartley Dr. Hartley’s research focuses on learning and memory in development. She uses a variety of techniques including neuroimaging, psychophysiology, computational modeling, and genetics.
		Dr. Aaron Johnson Dr. Johnson’s research focuses on voice rehabilitation and aging. Using an animal model, he examines relations between vocal training and neuromuscular change in the laryngeal muscles.
		Dr. David Landsberger Dr. Landsberger’s research focuses on optimizing the effectiveness of cochlear implants by developing new algorithms and other tools.
		Dr. Gigliana Melzi Dr. Melzi’s research focuses on the intersection of cultural and linguistic practices and their relation to early developmental outcomes, especially in the context of bilingual learners from immigrant Latine/x communities.
		Dr. Kristie Patten Dr. Patten’s research focuses on inclusive school-based intervention for students with autism spectrum disorder. She often speaks about disability justice and strength-based approaches to understanding and treating individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
		Dr. Pablo Ripollés Dr. Ripollés is a cognitive neuroscientist. His research focuses on reward-driven language learning, music, and memory consolidation.
		Dr. Marjorie Rhodes Dr. Rhodes’s research focuses on the impact of language on social development. Her recent work includes findings on how the language children hear affects their social identities in categories such as race, gender, and being a scientist.
		Dr. Mario Svirsky Dr. Svirsky’s research focuses on speech perception and production after cochlear implantation, including both clinical and scientific aspects of cochlear implantation.