I am a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Utah where I co-direct the Speech Acquisition Lab. My research focuses on a variety of phenomena related to the acquisition of the phonology of a new language by adult learners, specifically the development of phoneme inventories and phonolexical structure. My research typically involves experimental investigations of the perception of new sounds and words, and the influence of various types of linguistic experience on adult phonological development.

I also serve as the Associate Dean of the Honors College, where my primary responsibility is to support Honors degree completion through campus-wide partnerships and curriculum development, and I collaborate with the Office of the Vice President for Research to promote high-quality mentoring in the research context through education and mentor community building. I was Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies from 2014-2021.

If you are interested in undergraduate or graduate study in the Speech Acquisition Lab, please visit this page.