About Me
I completed my Ph.D. in Cognitive Science at Johns Hopkins University in December 2019 and received my M.A. in Cognitive Science in 2016. I am currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Language and Cognition Lab in the department of Cognitive Science (PI: Dr. Barbara Landau) and the Spatial Cognition Lab in the School of Education (PI: Dr. Amy Shelton) at Johns Hopkins, working on a project on experimental and computational approaches to visual-spatial representations, in particular children's block building.
My primary areas of interest are language and cognitive development, in particular children's understanding of abstract concepts, Theory of Mind, word learning, semantics, and syntax. My dissertation research, advised by Dr. Barbara Landau, investigated children's acquisition of perception and mental verbs through corpus data analysis and empirical behavioral studies. I have also done formal semantics work on perception verb complements with Dr. Kyle Rawlins.
As a kid I was always a language geek; choosing to teach myself how to conjugate Spanish verbs or Latin declensions was probably an early sign that I'd eventually become some sort of linguist.
I received my B.A. from Barnard College in New York City, where I created my major in Linguistic Anthropology, working with my advisor Dr. Paul Kockelman as well as Dr. Alan Timberlake, and also minored in Psychology. I was one of the founding members of the Columbia Linguistics Society. Starting in my junior year at Barnard, I worked with Dr. Ann Senghas in the Language Acquisition and Development Research Lab doing research on Nicaraguan Sign Language. I eventually worked with Dr. Senghas on my senior thesis examining Theory of Mind and mental verbs in NSL.
During breaks between semesters in college, I also worked for the Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey. While there, I co-authored a book, New Jersey's Palisades Interstate Park, documenting the Park's history through images.
After undergrad, I worked in higher education textbook publishing for 5 years, then in email marketing for 1.5 years. I realized that I really missed research and studying language and decided to change course and pursue a Ph.D.
When not doing research or teaching, I enjoy traveling, gardening, cooking, and spending time with my husband Anthony, our cat Rudy and our dogs Henry and Annie. I also foster rescue dogs, helping to get them ready for their adoptive homes.
My primary areas of interest are language and cognitive development, in particular children's understanding of abstract concepts, Theory of Mind, word learning, semantics, and syntax. My dissertation research, advised by Dr. Barbara Landau, investigated children's acquisition of perception and mental verbs through corpus data analysis and empirical behavioral studies. I have also done formal semantics work on perception verb complements with Dr. Kyle Rawlins.
As a kid I was always a language geek; choosing to teach myself how to conjugate Spanish verbs or Latin declensions was probably an early sign that I'd eventually become some sort of linguist.
I received my B.A. from Barnard College in New York City, where I created my major in Linguistic Anthropology, working with my advisor Dr. Paul Kockelman as well as Dr. Alan Timberlake, and also minored in Psychology. I was one of the founding members of the Columbia Linguistics Society. Starting in my junior year at Barnard, I worked with Dr. Ann Senghas in the Language Acquisition and Development Research Lab doing research on Nicaraguan Sign Language. I eventually worked with Dr. Senghas on my senior thesis examining Theory of Mind and mental verbs in NSL.
During breaks between semesters in college, I also worked for the Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey. While there, I co-authored a book, New Jersey's Palisades Interstate Park, documenting the Park's history through images.
After undergrad, I worked in higher education textbook publishing for 5 years, then in email marketing for 1.5 years. I realized that I really missed research and studying language and decided to change course and pursue a Ph.D.
When not doing research or teaching, I enjoy traveling, gardening, cooking, and spending time with my husband Anthony, our cat Rudy and our dogs Henry and Annie. I also foster rescue dogs, helping to get them ready for their adoptive homes.