People

Douglas is Adjunct Lecturer in Philosophy at USC and Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas. He completed his Ph.D. in Philosophy at USC (2023), working primarily in the philosophy of mind, language, and cognitive science. His current research focuses on spatial perception, multisensory contributions to perceptual experience, the notion of representation in cognitive science, and mental imagery. Douglas is also a composer. Prior to coming to USC, he taught music theory and composition at CalArts.

Deniz is an Assistant Professor of Linguistics at USC. He works on the intersection of semantics, pragmatics, and discourse. 

Dr. Angela Xiaoxue He received her PhD in Linguistics from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2015. She studies how young children figure out the meanings of words and sentences, given a high degree of uncertainty in the language they're exposed to. In carrying out this research, she examines the role of learning biases, processing ability, event representation, social-communicative ability, and the dynamic interactions between these factors. Her research compares acquisition patterns in different exposure languages, and in learners with different developmental profiles.

Kelsey Christensen is a recent graduate (BA) of USC studying linguistics. They are interested in semantics, LMs, and methodological differences between fields pertaining to the study of language. 

Sam is a recent graduate (BA) of USC. As an undergrad, he studied philosophy, linguistics, and French. His main areas of interest include philosophy of language, cognitive science, and metaethics. 

Carrie Watson is a third-year student at USC majoring in Psychology. She is interested in both the environmental and genetic factors that contribute to the psychological development of children. She is currently working as a behavioral interventionist with children who have autism, in which she helps them develop various skills. When she is not working or in school, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. 

Casey received her B.A. in Economics and Linguistics in June 2015 from Northwestern University. Her focus has since shifted towards Computer Science and the intersection of business and technology. She has been attending classes and designing/coding projects for web/mobile in and out of the lab, and she is interested in how the ChiLDlab can apply Computer Science to automate data capture, visualization, and sharing. As a jazz/latin pianist and drummer, when not in the lab Casey enjoys making music, exploring Chicago's music scene, and learning to DJ.

Jaime is a third-year PhD student in the Philosophy Department at USC. He received his MA in Philosophy from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in 2016 and his BA in Humanities from the same institution in 2014. His main areas of interest are philosophy of language, metaphysics, and their intersection. His current research is focused on topics such as proper names, gradable adjectives, vagueness, and the metaphysics of linguistic expressions.

Haley is a second year PhD student in the Department of Linguistics at University of Southern California. She received her BA in Linguistics with a specialization in Cognitive Science from Michigan State University in 2015, and her MA in Linguistics from Northwestern University in 2017. Her research interests include semantics, child language acquisition, psycholinguistics, cognitive science, and philosophy of language.

Daniel is a 4th year Linguistics PhD student. His research focuses on morphosemantics, with an emphasis on links between cognitive psychology and linguistic theory. Specifically, Daniel is interested in tying what we know about the world's languages (i.e. typological linguistic universals) with theories of how adults and children represent meanings. Daniel's previous research has focused on writing systems analysis and models of cross-linguistic perceptual span size differences. His other interests include Altaic languages, ancient languages, curriculum design and development, teaching, and the gameification of language learning.

Devansh is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Computational Neuroscience. He loves learning about the intersections of neuroscience with language and philosophy and is interested in the language of thought, along with how music uniquely communicates to the mind. Outside of the lab, he is part of USC's a cappella team Asli Baat and is a USC Student Ambassador.

Emily is a fourth-year undergraduate student at USC studying cognitive science on the philosophy of mind track with a minor in architecture. She is interested in studying the intersection between philosophy, cognitive science, and psychology. Outside of the lab she enjoys reading novels, going to concerts, making art, and hiking with her dog, Maya.

Theo Hockstader is a fourth-year undergraduate at USC studying philosophy, cognitive science, and economics. He wants to better understand how human minds interpret language and the world, especially as LLMs improve and become increasingly prevalent. He takes pride in his ability to provide excellent food recommendations and can often be found climbing up tall rocks in cool places around Southern California.

Maxwell is a third year student studying philosophy at USC. His main areas of interest include continental philosophy, philosophy of language, and semiotics. He is particularly interested in applying philosophy to the real world and always wants to be on the cutting edge of technological and intellectual developments. In his regular life he enjoys the finer things in life such as drawing, digital art, painting, single player games, eating stuff, and playing with his very cute but also bad dog. He is also a fan of the philosophical works of Jean Baudrillard, Nietzche, and Donna Haraway as well as fiction by Lovecraft and anything turn of the (20th) century/steampunk or cyberpunk.

Menghan is an undergraduate student at USC, majoring in cognitive science with an emphasis on linguistics. Her interest lies in exploring the relationship between syntax, language acquisition, and the cognitive mechanisms involved, particularly the computational theory of mind. Outside of her academic pursuits, she loves any form of activity that disconnects her from the fast-paced world and reality. She's also a big fan of sketching and design, and science fiction films and books.

Justin is a third-year undergraduate at USC studying electrical and computer engineering. He’s passionate about the potential use of emergent technologies—particularly machine learning—as a means for representing and exploring human cognition, and the overall intersection of cybernetics, psycholinguistics, science-fiction novels, whittling, video games, Blender 3D-modeling, and machinic desire.

Ashley Ka is a junior at USC majoring in Philosophy, Politics & Economics and minoring in Computer Programming. She loves learning about logic and languages and is excited to keep exploring. Outside of the lab, she’s involved on campus with the Trojan Debate Squad, Teach for LA, and USC Club Gymnastics. Other passions include attempting to bullet journal, admiring the Muji catalog, and being a die-hard fan of The Good Place.

Tatum Huber is a Senior at Marlborough School. She is doing research at the Meaning Lab for her project in Honors Research in Science. Tatum is interested in the acquisition of language and cognitive science. She is enthusiastic about linguistics as she enjoys learning new languages, which include Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish. Outside of school, she enjoys dancing ballet at the Marat Daukayev School of Ballet, as well as hiking and going to the beach. 

Araceli Carmona is a fourth-year student at Cal State Long Beach majoring in Linguistics. She is interested in specializing in phonetics, specifically in areas that deal with the production and perception of accented speech. The two current research projects that she is involved in revolve around the development of liquid sounds in Spanish-English bilingual children, and the perception associated with event/process verbs and how that relates to our understanding of the object/substance distinction. When she is not doing schoolwork or engaging in research, she enjoys riding around on her roller-skates and taking care of her plants.

Samantha "Sam" Basch is a Senior at USC majoring in Cognitive Science and minoring in Forensics & Criminality. She loves learning about how our brains work and why we make the choices that we make. More specifically, she is interested in studying neuropsychology and criminal psychology. In her free time, she enjoys making art, cooking vegan food, and playing the drums!

Mohammad is an undergrad at SJSU studying Computer Science and Linguistics. He likes to live at the intersection of fields because that's where the most exciting action is. He's interested in how we can enable algorithms to better process and understand human language by tackling semantic and syntactic ambiguity in English and Middle Eastern languages. In his free time, Mohammad enjoys mini crossword puzzles and bouldering, and his favorite sentence is 'time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.' 

Jeff is a sophomore at USC majoring in Philosophy and Computational Neuroscience. He is interested in the philosophies of mind and language, specifically questions about intuitions about personal identity and the role language plays in our thought processes. In his free time, Jeff enjoys looking at trains and orangutans. In the small spans of time Jeff is not looking at either of those things he enjoys skating, making music, and writing. 

Sandra Barahona is a second-year student at USC majoring in Linguistics and Cognitive Science. She is interested in studying bilingualism and language acquisition. When she is not in school or working, she enjoys spending time with her dog, playing the piano, reading, baking, and going on walks.

Clayde is a recent Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience graduate from UC San Diego. She is interested in cognitive and developmental disorders with a special emphasis on language disorders. In particular, she would like to explore different ways in which non-verbal children with autism spectrum disorder could improve their communication skills. In her free time, she enjoys running outdoors, doing Pilates, and cooking Peruvian food.

Anaiya Raisinghani is a third-year student at USC studying Computational Linguistics and minoring in Entrepreneurship. She is interested in speech recognition, natural language processing, and child language acquisition. In her free time she enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Adeline Wang is a sophomore at USC double majoring in Linguistics and Cinema & Media Studies. Her academic interests include language acquisition and development. In her free time she enjoys photography, hiking by the beach, and taking care of her tomato plant (named Banana). She also volunteers for an arts and humanities initiative, and really wants to learn how to do a sick kickflip.

Yujie "Kelly" Chen is a senior at USC majoring in Psychology and minoring in The Dynamics of Early Childhood. She is interested in developmental and educational psychology and is excited to learn about the role language plays in how children navigate through this world. In her free time, she enjoys watching YouTube videos, playing Nintendo Switch, and going on walks with her puppy.

Lily Brickman is a junior at USC majoring in Communication and double-minoring in Entrepreneurship and Web Technologies & Applications. She is interested in natural language processing, bilingualism, and child language acquisition. On campus, she's also involved in Spark SC, an entrepreneurship organization, and in her free time, she enjoys reading and playing guitar.

Zhiren "George" Ye is a second-year student at USC double majoring in Linguistics & Cognitive Science, and Psychology. He is interested in the interaction between the mind and languages, as well as the language acquisition device. Outside of academics, he likes to find new places to get great food. He also likes to travel. In fact, he has lived in three different countries over his teenage years, with possibly more to come.

Sydney Turner is a senior at USC majoring in Cognitive Science with a minor in Mobile App Development. She is interested in human-computer interaction as well as UX/UI design. In her free time she enjoys hiking, biking, and traveling. An interesting fact about her is that she can solve a rubik's cube in under 2 minutes.

Prim is a sophomore at the University of Southern California studying Computational Linguistics. She's interested in natural language processing, semantics, and endangered language preservation. Some of her other involvements are machine learning research, Spark SC, and working for APASS (Asian Pacific American Student Services). In her free time, she loves singing with her a cappella group, doodling, snacking, and reaching a schwa state of mind.

Diego Frankel is a sophomore at USC double majoring in Computational Linguistics and Art History. His career interests are more diverse than his majors suggest, but they all prioritize public benefit. In his free time, he frequently uses public transportation to explore the amazing architecture in Los Angeles, visit art museums and galleries, or simply walk around a new neighborhood. He also plays guitar, aspiring to find a balance between blues rock and sharp, overwhelming noise.

Shawn Kim is a sophomore studying Philosophy, Politics, and Law, with a minor in Forensics and Criminality at the University of Southern California. She's excited to explore language, how it functions and how we understand it. When outside of the lab, she loves debating with her friends, swimming, practicing Taekwondo and playing the piano.

A Cognitive Science major from central Illinois, Henry Wilson is an undergraduate research assistant at the Meaning Lab. Henry has assisted with research in several scientific disciplines, including experimental semantics (USC Meaning Lab), psychology (USC Mather Lab), and neuroscience (UIUC Beckman Institute). When he’s not in the lab, Henry enjoys playing intramural soccer, writing piano music, and teaching science to younger students.

Matias is a junior studying Philosophy, Entrepreneurship, and Religion at the University of Southern California. He's an avid reader, a novice sailor, and a proud research assistant to the USC Meaning Lab. He's excited to learn more both in his academic and extracurricular pursuit of philosophy, and hopes that the work he does both now and in the future will always be in pursuit of truth.

Ché is an undergraduate student at Northwestern majoring in linguistics and legal studies. Her academic interests include natural language semantics and language acquisition. Outside of the lab, Ché's interests include knitting, taking care of plants, and listening to loud music.

Rebecca is a Northwestern undergrad who is double majoring in Cognitive Science and Linguistics. In Spring 2016, they won the Northwestern Student Employee of the Year Award, and the Linguistic Department's Demoz Prize for excellence in the linguistics program. Academically, Rebecca is interested in natural language semantics, computational semantics, and programming. Rebecca's other interests include board games, sleeping, and having different hair colors.

Rita is a senior undergraduate student, majoring in Sociology and Linguistics. Her academic interests are quite varied, but at present her interests tend mainly towards language acquisition, sociolinguistics, educational policy, and urban studies. Besides working in the ChiLDlab, she's involved in Supplies for Dreams, Best Buddies, and Happiness Club at Northwestern, and she loves to play volleyball and bake in her free time.

Ted is an undergrad at Northwestern majoring in Linguistics with a minor in Literature. Ted’s academic interests include bilingualism and language acquisition. Ted spends his free time playing guitar, cooking, and DJing a late night radio show.

Sabrina is an undergraduate student at Northwestern majoring in Linguistics and minoring in German. Her academic interests include sociolinguistics and bilingualism. She spends her free time swimming, making puns, and working at The Daily Northwestern as a print designer.

AnnMarie is an undergraduate student at Northwestern majoring in journalism with a minor in linguistics. Her academic interests include morphology, semantics and criminal justice reporting. In her free time, she volunteers with Project SOAR, works for the yearbook, and reads historical fiction novels.

Aozora Brockman graduated in June of 2015 from Northwestern with a degree in Creative Writing. A Japanese-English bilingual, Aozora is interested in studying how both native Japanese and bilingual speakers learn, process, and understand language. Outside of the lab, Aozora writes poetry and nonfiction essays, and dances anywhere and everywhere.