People

Alexis K. Black

Principal Investigator

Dr. Black is interested in how babies see, hear, feel – and learn! – about their worlds. She received her Ph.D. in Linguistics and Cognitive Systems from the University of British Columbia in 2018, where she focused on auditory statistical learning across the lifespan. Alexis then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Haskins Laboratories, where she used a technique called neural decoding to study infant and adult EEG and hemodynamic brain signals. When she’s not in the lab, Alexis is probably either spending time outdoors, cuddling with her family, or reading (with a steaming cup of coffee!).

Helen Shiyang Lu

Postdoctoral Fellow

Helen received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Southern California in 2024. Her research interests center around understanding the cognitive and perceptual mechanisms underlying language acquisition, particularly in infancy. Her projects now investigate how infants process and segment speech, comparing the developmental trajectories of mono- and multilingual learners. When not in the lab, Helen is likely at home cooking or enjoying the company of cats wherever she can find them, whether at shelters, sanctuaries, or cat cafés.

Sofia Cordeiro

Research Assistant, MSc Speech Language Pathology

Sofia has an undergraduate degree in linguistics from UBC. After graduating, she spent many years teaching English to children in Canada and abroad. She is currently a masters student at UBC’s School of Audiology and Speech Sciences to become a Speech Language Pathologist. In her free time she usually enjoys painting, hiking, swimming, or enjoying time with her friends and family.

Sai Pusuluri

Research Assistant

Sai is a third-year student at UBC, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. He is passionate about applying machine learning to linguistics and healthcare, with plans to build a career as a Machine Learning Engineer one day! Sai is currently exploring machine learning models to optimize accuracy and interpretability in the EEG studies. Outside of academics, Sai enjoys cycling and discovering new running trails around Vancouver.

Abitha Easwaramoorthy

Research Assistant

Abitha has an undergraduate degree in Speech Sciences with a minor in family studies at UBC. She plans to obtain her Masters of Speech Language and Pathology in the future and pursue a career in the field. Currently, she is working as a BI and as an SLPA hoping to learn, gain experience and build her skillset so she can help the children she works with achieve their fullest potential! She loves learning about sociolinguistics, developmental linguistics, and psycholinguistics, and how these areas intersect with family psychology, particularly in terms of language development and communication dynamics within families. In her spare time you’ll find her on the piano, drawing, watching movies, or trying new foods while spending time with friends and family!

Angelina Wong

Research Assistant

Angelina is a fifth year undergraduate student at UBC majoring in Biology and minoring in Linguistics. She is interested in language acquisition in children and multilingual language acquisition. Her goal is to become a speech language pathologist in the future.

In her spare time, she enjoys doing all sorts of crafts, going for walks, or watching shows.

Seerat Sidhu

Research Assistant

Seerat is a third-year at McGill University student majoring in Pharmacology and minoring in Statistics. She is passionate about healthcare and hopes to pursue a career in medicine. Seerat is currently assisting with data analysis with the EEG studies occurring in the lab. When not in the lab or studying, Seerat enjoys working out and spending time with her family and friends.

Emily Van

Research Assistant

Emily is a fourth-year student at UBC, majoring in Speech Sciences and minoring in Psychology. Her interests include language acquisition and developmental psychology. Her goal is to become a Speech-Language Pathologist in the future. Emily assists with infant eye-tracking studies in the lab, with a curiosity about how babies are drawn to sounds. Outside of academics, she enjoys needle felting crafts, assembling 3D wooden puzzles, and making memories with friends and family! 

Grace Bu

Research Assistant

Grace is a fifth year Integrated Sciences major at UBC, combining Behavioural Neuroscience and Human Physiology. She is interested in cross-cultural infant learning strategies used in language development. Grace is excited to learn more about word processing and hopes to pursue a masters in Speech-Language Pathology.

In her free time, she enjoys reading a good book, baking, and biking around Vancouver!

Christina G. Yee

Research Assistant

I’m in my final year of undergraduate studies in linguistics and planning to apply for a Master’s program in Speech-Language Pathology. My academic interests lie in child language acquisition and developing methods to support children facing challenges in acquiring language effectively. Outside of school, I’m passionate about baking, especially creating cakes for occasions like baby showers, weddings, and birthdays. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with gluten-free and vegan desserts. I also enjoy swimming, exploring diverse cuisines at different restaurants, and spending quality time with friends. Additionally, I teach at my church and tutor using the Orton-Gillingham approach to support literacy development.