Current Lab Members

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Principal Investigator
	Cara Stepp (she/her), Ph.D., directs the STEPP LAB for Sensorimotor Rehabilitation Engineering and is a Professor in the Departments of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, and Biomedical Engineering at Boston University. She received the S.B. in Engineering Science from Smith College, S.M. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences & Technology. She completed postdoctoral training in Computer Science & Engineering and Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington. She enjoys family time with her husband Boudu, daughter MJ, and dog Cruz.
Associated Faculty
	Joseph Perkell, Ph.D, D.M.D, is a senior research scientist in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences at Boston University. He received his S.B. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, D.M.D from Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and PhD in Speech Communication from MIT. Dr. Perkell’s primary area of research is in speech motor control, with a strong focus on speech kinematics, constraints and motor control strategies, and the role of hearing. His research laboratory at MIT developed the EMMA system, the first electromagnetic articulometer system, which was demonstrated to have the accuracy and reliability required for rigorous research on speech kinematics. Dr. Perkell has also studied the brain mechanisms underlying speech motor control and the influence of these mechanisms on speech kinematics and acoustics.
	Magdalen Balz, MS, CCC-SLP, is a Lecturer in the Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences at Boston University. She received her B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of New Hampshire and her M.S. in Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences from Boston University. Prior to returning to BU as clinical faculty, Maggie was a speech language pathologist at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA. Her clinical and research interests include assessment and treatment of cognitive and language abilities among people with neurological, neurodegenerative, and genetic disorders, as well as preventative cognitive intervention for seniors.
	Daniel Buckley, MS, CCC-SLP, is a faculty lecturer in the Department of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences at Boston University. He received his M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions and a clinical fellowship in voice, swallowing, and upper airway disorders with the USC Voice Center at Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California. Daniel is a research speech-language pathologist in the Stepp lab, where his research focuses include high-speed laryngeal imaging, the acoustic evaluation of voice in various populations including laryngeal dystonia, muscle tension dysphonia, and parkinson’s disease, and the efficacy of various novel voice interventions. He also supervises the Boston University Voice Clinic, and is a practicing clinician in the Department of Otolaryngology’s Voice and Swallowing Center at Boston Medical Center.
Staff
	Sarah Cocroft (she/her) is a research fellow for the STEPP Lab. She graduated from Boston University in 2022 with a B.A. in Neuroscience and minors in Chemistry and Deaf Studies. Her research background includes studying language acquisition in deaf children through the LAVA lab, and she is excited to expand her research interests into motor speech disorders through the Stepp lab. In her free time, Sarah enjoys singing, playing Just Dance, and buying strawberry themed items.
	Megan Cushman (she/her) is the research coordinator and lab manager for the STEPP Lab. She was previously a research fellow in the lab, and graduated from Boston University in 2020 with a B.S. in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, with a minor in Vocal Performance. She is interested in how research improves clinical assessment of voice and language disorders. In her free time, Megan enjoys singing, reading, and traveling.
	Manuel Díaz Cádiz (he/him) is a research fellow for the STEPP Lab. He received his M.S. in Electronic Engineering from the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María. He was a visiting student of Real-time Embedded Software Group in the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, in 2014; and is a former student of the the Voice Production Laboratory (VPLab) from the Department of Electronic Engineering at UTFSM. His research interests are related to digital signal processing, image and video analysis, computer vision algorithms and advanced digital systems design. He was a recipient of a CONICYT scholarship from the Chilean Government, an Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP) scholarship from the Government of Canada and the award for best project of the Maxwell category at the EXPO ELO 2015 (UTFSM). He is interested in developing analysis tools and interfaces for speech related research, that involves acquisition, visualization, and analysis within the voice investigation area. He enjoys playing soccer, listening to science & space-related podcasts… and making homemade empanadas once in a while.
	Alex Estrada (they/them) is a research fellow for the STEPP Lab. They graduated from Emerson College in 2022 with a BS in Communication Sciences & Disorders and a minor in Creative Writing. They’re excited to begin their research career at the Stepp Lab. Alex’s research interests include acoustics, speech breathing, comparative laryngeal anatomy, and listener perceptions of voice. They are also interested in ways to boost clinician competence in areas of AAC, dual sensory loss and gender affirming care. In their free time, Alex enjoys solving puzzles, learning about other scientific disciplines, listening to baseball games, and making all kinds of art.
	Taylor Feaster (she/her) is a research fellow for the STEPP lab. She received her B.A. in Neuroscience, with a minor in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences from Boston University in May 2021. Taylor is interested in exploring the intersection between neurological disorders and speech production/perception. In her free time, Taylor enjoys playing tennis, baking, and listening to music.
	Saul Frankford (he/him), Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow in the STEPP Lab. He received a PhD in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Boston University, and recently completed a postdoctoral research appointment at Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard Medical School. Prior to his PhD, he completed a BA in Music and Human Communication Sciences at Northwestern University. Saul is interested in investigating sensorimotor timing control in speech and voice disorders.
	Nichole Houle (she/her), Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a postdoctoral fellow in the STEPP Lab. She received a PhD in Communicative Sciences and Disorders at New York University in New York, NY and a BS/MS from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY. Her research investigates the production and perception of vocal gender across clinical populations.
	Katherine Marks (she/her), Ph.D., CCC-SLP is a postdoctoral fellow in the STEPP Lab. She received a PhD in Rehabilitation Science at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Institute of Health Professions (IHP), conducting research at the MGH Voice Center in Boston, MA. Prior to her PhD, she worked clinically as a laryngology-specialized speech-language pathologist at Lakeshore Professional Voice Center in St. Clair Shores, MI, after earning her M.S. in communication sciences and disorders from the MGH IHP. She began her career in voice research as an undergraduate intern at the Emory Voice Center, while earning her B.S. in Speech/Communication Across the Lifespan at Georgia State University, where she also minored in Vocal Performance. Katie’s clinical and research interests include: physiological mechanisms related to vocal effort, voice implementation science, and laryngeal dystonia.
	Zoe Perkins is a research assistant in the STEPP Lab. She graduated from Boston University in 2021 with a B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Zoe is currently studying part-time for her M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at BU. In her free she time enjoys running, playing tennis, and solving the NYT Crossword.
	Jose Manuel Rojas is a research fellow for the STEPP Lab. He attained his B.S. in Electronic Engineering from the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María in 2022. He has experience in the acquisition and analysis of data from populations with various health conditions, but also in the development of neurocomputational models to study sensorimotor control. His research focuses on the correlation between speech perception and sensorimotor disorders affecting the voice. During his leisure time, he enjoys activities like tennis, padel, running, and watching series.
	Kaitlyn Siedman (she/her) is a research fellow for the STEPP Lab. She graduated from Trinity College in May 2023 with a B.S. in Psychology and a self-designed minor in Linguistics. As a member of Trinity’s Psycholinguistics Lab, she previously researched how the presence of mirrors affects the intelligibility of speech and learned about the impact of different sensory modality alterations on speech perception and production. In her free time, Kaitlyn can be found crocheting, reading, or watching American Ninja Warrior.
Doctoral Research Assistants
	Allison Aaron (she/her), MS, CCC-SLP, is a Ph.D. student in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Boston University. She received a M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a concentration in voice at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions and went on to work as a laryngology-specialized speech-language pathologist at Stony Brook University Hospital. Allison has been devoted to both the science and art of voice since earning her B.A. in Vocal Performance and Psychology at Bucknell University. Allison’s clinical and research interests include vocal motor learning, voice and gender, and vocal hyperfunction.
	Kimberly Dahl (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Boston University. Kim received her master’s degrees in communication disorders at the University of Rhode Island and in linguistics at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a speech-language pathologist who completed her clinical training in voice and swallowing disorders at Oregon Health and Science University. Kim is interested in vocal motor control, voice perception, and gender-affirming voice care.
	Daria Dragicevic (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Boston University. She received her B.A. in Linguistics from San Diego State University with a certificate in Computational Linguistics. Daria is interested in understanding longitudinal speech changes in people with Parkinson’s disease. In 2022, Daria was awarded a Rafik B. Hariri Graduate Student Fellowship for Computing and Computational Science & Engineering to further her data-driven research. In her free time, Daria enjoys going to local spin classes, open-water swimming, and trying new cuisines.
	Turley Duque (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Boston University. Turley is a McNair Scholar and received her B.A. in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of San Diego, where she studied temporal and spatial memory in ADHD model rats. She is interested in researching the neural processes when verbal communication is disturbed. In her free time, she loves to travel this world and others through the pages of books.
	Mara Kapsner-Smith (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of Washington (UW). She received her M.S. in Medical Speech-Language Pathology from UW in 2009, where she conducted research in auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice quality. She has worked clinically as a laryngology-specialized SLP, as a research scientist at the National Center for Voice and Speech, and as a lecturer in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at UW. Her current research focuses on the pathophysiology of voice disorders.
	Omar El Sayed (he/him) is a Ph.D. student in Biomedical Engineering at Boston University completing a rotation in the Stepp Lab. He received his B.E. in Biomedical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, where he worked on a medical device that detects obstructions using real-time sensor data monitoring systems in tracheostomy patients. His current research interests include brain-computer interfaces and neurological devices. In his spare time, he enjoys playing soccer, basketball, and videogames, traveling, and watching movies.
	Daphne Toglia Lulo is a Ph.D. student in Neuroscience at Boston University completing a rotation in the Stepp Lab. She graduated with a B.A. in Neurobiology from the New College of Florida in 2019. She wrote her undergraduate thesis on somatic mosaicism of a PDGFRB activating variant in aneurysms and continued working on this project for two years after graduating. Daphne is primarily interested in translation research with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases. Outside of the lab, Daphne likes to spend her time running, bouldering, reading, and mentoring undergraduate students.
	Nicole Tomassi (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in the Graduate Program for Neuroscience at BU. She graduated from San Diego State University in 2019 with a B.S in Applied Mathematics. Her research interests include brain-computer interfaces and neural modelling with clinical applications. In her free time, Nicole enjoys teaching and practicing yoga, rock climbing, and traveling.
	Hasini Weerathunge (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in Biomedical Engineering at Boston University. She received her B.S. in Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka where she majored in Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering. Her research interests include brain-computer interfaces and neuro-engineering applications that enhance the human quality of life. Her current research work involves utilizing auditory & somatosensory motor perturbations of voice and speech to develop neuro-computational models of sensorimotor control for disordered populations. In 2020, Hasini was awarded the Rafik B. Hariri Institute Graduate Student Fellowship to pursue computational and data-driven research.
Master’s Research Assistants
	Carly Benson (she/her) is a master’s student in the Speech-Language Pathology program at Boston University. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a minor in Disability Rights and Services. She is primarily interested in vocal health, gender-affirming voice care, and motor speech disorders. In her free time, Carly enjoys reading, traveling, yoga, and playing the piano.
	Miracle Cariaga (she/her) is a first-year graduate student, studying for her M.S. in Speech Language Pathology. She is from California so moving to Boston has been a big life change! She is looking forward to experiencing the most out of her time here at the STEPP Lab and taking part in research that may influence how she will become as a future clinician. Apart from school, she loves going to the gym, taking long walks, listening to music, and going to the beach.
	Marlene Chávez Corona (she/they) is a master’s student in the Speech-Language Pathology program at Boston University. They graduated from San Diego State University with a B.A. in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences with a minor in Counseling and Social Change. She is fascinated by multilingualism and its intersections with neurologic and progressive communication disorders. Outside of academia, Marlene enjoys lounging in sunny patches of grass, learning languages, and perfecting their favorite recipes.
	Claire Howerton (she/her) is a master’s student in the Speech-Language Pathology program at Boston University. She graduated with her B.A. from Western Washington University in Communication Sciences & Disorders and English Literature with minors in Interdisciplinary Studies and Psychology. She is interested in gender-affirming voice care, vocal health, and voice perception. Claire also enjoys crafting, exploring Boston, and reading.
	Jordan Kimmel (they/he) is a master’s student in the Speech-Language Pathology program at Boston University. They graduated from Saint Michael’s College in 2022 with a B.S. in Neuroscience and minors in Gender Studies and Chemistry. They are primarily interested in gender-affirming voice care, voice perception, and pediatric speech therapy. In their free time, Jordan likes to spend time outside, bake (and find the best bakeshops for!) allergy-friendly desserts, dye their hair, and watch hockey, specifically the Bruins.
	Michael Madoule (he/him) is a master’s student in the Speech-Language Pathology program at Boston University. He graduated with a B.A. in Biology and Linguistics from Boston College in 2022. He is primarily interested in voice and swallowing disorders and their respective treatments. Michael enjoys playing music, learning about different languages, and playing Spikeball.
	Julia Toto (she/her) is a master’s student in the Speech-Language Pathology program at Boston University. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a B.S. in Communication Disorders and a minor in Psychology. Her main areas of interest include pediatric voice and resonance disorders, pediatric feeding and swallowing, and executive function and cognition. In her free time, Julia enjoys singing, spending time with her friends and family, and searching for the best iced coffee in Boston.
	Eva Yeh is a Master’s student in the Speech-Language Pathology program at Boston University. She attended the University of Michigan and graduated with her Bachelor’s in Linguistics and Cognitive Science. She is passionate about multilingual education, disability justice, and utilizing interdisciplinary research to achieve a higher level of medical care. Her areas of research interest include speech sounds and acoustics, bilingual/multilingual intervention strategies, and speech perception. In her free time, she enjoys taking care of her plants, trying new recipes, and going outside!
Undergraduate Research Assistants
	Courtney Dunsmuir (she/her) is an undergraduate student at Boston University studying Behavior and Health and is on the pre-medical pathway. She is a certified EMT and is excited to get research experience while gaining skills in data analysis and working in a clinical setting. In her free time, Courtney enjoys baking, bird-watching, and exploring Boston with friends.
	Bonnie Little (she/her) is an undergraduate student at Boston University studying Neuroscience. When home, Bonnie volunteers as an EMT and in her free time enjoys playing flute or piano, kayaking, and playing tennis. She is excited to be a part of the research team.
	Aaron Moy is an undergraduate student at Boston University studying Human Physiology. He is a certified EMT and hopes to gain experience in both a clinical and research setting. Aaron is passionate about teaching others, especially from other places and cultures. In his free time, he loves to cook as well as biking around the Charles River esplanade.
	Namita Rajasubramanian is an undergraduate student at Boston University studying Neuroscience on the pre-medical pathway. She is keen to gain clinical exposure received through patient interactions and simultaneously engage in research. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, watching true crime documentaries and spending time with her friends.
	Grace Shively is an undergraduate student at Boston University studying neuroscience on the pre-medical pathway. She is interested in obtaining the skills and knowledge that are necessary to analyze data and conduct research. Grace enjoys fishing, scuba diving, and relaxing out on the water in her free time.
	Giavanna Siracusano is an undergraduate student studying Neuroscience on the pre-medical track at Boston University. She is interested in studying neurodegenerative disorders, evaluating the practical applications of neuroscience, and gaining experience in a clinical and research setting. In her freetime, Giavanna enjoys hiking, running throughout Boston, and exploring the city.
	Kalei Volk (she/her) is a certified EMT and an undergraduate student at Boston University studying Human Physiology with a minor in Public Health. She is hoping to get experience in clinical and research settings as well as explore voice disorders. In her free time, Kalei enjoys reading and exploring Boston with her friends.
Clinical Recruitment Assistants
	Elise Gelblicht (she/her) is an undergraduate student at Boston University studying Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. She’s excited to become an SLP one day and hopes to work in the hospital setting. In her free time you’ll see her at FitRec working out or reading in the commons.
	Samantha Lonergan (she/her) is an undergraduate student at Boston University studying Health Science with a minor in Biology on the pre-Physician’s Assistant track. She is excited to learn more about speech and language disorders through in clinic experience and community engagement. In her free time, Samantha enjoys performing in musicals, spending time with her family and friends, and traveling.
	Keerthi Maddukuri is a masters’s student at the BU School of Public Health pursuing a functional certificate in Epidemiology & Biostatistics and context certification in Chronic and Non-communicable diseases. She graduated with a B.S. in Biochemistry and a minor in Psychology on a Pre-Medicine track. She is interested in the correlation between the impairment of voice and language disorders and underprivileged communities that do not have access to minimum healthcare. During herfree time, she likes to play badminton, spend time with friends and explore the city.
	Marjories Vasquez (she/her) is an undergraduate student at Boston University studying Biology with a minor in Public Health on the pre-medical path. She is eager to learn more about speech and language disorders and gain clinical experience through community outreach and research, especially within Boston’s Hispanic communities. In her free time, she enjoys taking dance classes, reading, and spending time with her friends.