Our Team

Lab Director

Jennifer Zuk, Ph.D, CCC-SLP (she/her/hers)
Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Zuk is the Director and Principal Investigator of the Communication and Neurodevelopment Lab (est. 2020). She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Boston University. Dr. Zuk earned her PhD from Harvard University, and completed clinical training in speech-language pathology at the MGH Institute of Health Professions and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. Jennifer received dual bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Cognitive Science from Case Western Reserve University, and her Ed.M. in Mind, Brain, and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Dr. Zuk is committed to translating research to practice in an effort to promote effective identification, access, and inclusion for those who experience communication difficulties. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges experience in clinical speech-language pathology, developmental cognitive neuroscience, music cognition, and education.

Lab Members

Postdoctoral Fellows

Juliana Ronderos (she/her/hers)
jrondero@bu.edu

Juliana Ronderos is a Postdoctoral fellow in the Communication and Neurodevelopment Lab at Boston University. She recently earned her Ph.D. from the Integrative Program in Developmental, Cognitive, and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Houston. Her research interests lie in the intersection of the neurological bases of typical and atypical language development and bilingualism. She is interested in effective identification and assessment of bilingual children with developmental language disorders and the environmental and neurocognitive factors impacting language and literacy development for culturally and linguistically diverse populations

Doctoral Students

Kelsey Davison (she/her/hers)
davisonk@bu.edu

Kelsey is a doctoral student in the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences program at Boston University. She studied geography and Spanish as an undergraduate student at Salem State University and served as an education volunteer with the Peace Corps in rural Paraguay. Upon her return, Kelsey earned her Ed.M. in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her research focuses on investigating and identifying optimal contexts of language learning for children of varying linguistic abilities and language experiences.

Talia Liu (she/her/hers)
talialiu@bu.edu

Talia Liu is a doctoral student in the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences program at Boston University. She received her bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Sciences and Psychology at Rice University. She earned her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology at Vanderbilt University, where she also worked as a research analyst in the Vanderbilt Music Cognition Lab. Her research interests include studying the impact of musical activities on social engagement and language in autistic children and the efficacy of music-based interventions and community programs. She also has a clinical interest in pediatric feeding and swallowing.

Research Coordinator

Arianna Aguilar (she/her/hers)

Arianna is the lab coordinator for the Communication and Neurodevelopment Lab. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Education Studies from Wellesley College, where she gained research experience in children’s cognitive and language development. She has also participated in research related to the development of motor skills, play, and emotional understanding in children. In her free time, she enjoys exercise, cooking, and trying new restaurants in Boston.

Research Assistants

Helen Gray-Bauer (she/her/hers)

Helen is a research assistant for the Communication and Neurodevelopment Lab and joins with experience in cognition research and clinical oncology trial coordination. She earned her bachelor’s degree in music and neuroscience from Skidmore College where she worked as a research assistant and conducted thesis work with the Music and Cognition Lab. Helen has also held intern positions in clinical ethics, music therapy, and cognitive neuroscience. Her research interests include the neural overlap of music and language and the role of musical training and exposure in language development. Outside of lab, Helen enjoys crafting, cooking, and spending time with her family.

Chelsea La Valle

Masters Students

Aiko Jones (she/her/hers)
aikoj@bu.edu

Aiko is a second-year student in the Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology Program. She received her dual bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and East Asian Languages and Cultures from the University of Southern California (fight on!), and her Ed.M. in Mind, Brain, and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She also worked full-time in a cognitive neuroscience lab at Boston Children’s Hospital which studies the trajectory of executive functioning in autistic children. At the Zuk Lab, she is excited to explore research questions at the intersection of language, autism, and neuroscience! In her spare time, she enjoys cycling, playing with her two cats, and building miniatures.

Caroline Strang (she/her/hers)
strangc@bu.edu

Caroline (Ceci) is a second-year student in the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program at Boston University. She received her BA in Psychology from Scripps College in 2021.

Marion Kalina Heinrich (she/her/hers)
marionkh@bu.edu

Marion is a second-year student in the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program. She received her BA in Linguistics from New York University, where she gained research experience in child language and acoustic phonetics. Marion plans on pursuing a career as a pediatric speech-language pathologist.

Undergraduate Students

Marie Murray (she/her/hers)
marierm@bu.edu

Marie a junior undergraduate here at Boston University studying neuroscience on the pre-med track with the goal of becoming a pediatric neurologist!

Sarah Finnegan (she/her/hers)
sfinny@bu.edu

Sarah is a senior in the BS/MS Speech-Language Pathology program pursuing her Master’s. Her research interests include bilingual school-aged children as well as language development in multicultural households. Post graduation Sarah plans to work in the Boston area as a pediatric SLP.

Jovie Reyes (she/her/hers)
jovie16@bu.edu

Jovie is a senior majoring in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Boston University. Her research interest is studying swallowing disorders, stuttering, and the connection between literacy development in children and bilingualism. She is excited to be part of a bilingual study that allows her to use her Spanish-speaking skills. Jovie plans on applying to graduate school for a master’s in Speech-Language Pathology after graduation.

Caroline Goldman (she/her/hers)
cjg23@bu.edu

Caroline is a junior majoring in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at Boston University. She is interested in music as a part of language development as well as using theatre as a form of speech therapy. She intends to pursue a master in Speech-Language Pathology after graduation.

Julie Saito (she/her/hers)
jsaito@bu.edu

Julie is currently a junior, majoring in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, with a minor in History. Her research interests include the neurobiological bases for literacy and language development for multilingual children. She intends to pursue a Master in Speech-Language Pathology.

Daniela Leonardo Martinez (she/her/hers)
dmlm16@bu.edu

Daniela, a senior Health Science major at Boston University, has her sights set on becoming a Physician Assistant one day. While her future career will involve providing medical care, her current research passion lies in the connection between bilingualism in children and their emerging literacy skills.

Kathleen Wyverson (she/her/hers)
kow@bu.edu

Kathleen is a third year undergraduate student at Boston University majoring in Human Physiology. Her research interests include how early parent-child reading and bilingualism affects language development in children. After graduation, she plans on attending medical school in the hopes of becoming a pediatrician.

Collaborators

Alumni