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

Orla Putnam, Ph.D (she/her/hers)
ocputnam@bu.edu
Curriculum Vitae

Dr.Orla Putnam is a postdoctoral researcher at Boston University in the Communication and Neurodevelopment Lab. She received her bachelor’s degree in Human Development from the University of California San Diego, and her PhD in Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. As an autistic autism researcher, Orla aims to improve our understanding of social communication between autistic and non-autistic individuals through multi-modal measurement approaches. Her PhD research focused on characterizing prosody in autistic youth, and exploring how prosody may be influenced by assigned sex at birth, autism traits, and conversation topic. As an NIDCD T32 fellow at BU, Orla seeks to extend this research and examine prosody in other meaningful contexts, such as reading and storytelling.

Doctoral Students

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.

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

Tess Latham (she/her/hers)

Tess is a second year MS SLP student in Sargent College. In May, she graduated from Northeastern University with a BS in Linguistics & Psychology. Her clinical and research interests include neurogenic speech disorders, dyslexia, as well as neonatal feeding and swallowing. In her free time, she is an avid reader and skier!

Alison McGrath (she/her/hers)
ajmcg@bu.edu

Alison is a second-year student in the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program. She received her BA in Linguistics and Cognitive Science from the University of Michigan. Post-graduation, Alison plans on working as a pediatric SLP.

Sherley Ortiz (she/her/hers)
sortiz15@bu.edu

Sherley is second year grad student in the BS/MS Speech Language Pathology program. Her interests include children’s language development, different approaches to children’s speech therapy, and bilingual language development. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, trying different restaurants around Boston, and going on nature walks with her dog.

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

Julie is a first year student in the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program. Her research interests include the neurobiological bases for literacy and language development for multilingual children.

Undergraduate Students

Joshua Holtzberg (he/him)
jholtz@bu.edu

Joshua is a fourth-year student studying neuroscience. His research interests include music cognition and neurodevelopment in children and young adults with ASD. Joshua is also an EMT on campus and intends to pursue a medical degree to practice psychiatric medicine.

Erika Giovanardi (she/her/hers)
egiovana@bu.edu

Erika is a junior studying Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in CAS. Her research interests include literacy development in young children. After graduation, Erika plans on attending medical school. In her free time she like to cook with friends and play volleyball.

Adriana Cruz (she/her/hers)
acruz04@bu.edu

Adriana, a third-year Health Science major with a minor in Spanish at Boston University, is on the pre-dental track with hopes of becoming a Pediatric Dentist. She is especially interested in how bilingualism and early language experiences shape children’s communication and developmental outcomes. She hopes to bring insights from her research experiences into her future career serving children and families.

Collaborators

Alumni