Lab Director
Ben Parrell
Position title: Associate Professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders
Email:
bparrell
Lab Manager
Chris Naber
Email:
cwnaber
I studied Psychology, Linguistics, and Music Performance at Emory University. After a stint at Epic and UW-Madison’s CSD capstone program, I started working in SMAC Lab in Summer 2019. I programmed experiments related to timing in speech, assisted students on projects, and improved lab tools like Audapter. I’ve been the lab manager since Summer 2021.
Postdoctoral Research Associates
Anneke Slis
Email:
slis
Currently I am a postdoctoral research associate in the SMAC lab in the Communication Sciences and Disorders department at UW Madison. In my research, I aim to understand how language-specific requirements, (bio-) mechanical constraints, and sensory information contribute to articulatory variability and coordination in typical speakers and speakers with neurodegenerative disorders. I approach articulatory behavior from the perspective of general movement behavior, like dancing, walking, or playing an instrument, to examine and understand these interactions.
Yuyu Zeng
Email:
yuyu.zeng
I am a postdoctoral researcher of the Speech Motor Neuroscience Group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I grew up in Chongqing, China’s 4th direct-controlled municipality besides Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin. Although I can perceive and produce the /in/ and /iŋ/ contrast in Mandarin Chinese, I pretend to have an accent by merging them when speaking Mandarin.
The central theme of my research is Words in Communication (WiC). My vision for research on WiC is that it will integrate knowledge from linguistics, acoustics, psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, computer science, and network science, using behavioral experiments, brain recordings, and computational models. You can find more about me on my personal website.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Emily Esser
Email:
esesser
I am an undergraduate junior at UW- Madison majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a certificate in Disability Rights and Services and Education and Educational Services. After my undergrad, I plan to obtain my masters degree in Speech Language Pathology.
Ella Graham
Email:
eagraham5
I am a sophomore at UW-Madison majoring in Neurobiology with a certificate in Health Policy. After undergraduate school, I plan to attend graduate or PA school to pursue a career in medicine.
Tessa Jester
Email:
tjester
I am a junior at UW-Madison majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a certificate in Disability Rights and Services. I plan to become a Speech and Language Pathologist and work with preschool-elementary school aged kids after graduation.
Olivia Kider
Email:
okider
I am a junior at UW-Madison majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders with certificates in Disability Rights & Services and Arts & Teaching. I plan to become a clinical Speech-Language Pathologist, and possibly specialize in vocal health and performance.
Brooke Mathews
Email:
bomathews
I am a junior undergraduate studying Communication Sciences and Disorders with a certificate in Disability Rights and Services. I plan to attend grad school to study speech pathology.
Matthew Meuler
Email:
mmeuler
I completed my bachelor’s degree at UW-Madison in May 2023. In Fall 2022, my studies in neuroscience and human behavior led me to the SMAC Lab, where I reinforced my interests in the neural pathways behind speech production. My current work is focused on investigating the cerebellum’s role in controlling speech. As an aspiring medical student, I especially appreciate the bridge between our research and clinical application.
Josh Silverman
Email:
jnsilverman4
I am a senior at UW-Madison majoring in biochemistry and plan to pursue a career in medicine. I am specifically interested in neural circuits and how they interact to produce speech and motor functions.
Autumn Smith
Email:
aesmith32
I am a senior at UW-Madison studying Neurobiology, Psychology, and Communication Sciences and Disorders. After my undergrad, I plan to complete my masters in Speech Language Pathology and later pursue a career as a clinical Speech Language Pathologist.
Elle Stussy
Email:
estussy
I am a sophomore majoring in Communication Sciences & Disorders with a certificate in Disability Rights and Services. After my undergrad, I plan to work towards my masters degree in speech–language pathology. I am particularly interested in working with children.
Gracie Turner
Email:
glturner
I am a senior majoring in Communication Sciences & Disorders with a certificate in Disability Rights and Services. I plan to pursue a career in research and speech pathology. I am particularly interested in neurodegenerative disorders and their impacts on speech production.
Collaborators:
- Carrie Niziolek, UW-Madison, Communication Sciences & Disorders
- Rich Ivry, UC Berkeley, Psychology
- John Houde, Srikantan Nagarajan, & Zarniah Agnew, UC San Francisco, Speech Neuroscience Laboratory
- Vikram Ramanarayanan, Educational Testing Services
- Adam Lammert, Tom Quatieri, & Greg Ciccarelli, MIT Lincoln Labs
- Jelena Krivokapic, University of Michigan, Linguistics
- Doug Shiller, University of Montreal, Speech Language Pathology & Audiology
- Vince Gracco & Mark Tiede, Haskins Labs
- Cynthia Lee, Samantha Gordon Danner, Louis Goldstein, Sungbok Lee, Dani Byrd, & Tanner Sorensen, University of Southern California, Linguistics/SPAN group
