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 2019, then became lab manager in 2021. I program lab tools, train students, assist postdocs on projects, and generally enjoy the art, craft, and process of making the lab run smoothly.
Postdoctoral Research Associates
Hung-Shao Cheng
Email:
hcheng223
I am a postdoctoral researcher at Speech Motor Neuroscience Group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I received my PhD in Communicative Sciences and Disorders at New York University. My research interests focus on understanding the (neural-)mechanisms that underlie speech motor learning. I use interdisciplinary approaches to examine this topic including linguistics, speech science, motor learning and non-invasive neuromodulation techniques (e.g., tDCS and TMS). When I am not working, I probably think about what my next meal is or my cats.
Tim Murphy
Email:
tmurphy37
I am a postdoctoral researcher working in the Speech Motor Neuroscience Group. My research aims to characterize the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying cognitive control in speech. I am particularly interested in the roles perceptual processing and speech sound representation play in speech motor control. The research I conducted while pursuing a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience at Carnegie Mellon University investigated statistical learning in speech perception and its effect on speech production. I am now investigating sensorimotor adaptation and the role speech sounds representations play in this process.
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 senior 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 junior 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.
Olivia Kider
Email:
okider
I am a senior 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 senior undergraduate studying Communication Sciences and Disorders with a certificate in Disability Rights and Services. I plan to attend grad school to study speech pathology.
Rachael Schneck
Email:
rschneck2
I am a third-year student pursuing a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders. I am also planning on graduating from the College of Letters and Science honors program. When I graduate, I am either going to apply for graduate school to become a speech and language pathologist, or PA school.
Elle Stussy
Email:
estussy
I am a junior 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.