https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4902-7485
I am an assistant professor in the Department of Applied Linguistics and ESL at Georgia State University and an affiliate of the Center for Research on the Challenges of Acquiring Language and Literacy (RCALL). I am co-founder of the Language, Cognition, and Learning Lab and co-leader of the associated Assessment Research Group.
Prior to this post, I worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the departments of Educational Psychology and Linguistics. I worked with a team of interdisciplinary scholars on the Training Qualified Interpreters for IEP meetings (TQII) project, funded by a grant from the Illinois State Board of Education. My team’s role in the project was to develop and validate a suite of language tests in multiple languages. These tests are used to select prospective interpreters for training services to work with multilingual learners with disabilities, their families, and school districts on individualized education plans.
My research focus is primarily in topics related to the assessment of second language speech, but I have crossover interests in nonverbal studies, second language acquisition, educational psychology, and research methodology. I am primarily interested in developing a greater understanding of the myriad factors that influence listener’s perceptions of second language speech, especially as they relate to how listeners form impressions of these speakers. I am also interested in methodological queries that aim to strengthen instrument development for language tests and applied linguistics research.
I am a graduate of the Second Language Studies program at Michigan State University. I have a BA from Hendrix College in Mathematics and an MA from Lancaster University in Language Testing. I have lived in Japan, Spain, and China, and I have worked in a number of capacities in language education, including teaching EFL, teacher training, item writing, speaking and writing examining, conference planning, and language assessment literacy workshops.
When I am not working, I like to stay active and explore the area around me. I love hiking in the mountains and foraging for wild mushrooms. I also enjoy cooking, going to new restaurants and bars, art exhibitions, and world cinema.
