People
Dr. Naja Ferjan Ramírez (Principal Investigator) naja@uw.edu Naja (pronounced Naya) Ferjan Ramírez is an Assistant Professor in Linguistics at the University of Washington and holds the Distinguished Professorship in Language Acquisition and Multilingualism Endowment. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from Brown University and her Ph.D. in Linguistics and Cognitive Science from the University of California, San Diego. She completed her post-doctoral training at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences at the University of Washington. Naja’s research focuses on understanding the extent and origins of variability in brain growth and linguistic development among young children of diverse backgrounds. She uses multiple methodologies, including naturalistic recordings in children’s homes and early education centers, magnetoencephalography (MEG), and behavioral language measures in the laboratory. Naja is a proud mother of three young children who listen to and speak three languages at home: Slovene, Spanish, and English. Find her full CV here. |
Dr. Akira Omaki – In memoriam The Language Development and Processing Lab would like to remember and celebrate its founder, Akira, who passed away on August 6th, 2018, following complications from lymphoma. We invite you to read this longer tribute to our inspiring colleague and friend. |
Naomi Tachikawa Shapiro (Graduate Student) tsnaomi@uw.edu Naomi is a sixth-year Ph.D. student in Computational Linguistics at the University of Washington. Her research focuses on natural and artificial linguistic intelligence: how humans and machines understand and produce language. Prior to coming to UW for her Ph.D., she earned her master’s in Symbolic Systems at Stanford University. |
Kaveri Sheth (Graduate Student) ksheth2@uw.edu Kaveri is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in Linguistics at the University of Washington. Prior to coming to UW for her Ph.D., she earned her BA in Psychology, Linguistics and Spanish at Emory University. Her research interests are second language acquisition, bilingualism, and how different contexts and environments can affect an infant’s ability to learn languages. Kaveri is currently working at the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS) on a curriculum for teachers to learn how to teach a second language to young children. Outside of the lab and classroom, Kaveri enjoys reading, running, and playing with her dog! |
Katie Lindekugel (Graduate Student) kl17@uw.edu Katie is a third-year Ph.D. student in Linguistics at the University of Washington. She earned her MA in Linguistics and her BA degrees in Linguistics and Japanese at California State University, Fullerton. Some of her research interests are language acquisition, applied linguistics, and sociolinguistics. Katie also enjoys reading for fun, rock climbing, and hanging out with her dog and fiancé. She is currently working with Naja on the effects of electronic media on language input and output in Latinx infants. |
Adeline Braverman (Graduate Student) abrave@uw.edu Adeline is a second-year Ph.D. student in Linguistics at the University of Washington. Prior to coming to UW for her Ph.D., she earned her BA in Linguistics at Dartmouth College. Her research interests are sign language acquisition, bilingualism, and variation in parental input to first language learners. In her free time, Adeline enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time outdoors. |
Jake Tish (Recent Graduate) jaketish@uw.edu Jake is a recent graduate from the University of Washington, with a BA in Linguistics. He is currently working as a Research Assistant with the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences. After his time here, he will be moving to Valencia, Spain, to teach English at an elementary school. His research interests include bilingualism, sociolinguistics and dialectal variation. Outside of the lab, Jake enjoys reading, longboarding, and practicing his Spanish and French skills! |
Deslatte Artime (Undergraduate Student) dartime@uw.edu Deslatte is a senior undergraduate majoring in Linguistics and minoring in Education, Learning, and Society at the University of Washington. Her research interests are early childhood multilingualism and the structure of the current global early childhood education system. She is currently working as a Research Assistant with the Institute of Learning and Brain Sciences. |
Addie Sciammas (Undergraduate Student) asciam@uw.edu Addie is a senior undergraduate student studying Speech and Hearing Sciences with minors in Education, Learning, and Society and Spanish at the University of Washington. She is currently working under Kaveri and Naja on the SparkLing project which develops bilingual education for children aged 0-5. Her research interests include language acquisition, speech development, bilingualism, and child development. Addie also enjoys working at a local preschool, playing on the UW club water polo team, and exploring the outdoors! |
Paulina Varela (Undergraduate Student) paulinavarela711@gmail.com Paulina is a third-year undergraduate student studying Linguistics at the University of Washington. She is interested in first language acquisition, second language acquisition in educational settings, and bilingualism. She is currently an undergraduate research assistant at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences working under Ph.D. student Kaveri Sheth and Dr. Naja Ferjan Ramírez. In her spare time, Paulina enjoys spending time with her friends, visiting her family in Mexico, watching movies, and reading. |
Laura Becerra (Undergraduate Student) lauraab@uw.edu Laura is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Washington intending to major in Speech and Hearing Sciences. She is currently working as a research assistant with the Institute of Learning & Brain Sciences. Her research interests are second language acquisition, bilingualism, and speech language pathology. During her free time, Laura also enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with her loved ones. |