Authors

The ESRC International Centre for Language and Communicative Development (LuCiD) is a five year research collaboration working with partners from across the world to transform our understanding of how children learn to communicate with language.

Dr Katie (Katherine) Twomey is a Lecturer at the University of Manchester. She uses empirical and computational methods to examine the foundations of language acquisition. 

Ben is a third-year undergraduate student in Psychology at Lancaster University. This work was part of a summer internship he recently completed with LuCiD. During his internship he gained skills in experimental design, working in an infant development lab, working with parents and babies and running eye-tracking studies. The data he collected will help LuCiD researchers understand how babies' exploration of their learning environment interacts with early language acquisition. Ben will continue to work on this study as a Research Assistant at Lancaster Babylab. 

Caro is Professor of Developmental Psychology in the Department of Psychological Sciences and Director of the Language Development Department at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen. Her research focuses on how children acquire language, with a particular interest in grammar and in assessing how the child’s environment promotes and shapes language growth. She is an international collaborator for LuCiD (2019-24) and was a Co-Director of LuCiD and  the Language 0-5 project lead (2014-19).

Helen is the LuCiD Centre Manager. 

Rebecca is a Senior Research Associate at Lancaster University. Her current research looks at the way in which different cues are combined to help solve different tasks in language learning in 8-to-24-month-old children.

Amy is a LuCiD Research Associate at the University of Liverpool. She works on the Language 0-5 Project, a longitudinal study investigating individual differences in the language development of 80 children from the age of 6 months to four and a half years. She focuses on the naturalistic data aspects of the project, looking at children's prelinguistic gesture use and their symbolic play abilities, amongst other things.

Previously, she worked on children's syntax development and on phonological development.

Matt Hilton is a postdoctoral researcher at Potsdam University in Germany. Matt's current research focuses on the mechanisms underlying language processing in infancy. Matt received a LuCiD travel award whilst he was studying for his PhD at Lancaster University. 

Dr Elizabeth Kirk is a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of York. Her research focuses on the role of nonverbal behaviours in parent-infant interaction and the impact on linguistic and socio-cognitive development; the development of symbolic abilities in infancy and the relationship between gesture, pretend play, mind-mindedness and theory of mind; and the role of children’s hand gestures in cognitive and linguistic processes, including creativity and spelling.

Chris Deputy works in the Communications team at the University of Liverpool's Institute of Psychology, Health and Society. See Chris' University profile for more information.

Tony is a PhD student at Lancaster University. His research focuses on the degree to which language processing is unique to language.

Ellie Smith is a Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholar at Lancaster University. Ellie’s current research focuses on the influence parental personality has on early sensory processing development; specifically focusing on schizotypy, mind-mindedness, emotional expression perception and auditory sensory gating.

I am an associate professor at The Australian National University (ANU) and the head of the ANU Language Lab. My research investigates the psychology of language, with a main focus on the developmental processes that contribute to language acquisition and use. My current research interests include (i) the acquisition and processing of syntax, (ii) the neurocognitive mechanisms that support syntax acquisition and use (e.g., memory, statistical learning), (iii) the role of socio-cognitive processes such as symbolic play in language acquisition, and (iv) the use and function of non-standard language varieties (e.g., Australian Slang).

Finn is not a cat. He is, in fact, an A level student in Manchester. He hopes to study Psychology at University next year. He took part in a Nuffield Placement at the University of Manchester's Child Study Centre to find out more about what's involved in psychology research and university life. He was a tremendous help to the Centre and we're sure he'll do well in whatever he puts his mind to.

Lizzie completed a LuCiD summer internship in 2015 at the end of her second year studying for a BA hons in Psychology at the University of Manchester. Lizzie has since graduated top of her class, earning an outstanding achievement award. She is now working at the University in the Directorate for Student Experience.

Joanna is a third-year undergraduate student in Psychology at The University of Manchester, who completed a six-week internship with LuCiD in Summer 2016. The project she worked on involved the coding and analysis of complex language, however she also gained awareness of project planning and experimental design, techniques in child language research (including eye-tracking) and stimuli design. The data she coded will help LuCiD researchers understand when children begin to use and understand complex language and how this changes over time. 

Kascha is a third-year undergraduate studying Psychology at Lancaster University. She completed a six-week internship with LuCiD in Summer 2016. The project she worked on investigated how 8 and 12 month old infants use high frequency words during language acquisition. 

Helen is a third-year Psychology student at the University of Liverpool. She completed a six-week internship with LuCiD in the summer  of 2016. The project looked at testing the validity of a babble checklist.

Leone is a PhD student at the University of Manchester.

Jamie is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Liverpool, working on an ESRC funded project ‘Promoting children’s language development through family-based shared reading’ with Prof Caroline Rowland and Dr Josie Billington. He did his PhD in Developmental Psychology at the University of Sheffield under the supervision of Dr Mark Blades and Dr Danielle Matthews. 

Laura is a postdoctoral researcher for LuCiD at the University of Manchester. Her research is will investigating the role of information structure in children’s developing sentence representations, with a focus on complex sentences, using both naturalistic data and experimental methods.

By Prof Elena Lieven (University of Manchester) is Director of the ESRC International Centre for Language and Communicative Development (LuCiD). Her principal areas of research are: The emergence and construction of grammar; The relationship between input characteristics and the process of language development; and variation in children’s communicative and linguistic environments.

Sonia is a research assistant for LuCiD investigating the development of morphosyntax in Finnish. She completed an MA (Hons) in Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh in 2009, and has an MSc in Speech & Hearing Sciences from UCL (2010). Her PhD, completed in 2015 at the UCL Department of Speech Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, explored the communication strategies used in interactions between hearing and hearing-impaired children, and examined whether hearing and hearing-impaired children are able to adapt the acoustic-phonetic and linguistic properties of their speech to suit their listener’s needs. 

Joanna and Sonia are both LuCiD researchers investigating the development of syntax in Polish and Finnish children respectively.

Joanna has a BA in Portuguese Philology and an MA in Psychology from Jagiellonian University. She is currently a PhD student in the Department of Psychology, University of Warsaw. Her research interests focus on the role of internal and external factors in fostering balanced language development in bilingual children. 

Sonia has an MA (Hons) in Linguistics from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in Speech & Hearing Sciences from UCL (2010). Her PhD, completed in 2015 at the UCL Department of Speech Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, explored the communication strategies used in interactions between hearing and hearing-impaired children. 

Alissa is a Lecturer in Language and Communicative Development at the University of Manchester. Her research focuses on the early language acquisition, with a focus on investigating what infants know about language from birth through the first year of life.   She is particularly interested in how infants learn words and find patterns in language.

Charleen is a PhD student at the University of Liverpool. She previously worked as a speech and language therapist in Germany.

Eilidh and Meerab are not cats, they are in fact A level students based in Manchester. They spent 4 weeks at the University of Manchester's LuCiD Child Study Centre as part of a Nuffield research placement, to find out more about what's involved in psychological research and university life.

Laura is an ESRC funded PhD student at the University of Manchester. Her research focuses on early communication. She is particularly interested in pre-linguistic gestures and caregiver-infant interaction.

Charlotte is a third year Pscyhology student at Lancaster University. She completed a six week internship with LuCiD in the summer of 2017. Her placement looked at infant-directed speech preference as part of the ManyBabies global project.

Ben is Professor of Psychology at the University of Liverpool and a co-investigator for LuCiD. His research interests focus mostly on using judgement and production methodologies in children's first language acquisition. He also writes popular science.

Lewis is an undergraduate student studying Psychology at the University of Liverpool. He undertook an internship with the Language 0-5 project in the summer of 2017.

Anna is an undergraduate student studying Psychology at the University of Liverpool. She undertook an internship with the LuCiD Liverpool team in the summer of 2017.

Hannah is a BSc Psychology undergraduate student at the University of Manchester. She undertook an internship with the LuCiD Manchester team in the summer of 2017.

Mikako is currently a doctoral researcher at Ochanomizu University, Japan, and was a member of Lancaster Babylab in 2015/16, where she gained a distinction for her MSc in Developmental Psychology.

Padraic is Professor of Cognition at Lancaster University and one of our co-investigators. His research interests include language acquisition, language evolution, literacy development, and the effects of sleep on learning and memory.

Katy Finch is a PhD student at the University of Manchester. Her research focuses on how primary school children learn modern foreign languages and whether learning is the same for monolingual English speaking children and children with English as an Additional Language (EAL). Before starting her PhD, Katy worked as an ESOL teacher around the world and as a primary school teacher in the UK.

Dr Rachael Cheung is a Leverhulme funded PhD student based at Lancaster University. Her research investigates the learning mechanisms of young children, particularly those who are late to talk.

Gerardo is a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Pscyholinguistics, Nijmegen. His research explores different aspects related to the acquisition and processing of sign languages.

Han Ke is a postdoctoral researcher at Lancaster University, working on an ESRC funded research project “Curiosity-based learning in infants” with Prof Gert Westermann and Dr. Katherine Twomey (University of Manchester).  Her PhD thesis (submitted in March 2018) is about the development of emotional body perception in children, also completed at Lancaster University’s Department of Psychology.

Lydia is a second year undergraduate psychology student at the University of Manchester. She undertook a summer internship at the LuCiD Child Study Centre in Manchester during the summer of 2018.

Kirsty is a research associate at Lancaster University. Her research focuses on cognitive development in utero and throughout the first year of life. Kirsty has been awarded a Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellowship investigating the processing of social stimuli in utero.

Lizzie is an undergraduate student at the University of Manchester studying speech and language therapy. She undertook a LuCiD internship during the summer of 2018.

Steph is a researcher at the University of Manchester. She is working on various projects within LuCiD, including one which looks at how children process and use information structure of complex sentences for different communicative purposes.

Prof Julian Pine (University of Liverpool) and Dr Danielle Matthews (University of Sheffield) are both part of the Language Advisory Group for BBC Learning's new Language and Literacy campaign.

Christian Kliesch is a LuCiD PhD student at Lancaster University investigating children's understanding of communication.

Jean Gross is an education expert who has led many national initiatives aimed at improving the learning, attainment  and wellbeing of disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs. She is the chair of LuCiD's Advisory Board. You can find out more about Jean on her website.

Andrew Jessop completed his PhD at the University of Liverpool. He is now a postdoc in the Language Development Department at the Max Planck Institute for Pscyholinguistics, Nijmegen. 

Dr Louah Sirri is a Lecturer in Educational Psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University. From 2014-2018 she was a LuCiD postdoctoral researcher at Lancaster University.

Dr Alissa Ferry is a Lecturer of Language and Communicative Development at the University of Manchester and Dr Perrine Brusini is a Lecturer in Psychological Sciences at the University of Liverpool.

Felix is a LuCiD postdoctoral researcher based at the University of Manchester.

Priya is a PhD student at Lancaster University, studying how ostensive-referential cues affect infant attention, memory, and information transmission.

Meghan is a second year undergraduate psychology student at the University of Manchester. She undertook a summer internship at the LuCiD Child Study Centre in Manchester during the summer of 2019.

George is a Speech and Language Therapy student at the University of Manchester. He undertook a LuCiD internship during the summer of 2019.

Dr Ramya Maitreyee is a postdoctoral researcher on the Crosslinguistic acquisition of sentence structure (CLASS) project at the University of Liverpool.

Birsu is a Lecturer at the University of Manchester and a LuCiD1 alumna who was involved in the project investigating how children’s linguistic and socio-cognitive skills interact with language input in learning modal and mental state terms.

Megan is North West Regional Lead for the Education Endowment Foundation, seconded from her role as Director of the Aspirer Research School and Director of English for the Aspire Educational Trust.

Dr Perrine Brusini is a Lecturer at the University of Liverpool. Her research aims to shed light on the mechanisms engaged in language processing, and how these mechanisms arise during development. She conducts research using neuroimaging techniques adapted for infants research as EEG and fNIRS.

Dr Alissa Ferry is a Lecturer in Language and Communicative Development at the University of Manchester. Her research focuses on the early language acquisition, with a focus on investigating what infants know about language from birth through the first year of life. She is particularly interested in how infants learn words and find patterns in language.

Kelly is a lecturer in the Division of Human Communication, Development and Hearing at the University of Manchester. 

Jacky is a Postdoc at Lancaster University. His research interests include the early development of children, in particular how they acquire language and the role of language in their cognitive abilities.

Dr Samantha Durrant is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Manchester. Prior to this she was a postdoctoral researcher on the Language 0-5 project at the University of Liverpool

Sam Durrant is a post-doctoral researcher in child language acquisition at the University of Manchester. Katie Twomey is a lecturer in language development at the University of Manchester.

Alex is a clinical lecturer at the University of Manchester and a specialist Speech and Language Therapist. She is currently in the final stages of her PhD which focuses on the language and communication differences of females and males with autism and high-functioning intellectual ability (HFASD) .

Dr Judit Fazekas is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Liverpool.

Ludovica is Professor of Bi-Multilingualism at the University of Reading and Director of their Centre for Literacy and Multilingualism. She is also a LuCiD Co-Investigator on our project investigating the effects of the individual, home, and community on language development in UK minority families.

I am a PhD student at Lancaster University studying the curiosity-driven learning mechanisms of infants under the supervision of Prof. Gert Westermann and Dr. Katie Twomey.

My research aims to reveal the role of different cognitive and language-related skills that underpin children’s understanding for sentence (or discourse) structures that express information about time (e.g., connectives: before, after), causality (e.g., connectives: because, so), and referential relations (e.g., ambiguous pronouns: he, she). My underpinning theoretical framework is to understand how these skills in turn reflect differences in frequency of exposure.

I am a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Lancaster University. My research interests include language development, the cognitive psychology and neuropsychology of language, and the influence of health and disease on neuropsychological development.

Marika is a speech and language therapy (SLT) student at the University of Manchester (UoM). She completed a six-week internship with LuCiD in the summer of 2021 with Dr Kelly Burgoyne, before entering her second year of studies. Project involvement ranged from data handling, secondary coding to a fully written and illustrated storybook draft that targets the improvement of children’s speech sound production.

As a second-year student at the University of Liverpool, who is hoping to do a Masters and PhD in Psychology, I was lucky enough to land a 6-week summer internship conducting a meta-analysis of infant speed of processing and vocabulary development with Andrew Jessop and Samantha Durrant. I was so grateful to be able to contribute to this project as meta-analyses provide some of the most important works in psychological literature.

Victoria was an UG student at Lancaster University. During her studies she has been involved in the Lancaster University Psychology PEP internship scheme and later our LuCiD Summer Internship Scheme. 

Dr Lana Jago completed her PhD as part of LuCiD at the University of Liverpool. Her current role within LuCiD is as a post-doctoral research associate (Lancaster University) working on the project: From oral language to literacy: Beyond 0-5. This project follows children from the Language 0-5 project as they begin school.

I’m a psychologist with an interest in the simulation of cognitive processes, in particular language acquisition. The main focus of my work is on MOSAIC, a computational model that is used to investigate how children’s early multi-word speech is shaped by the statistical properties of the language they hear. Simulations with MOSAIC have revolved around children’s increasing ability to correctly inflect verbs. Across a range of languages, MOSAIC produces the same types of errors at rates comparable to those in children because it is sensitive to the distributional statistics of the input to which it is exposed in a manner that places great weight on the last items in the speech stream (i.e. has an utterance-final bias, or strong recency effect).

Phoebe is an undergraduate student studying Psychology at Lancaster University. She undertook an internship with the LuCiD Lancaster team in the summer of 2022.

Shijie is postdoctoral research associate working on the Understanding the factors influencing the comprehension and production of complex sentences work package, led by Prof Anna Theakston and Dr. Silke Brandt. In this work package, they will use a range of methods (e.g., corpus analysis, eye tracking, picture selection tasks, and picture description tasks) to understand how children learn to comprehend and produce complex sentences.

Amie is an undergraduate student studying Psychology at Lancaster University. She undertook an internship with the LuCiD Lancaster team in the summer of 2022.

Orlaith is an undergraduate student studying Psychology at the University of Manchester. She undertook an internship with the LuCiD Lancaster team in the summer of 2022.

Chen is a post-doctoral research associate working on the project ‘The effects of the individual, home, and community on language development in UK families’ with Dr Thea Cameron-Faulkner and Dr Ludovica Serratrice.

Dr Áine Ní Choisdealbha is a Research Fellow at University College Dublin. She is interested in infant brain and behavioural development. She was previously a Research Associate on the BabyRhythm project at the University of Cambridge. The Cambridge UK BabyRhythm project is headed by Prof Usha Goswami and is funded by an ERC Advanced Grant, ref 694786.

Leone is a lecturer in Language and Communicative Development at University of Manchester. Most of her work explores how children learn grammar through direct experiences of hearing adults use language across various contexts. However, she is also interested in how children might learn to produce and interpret sentences based on their experiences of real-life events involving animate (e.g. humans) and inanimate entities (e.g. toys).

Prof Gert Westermann (Lancaster University) is a LuCiD co-director since August 2018 currently leading the From Variation to Explanation research stream. His research is mainly concerned with early cognitive and language development but also with the question of how development shapes cognitive processing in adults. In his work he combines empirical approaches such as eye tracking of infants with computational modelling to build theories of cognitive change through development.