People

Dr. Giovanna Morini (she/her)

Lab Director

Associate Professor
Communication Sciences and Disoders
Email: gmorini@udel.edu

Dr. Morini was born and raised in Colombia (South America). She received a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Florida in 2007. She then earned a PhD in Hearing & Speech Sciences and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science from the University of Maryland in 2014. After graduate school, Dr. Morini completed postdoctoral training in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. In 2017, she joined the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at UD as faculty. Dr. Morini’s research interests include early language acquisition, bilingualism, and questions related to speech perception. Furthermore, she is interested in how cultural and linguistic differences contribute to language development in children with typical language skills, and those who have language disorders.

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Mariah Egerton (she/her)

PhD Student

Email: megerton@udel.edu

Mariah graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2023 with her BS in Neuroscience, specializing in the Cellular and Molecular track. Her current research interests focus on early language acquisition and the bidirectional relationship between bilingualism and cognitive abilities. Her long-term goal as an interdisciplinary researcher is to better understand how language input, along with a myriad of other factors, influences cognitive development in bilingual children, especially those with intellectual disabilities. Mariah is currently a PhD student in the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Graduate Program.

Mels Ayala (they/them)

PhD Student

Email: aayala@udel.edu

Mels graduated from Claremont McKenna College (located in Claremont, California) in May 2021 with a B.A. in Cognitive Neuroscience. Their interest in learning about bilingualism was sparked while they were studying abroad in Bolivia and Argentina. They are particularly interested in how individuals from various cultural backgrounds acquire language skills, and how cognitive abilities (including memory processes) contribute to bilingual language development. Mels is currently a PhD student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program.

Emily Frazer-Abel (she/they)

PhD Student

Email: emilyfa@udel.edu

Emily graduated from Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT) in May 2021 with their BA in Psychology, Education Studies, and International Relations. Their current research focuses on early language acquisition and bilingualism, specifically exploring how caregiver input shapes bilingual children’s language learning. Emily is especially interested in how cross-linguistic and cross-cultural factors influence caregiver-child interactions and contribute to language development in bilingual contexts. Emily is currently a PhD student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program.

Ekaterina Novikova (she/her)

PhD Student

Email: novikova@udel.edu

Ekaterina received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Linguistics at Tambov State University in Russia. After graduation, she worked as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher for both children and adult students. She is currently getting her PhD in Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware. Ekaterina is interested in studying families raising bilingual children as well as language development in outdoor settings.

Fahima Chowdhury (she/her)

MA Student

Email: fahimach@udel.edu

Fahima graduated from the University of Delaware in May 2025 with a B.S. in Cognitive Science, specializing in Pre-Professional Speech Language Pathology. She first joined the lab as an Undergraduate Research Assistant in Fall 2022 and collaborated as an Undergraduate Researcher in the Summer Scholars program in Summer 2023. She is interested in learning how research regarding language acquisition and bilingualism in young children can apply to speech therapy practices. Fahima is currently pursuing her M.A. in Speech Language Pathology at the University of Delaware.

Noelle DiVirgilio (she/her)

MA Student

Email: ndiv@udel.edu

Noelle graduated from the University of Delaware in May 2025 with a B.S. in Cognitive Science, with a specialization in Pre-Professional Speech-Language Pathology. She began working as a research assistant in the SLAM Lab in June 2023 and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Delaware. Noelle is passionate about research, particularly in the area of pediatric language development. Her interests focus on the efficacy of early intervention for children with language disorders, and she hopes to further contribute to the field through evidence-based research and clinical practice.