People

*** Accepting Ph.D. Students for Fall 2023. If interested, please reach out to Dr. Morini.

Dr. Giovanna Morini

Lab Director

Assistant Professor
Communication Sciences and Disoders
Joint appointment – Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science
Email: gmorini@udel.edu

Dr. Morini was born and raised in Colombia (South Ameirca). She received a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Linguistics from the Universify 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.

Amelia Ayala

Lab Manager

Email: aayala@udel.edu

Amelia 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. For their senior thesis, they conducted research on second language acquisition, which is their primary research interest. They joined the SLAM Lab in the summer of 2021.

Dr. Pumpki Lei Su

Postdoctoral Researcher

Email: pls@udel.edu

Dr. Su received her PhD in Hearing and Speech Sciences from Vanderbilt University in 2020 and her Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Science in Neurodevelopmental Disorders from Vanderbilt University in 2018. She received her B.S. in Linguistics and Communication Sciences & Disorders and minor in French Language and Literature from Northwestern University in 2015. Dr. Su is a licensed speech-language pathologist and is interested in research that will help improve long-term language outcomes in children with developmental disabilities. Additionally, she is interested in developing culturally and linguistically sensitive approaches to assess language development and identify language impairment in children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Mackensie Blair

PhD Student

Email: mmblair@udel.edu

Mackensie earned a BS in Cognitive Science and a BA in Spanish Studies from from the University of Delaware. She started working in the lab as an Undergraduate Research Assistant, while at the same time working at multiple childcare centers and gaining valuable experience regarding early child development. Mackensie is currently a PhD student in the Communicartion Sciences and Disorders program and is primarily interested in bilingualism and how it relates to early language acquisition.

Shakhlo Nematova

PhD Student

Email: shakhlon@udel.edu

Shakhlo completed an undergraduate degree in English Philology from The Uzbek State World Languages University, and a Masters in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) from the University of Delaware. Shakhlo is currently a PhD student in the Linguistics and Cognitive Science program. She is primarily interested in bilingualism (including bi-modal bilinguals) and has been working on projects that examine language skills in deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children and adults.

Aurora Reible-Gunter

MA Student

Aurora received a B.S in Cognitive Science from the University of Delaware in January of 2020. She joined the lab as an undergraduate student. After graduation, Aurora worked as the lab’s Research Coordination until she began the M.A. program in Speech-Language Pathology in the Fall of 2020. She is particularly interested in social determinants of health that influence language development.

Lauren Mellor

MA Student

Lauren graduated from the University of Delaware in May 2020, with a Bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science. She joined the lab as an undergraduate Research Assistant and is currently a second-year graduate student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Master’s program.

Lindsay Hawtof

MA Student

Lindsay received a B.S. in Cognitive Science with minors in Psychology and Vocal Performance from the University of Delaware – in May of 2021. She is currently a first-year graduate student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Master’s program. She is particularly interested in how differences in song quality can potentially facilitate vocabulary development in children.

Stephanie Stollar

MA Student

Stephanie graduated from James Madison University in May 2021, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is currently in the Speech-Language Pathology Master’s program and has joined the SLAM Lab to begin her Capstone project. She is primarily interested in language acquisition and the impacts that factors associated with the current pandemic (e.g., mask wearing) might have on language development.