Research in Speech Language and Hearing Sciences

Principal Investigator: Maya Henry, PhD., CCC-SLP

Research in the lab is directed at improving our understanding of how the brain supports speech and language processes and how targeted treatment programs may improve communication impairments caused by stroke or neurodegenerative disease. The lab utilizes current approaches in cognitive neuroscience, neuroimaging, and cognitive rehabilitation to address these issues.

Principal Investigator: Courtney Byrd, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

The Arthur M. Blank Center for Education and Research generates new knowledge, trains the future, and provides innovative treatment that enables participants of all ages worldwide to stutter openly, speak confidently, communicate effectively, and advocate meaningfully.

Principal Investigator: Rajinder Koul, Ph.D.

The Augmentative and Alternative Communication Lab’s aim is to improve the efficacy of augmentative and alternative communication intervention for persons with severe speech and language impairment as a result of developmental and acquired conditions. We study the variables that influence the outcomes of such interventions, including symbol identification, the perception of synthetic speech, dynamic display configurations, and alternative access methods such as eye-tracking and brain-computer interface systems.

Principal Investigator: Julia Campbell, Ph.D.

Our research is focused on cortical plasticity, or the ability of the brain to adapt to changes in the environment.  Specifically, we are interested in how a typical brain with no sensory disorders might process various sensory input such as audition and vision over the lifespan, and how these cortical functions interact.

Principal Investigator: Mary Beth Schmitt, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Dr. Schmitt’s research focuses on identifying active ingredients of language therapy that lead to improved language abilities for preschool and school-age children with language disorders. Much of her work happens in the field (i.e., in the schools). Currently, Dr. Schmitt and her team are investigating the role of children’s behavior regulation, peer effects, and service delivery models as they relate to children’s language development funded through NIH and local funding agencies.

Principal Investigator: Laura Friedman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

The Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Communication and Outcomes (IDDCO) Lab studies the language abilities of adolescents and adults with IDDs, with a focus on fragile X syndrome and autism. Our interdisciplinary research examines how language shapes important adult outcomes, including friendships, meaningful employment, and self-advocacy. We also study the health and well-being of family caregivers, including how the demands of long-term caregiving may relate to aging trajectories. Using a mixed-methods approach that integrates direct assessment, family perspectives, and biological and environmental context, we aim to identify what helps people thrive and to inform family-centered supports across the lifespan.

Principal Investigator: Stephanie Grasso, PhD., CCC-SLP

Research in the lab focuses on developing treatment approaches for bilingual adults with aphasia and neurodegenerative disorders. In addition, we are interested in better characterizing the manifestation of aphasia and neurodegenerative disorders in individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Research in the lab also addresses bilingualism as a contributor to cognitive and neural reserve and utilizes neuroimaging to investigate variability in treatment responsiveness. 

Principal Investigator: Jacie McHaney, Ph.D.

The NeuroListening Lab uses neurophysiological, computational, and translational approaches to understand and remediate speech perception challenges across the adult lifespan. We investigate the impacts of aging, hearing loss, and cognition on the neural mechanisms underlying speech perception using a combination of EEG, pupillometry, and behavioral measures. Our research goal is to provide a neurobiologically informed foundation for scalable diagnostics and interventions for speech perception challenges that can extend or supplement rehabilitative approaches.

Principal Investigator: Jun Wang, Ph.D.

The lab is dedicated to develop assistive speech technologies including silent speech interfaces and to conduct basic speech science and disorders research on neurogenic motor speech disorders and neural processing for speech communication. 

Principal Investigator: Chang Liu, Ph.D.

The lab focuses on auditory processing of speech and non-speech sounds in a broad range of listeners including:

• Native and non-native English listeners,
• Listeners with hearing impairment, and
• Children with typical development and speech disorders.

We are also interested in:

• Speech acoustics for native and non-native speakers,
• Speech technology for speech enhancement, and
• Computational models for speech recognition.

Principal Investigator: Spencer Smith, Ph.D., Au.D.

Research in the Texas Auditory Neuroscience Lab focuses on neural processes, from inner ear to cortex, involved in speech perception in noise.  We employ objective (otoacoustic emission and electroencephalography) and behavioral techniques to study relationships between neurophysiological function and perception.  Ongoing work in our lab is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Srikanta Mishra, Ph. D.

The UT CARE Lab develops scientifically rigorous tools and methods to improve speech understanding in noisy backgrounds for children with clinically normal audiograms. By integrating expertise from the fields of audiology, engineering, and neuroscience, we advance our understanding of speech perception mechanisms and enhance communication management. Utilizing advanced signal processing and acoustics techniques, we create intuitive tools to improve speech intelligibility and mitigate background noise effects. We also use demographic variables and psychoacoustic assessments to predict speech perception in noise among pediatrics. Our goal, through rigorous experimentation and data analysis, is to empower children with otherwise clinically normal hearing by providing evidence-based tools that optimize their ability to understand speech in challenging listening conditions.

Principal Investigator: Rosemary Lester-Smith, Ph.D.

We study voice production in individuals with neurological disorders, healthy speakers, and singers to identify factors that improve or impair vocal control. Our interdisciplinary research aims to advance assessment and treatment of neurological voice disorders.