Current Researchers

(Top Row, L to R) Tara O’Sullivan, Ellie Travers, Daniel Kang, Laila Johnston, Annika McDermott-Hinman, Yanwan Zhu, Amanda Martino
(Bottom Row, L to R) Roman Feiman, Lila Feiman, Julia Ceccarelli, Isabelle Boun 

Principal Investigator

Roman Feiman

Roman received his PhD in Psychology from Harvard University in 2015. He completed his postdoctoral work at Harvard and UC San Diego before coming to Brown. His work draws on a variety of approaches and methods from cognitive developmental psychology, language acquisition, psycholinguistics, and formal semantics. Roman directs the Brown Language and Thought Lab.

 

Roman’s CV

Lab Manager

Amanda Martino

Amanda received her Bachelor’s degree in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience from Western University in Canada and completed a clinical Master’s of Health Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Toronto. She is currently the lab manager of the BLT Lab. Outside of the lab, she enjoys cooking, reading, and being outdoors.

Graduate Students

Yanwan Zhu

Before coming to Brown, Yanwan was an undergraduate at Smith College majoring in Linguistics and Statistical & Data Sciences. While working with Prof. Jill de Villiers at Smith, she developed her interest in studying the relationship between language and thought. Currently, she is interested in using experiments and corpus studies to understand how children and adults represent – or learn to represent – complex meanings of linguistic constructions in their mind. When she’s not doing science, Yanwan enjoys everything music-related and spending time with her cat Seraphina.

 

Annika McDermott-Hinman

Annika received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, where she studied Linguistics, with a secondary concentration in Computer Science. She is interested in understanding how children learn the complex ways that concepts and their linguistic expressions combine to create meaning. Outside of academics, Annika enjoys reading, playing board games, and meeting new people. Website: https://annikamh406.github.io/

Laila Johnston

Laila is a PhD Student in Cognitive Science interested in the computational mechanisms of human question asking. More specifically, how question asking can provide insights into the kinds of knowledge and models humans have of the world. Laila received a B.S. in Mathematics with minors in Computer Science and Philosophy at the University of Central Florida, and is a NSF Graduate Research Fellow.

University of Bath Student Intern

Sylvie Foster

Sylvie is completing a research placement in the lab. She studies Psychology at the University of Bath in England and is part of the cheerleading team. In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading, exploring new cuisines, and staying active at the gym. She has a strong interest in cognitive and occupational psychology, with a passion for understanding how thought and learning develop through the use of AI and emerging technologies.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Julia Ceccarelli
Julia is a senior at Brown (’26) concentrating in Cognitive Science. She is interested in the development of language and cognition, especially as it pertains to broader claims about human evolution. Currently pursuing a thesis project in canine cognition, Julia enjoys exploring the links between human and animal communication. Outside the lab, she is often found fawning over the campus rabbits.
Minne Hatchuel
Minne (’27) is a sophomore at Brown concentrating in Psychology. She is interested in the intersection between clinical and developmental psychology, and is hoping to pursue a PhD in clinical or forensic psychology. Outside of classes, she enjoys reading, baking, doing crafts, and playing music with her band.
 
Maren White
Maren is a junior at Brown (’27) concentrating in Psychology and International & Public Affairs. She is passionate about developmental psychology and the applications of language acquisition research to early childhood education and clinical interventions. She also studies the intersections between psychology, law, and politics. Outside of academics, Maren loves to rock climb, hike, perform in student theater, and try out new activities around campus (from salsa dancing to jiu jitsu)!
 
Jaya Thekdi
Jaya is a junior at Brown (’27) concentrating in Neuroscience and Linguistics. She is interested in how theories of language development, processing, and pathology are constrained by both theoretical linguistics and neurobiology. Outside of academics, she enjoys singing, drinking coffee, and taking long walks.