Faculty Researchers
Bharath Chandrasekaran, PhD - Lab Director
Bharath Chandrasekaran is the director of the SoundBrain Lab. He completed his PhD in Integrative Neuroscience at Purdue University and is a Professor and Chair of the Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northwestern University. He studies the neural representation of speech signals using multimodal neuroimaging methods.
Jacie R. McHaney, PhD - Research Assistant Professor
Jacie McHaney is a Research Assistant Professor in Communication Sciences and Disorders interested in the neural mechanisms underlying speech processing. She received her PhD from the University of Pittsburgh where she studied self-perceived listening difficulties in adults with normal hearing. Jacie uses a combination of neurophysiological, behavioral, and cognitive computational neuroscience approaches to study individual differences in speech processing and plasticity.
Kevin R. Sitek, PhD - Research Assistant Professor
Kevin Sitek is a Research Assistant Professor in the SoundBrain Lab. He received his PhD in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology from Harvard University, where he studied the anatomy and connectivity of the human subcortical auditory system at the MIT McGovern Institute for Brain Research. In the SoundBrain Lab, Kevin is investigating subcortical representations of speech sounds and connectivity within the auditory system using MRI.
Postdoctoral Scholars & PhD Students
Ja Young Choi, PhD - Postdoctoral Scholar
Ja Young is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the SoundBrain Lab. She received her PhD in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology from Harvard University, where she studied the cognitive and neural mechanisms of processing talker variability in speech perception. Ja Young is interested in using behavioral, neurophysiological and computational approaches to explore how the mechanisms of speech perception interact with higher-level cognitive mechanisms and how such integration is manifested in the human brain.
Zhe-chen Guo, PhD - Postdoctoral Scholar
Zhe-chen Guo is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the SoundBrain Lab. He received his PhD in Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin, where he investigated how intelligibility-enhancing hyperarticulated speech affects listeners’ word segmentation under optimal and adverse listening conditions. Zhe-chen is interested in bringing perspectives from linguistics and his training in behavioral, acoustic, and computational methods to explore the neural representations of speech sounds. In the SoundBrain Lab, he is experimenting with different modeling approaches to reveal the neural encoding of speech content in frequency-following responses to Mandarin tones.
Shengyue Xiong, MS - PhD Student
Shengyue Xiong is a second-year PhD student in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northwestern University. She received her M.S. in Speech Sciences from University College London. Shengyue is interested in brain networks underlying human communication, especially in the mechanisms underlying speech perception in complex listening conditions and brain dynamics underlying talker identification, speech categorization, and voice learning. In the SoundBrain Lab, Shengyue hopes to conduct research using a combination of behavioral, neurophysiological, and computational approaches.
Research Staff & Student Assistants
Kailyn McFarlane, PhD - Research Project Manager
Kailyn McFarlane is a Research Project Manager in the SoundBrain Lab. She received her PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Northwestern University, where she studied speech perception in noise difficulties in listeners with normal hearing using electrophysiologic and behavioral methods. Kailyn continues to investigate auditory mechanisms contributing to speech perception in noise difficulties with the goal of advancing clinical practices to better serve this population.
Mollee Feeney, BA - AuD Capstone Student
Mollee is a first-year Doctor of Audiology student at Northwestern University. She received her bachelor’s degree in Speech Language and Hearing Science, a minor in Cognitive Neuroscience, and a certificate in American Sign Language from Temple University. Her current research interests are speech understanding in noise, hearing loss, and aging.
Ishika Choksi, BS - AuD Capstone Student
Ishika is a first-year Doctor of Audiology student at Northwestern University. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin in Speech, Language, and Hearing sciences. Her research interests include neuroplasticity in the presence of auditory disorders, tinnitus, and hearing in noise.
Lauren Preston, BS - AuD Capstone Student
Lauren is a first-year Doctor of Audiology student at Northwestern University. She is passionate about hearing conservation, hearing aids, tinnitus, and central auditory processing disorders.
Adelina Jembere
Adelina is an undergraduate student at Northwestern studying Psychology and Global Health with a minor in Legal Studies. She is on the Pre-Law track and is interested in pursuing medical malpractice/personal injury law.
Amp Kangsumrith
Amp is an undergraduate student at Northwestern University pursuing a Cognitive Science degree, with a psychology minor and a Human-Computer Interaction certificate. In the SoundBrain lab, Amp hopes to broaden her intellectual horizons and deepen her understanding of speech processing by experimenting with computational approaches and neuroimaging methods.
Avery Leblanc
Avery is an undergraduate student at Northwestern University pursuing a double major in Biomedical Engineering and Cognitive Science. Her research interests surround regenerative solutions and supplements to neurodegenerative diseases. Avery received a Summer Undergraduate Research Grant for her project, guided by Dr. Jacie McHaney, which investigates the effect of vibrotactile stimulation on pitch encoding.
Amanda Tepedino
Amanda is an undergraduate student at Northwestern University on the pre-med track pursuing a major in Neuroscience and minors in General Music and Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Beza Abate
Beza is an undergraduate student at Northwestern University pursuing a double major in Cognitive Science and Global Health Studies on the pre-med track.
Claribel Osei
Claribel is an undergraduate student at Northwestern University pursuing a major in Biological Sciences and minoring in Psychology and Legal Studies.
Gabrielle Butler
Gabby is an undergraduate student at Northwestern University studying Cognitive Science and Global Health Studies. During her time in the SoundBrain lab, Gabby aims to gain a better understanding of quantitative research methods and computational analysis. Gabby received a summer grant through the Weinberg College Baker Program in Undergraduate Research to complete a research project, guided by Dr. Kevin Sitek, which investigates auditory processing of self- versus passively-generated sounds using EEG. She hopes to use her research to gain a better understanding of auditory processing and auditory processing disorders to inform her work in the Public Health sphere.
Melissa Yankson Nyarko
Melissa is an undergraduate student at Northwestern University pursuing a degree in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Human Health & Disease.
Michelle Sun
Michelle is an undergraduate student at Northwestern University pursuing a double major in Cognitive Science and Computer Science, and a minor in Classics. She is interested in learning more about neurobiology through computational approaches, especially the use of neuroimaging to analyze auditory processing.
Jaimie Hong
Jaimie is an undergraduate student at Northwestern University studying Computer Science and Neuroscience. She is interested in hearing loss and speech categorization studies and wants to take a quantitative approach to examining how language is cognitively processed. Her goal is to utilize computational methods and neuroimaging to gain a better understanding of neural pathways necessary for learning in order to research preventative measures for neurodegenerative conditions.