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Meet our lab members!
Joshua Hartshorne
Principal Investigator
B.A. Mathematics, Oberlin College
M.A. Psychology, Harvard University
Ph.D. Psychology, Harvard University
I am interested in understanding what allows humans, but not current machines, to learn language – and why it is that children, despite their salient limitations of both cognition and experience, are so much more successful at language learning than adults. I am particularly interested in applying new and emerging methods (such as computational modeling and crowdsourcing) to core problems in the language sciences.
Samantha Gutierrez
Lab Manager
I graduated from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Linguistics. I’m interested in all things relating to language, especially English neopronouns and language processing in general. Excited to get to work at the lab!
Adanna Thomas
Lab Manager
I graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in Neuroscience and a minor in Linguistics. My research interests are in child development, speech science (and neuroscience), and phonetics. I am currently in the process of applying to speech-language pathology programs. Ultimately, I am most passionate about creating better outcomes for children, both educationally and therapeutically. I am excited to study intuitive physics with the AI4CommSci team!
Hanna Shine
Lab Manager
I graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Classical Mythology. Broadly, I am interested in how kids approach the mapping problem between meaning and language especially regarding complex and abstract features of language! I am also interested in event representations and what we can learn about the conceptual underpinnings of the mind from studying the way in which aspects of events are represented in relation to each other and accessed non-linguistically.
Tianyi Li
Graduate Student
I earned my bachelor degree in software engineering and then a master in cognitive neuroscience. Having been exposed to a diverse of perspectives from different disciplines along the way, I am broadly interested in cognitive science, especially language and cognition related topics. I seek to learn how people understand each other through learning, exchanging, and interpreting abstract information and how this knowledge in turn can help us more intelligent machines. I use a combination of computational modeling and empirical studies.
Wei Li
Graduate Student
website
I graduated from Cornell University with a major in developmental psychology. I’m interested in how children learn words, concepts, and language in only a few years with limited cognitive capacity and limited experience with the world. I’m also interested in integrating computational modeling and big data into cognitive development research.
Amanda Rose Yuile
Postdoc
website
My research investigates the cognitive mechanisms that support real-time language comprehension and word learning in early childhood. I focus on how young children draw on their growing knowledge of events and language to make sense of words as sentences unfold, using tools like eye-tracking and large-scale language data.
Shi Zhi
Graduate RA
Hiya! I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in Linguistics, and I’m currently pursuing a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology at the MGH Institute of Health Professions. My interests lie particularly in multilingualism and how best to support multilingual speakers in speech therapy! I’m especially passionate about expanding access to speech services in non-English-speaking communities and promoting culturally and linguistically appropriate therapy. Excited to be part of AI4CommSci!
Anna Cho
Postbac RA
Hi! I recently graduated from Northeastern University (2025) with a B.S. in Psychology. I’m interested in studying cognition and child development. Outside of the lab, I’m also a 4th grade Special Education Inclusion Paraprofessional with the Public Schools of Brookline. I’m so excited to be part of the intuitive physics project at AI4CommSci!
Joel Iglesias Lopez
Undergraduate RA, Lab Coordinator
Hi, I'm Joel, a junior at Boston College, where I'm studying applied psychology, special education, and clinical social work. After graduating from BC I plan on pursing a career in school social work. As the LC at AI4CommSci, I work with lab members and affiliates to help run the lab smoothly, particularly with scheduling and administrative tasks.
Omar Tall
Undergraduate RA
Hello, I’m Omar, an undergraduate Computer Science student at Boston College. I’m passionate about leveraging my background in computer science to develop projects that enhance people's lives and deepen our understanding of the world. My academic journey has fueled my interest in AI and language processing, driving me to explore how technology can bridge communication gaps and preserve endangered languages. I am excited to join the lab and continue my work on language processing models and the Formosan Project.
Hunter Scheppat
Undergraduate RA
Hi, I'm Hunter, a senior majoring in Finance and Computer Science. I'm thrilled to be a Research Assistant here at the AI4CommSci Group, where I get to delve into the Pushkin project. My goal is to harness the power of data analytics and machine learning to drive innovation and make impactful contributions to both the scientific community and the business world. Looking forward to an exciting and productive time at the lab!
Dorothy Peters
Undergraduate RA
Hello! I'm a junior at Wellesley College ('27) and I'm studying Computer Science and Linguistics. I'm interested in algorithm design, large language models, and language processing in humans and computers. I am excited to contribute to the lab and better understand how natural language processing can applied to endangered languages.
Iris Oved
Affiliated Researcher
B.A. Interdisciplinary Studies (Psychology, Philosophy, Symbolic Systems), University of Arizona
Ph.D. Philosophy, Rutgers University
Postdoc, NSF Computing Innovations Fellow, University of Arizona
I am interested in mental and linguistic representations in humans and machines, with a special focus on concept acquisition through perception and language. My favorite insights come from designing virtual human toddlers who learn by exploring their virtual environments.
