Dr. Su’s research focuses on language development and caregiver-child interaction in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and bilingual children. She uses experimental methods (such as eye-tracking), behavioral measures (such as language sample analysis), and observational methods including the use of all-day recording in her work to understand how children with different language experiences acquire language.

Dr. Su completed her PhD in hearing and speech science and MS in neurodevelopmental disabilities with a focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder at Vanderbilt University. Upon graduation, she pursued postdoc training in bilingualism at University of Delaware. She is also a state-licensed and ASHA-certified (CCC-SLP) speech-language pathologist.

In her spare time, she likes to snuggle with her 50-lbs sheepadoodle puppy and 2 cats, swing dance, play ukulele, and care for her many plants.

Aline is a first-generation undergraduate senior majoring in neuroscience. Passionate about closing the research gap in underrepresented communities, she is eager to dive into the world of bilingualism. Growing up in a bilingual home herself, she is excited to explore this topic further, drawing from her own experiences for a deeper understanding.

In her free time she loves to roller skate, go to concerts, and trying new coffee shops.

McKenzie is a third-year doctoral student with research interests in understanding how phonological and semantic information contribute to word learning in early childhood, specifically in children with language differences and disorders. McKenzie completed her bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders at The University of Texas at Austin. She then pursued her master’s degree in communication disorders from The University of Texas at Dallas. She is additionally a speech-language pathology intern at the Callier Center.

Outside of research, McKenzie enjoys attending concerts, solving the daily crossword, playing with her dogs, Dakota and Lucy, and traveling.

Janie Lewicki is a doctoral student in the speech, language, hearing sciences program. She completed her MS in applied cognition and neuroscience at The University of Texas at Dallas. Her research interests include language acquisition and language development in underrepresented populations.

In her spare time, she loves to read, ride her bike around the lake with her dog Charlie, and destroy her friends and family in Mario Kart.

Rainy Sun is a first-year PhD student with interests in Mandarin-English bilingual language development. She is a Mandarin-Chinese native speaker and a Korean language learner. Rainy obtained her MS in speech-language pathology from MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston, MA. She then worked as an SLP for 2 years in rural Iowa and Minnesota as a generalist across multiple settings and domains. Rainy is excited to learn more about research after getting some initial experience from completing her master’s thesis. 

In her spare time, Rainy enjoys traveling, exploring restaurants, and spending time with her family. 

Stephanie is a MS-SLP student. She completed her bachelor’s degree in chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin. After graduating, she worked as a translator by creating English subtitles for Korean shows on major streaming services. She then decided to pursue her dream in speech-language pathology at UT Dallas as a master’s student. She is still exploring what she wants to specialize in and is excited to learn more about language development in bilingual children.

In her free time, she enjoys watching Korean shows, playing sports, and finding good restaurants.

Peiru completed her second bachelor’s degree in psychology at UT Dallas after a first degree in animation. She hopes to learn more about the development of language and language disorders in both bilingual and autistic kids. She is also very excited to spend more time getting immersed in research with little ones.

During her free time, she likes to do art, read fiction stories, play some video games, and hang out with friends.

Kelly Araujo is a senior at UT Dallas and is double majoring in psychology and child learning and development. She is a first generation, Mexican American college student passionate about mental health and learning how to foster positive interactions between parents and children. Although she is new to research, she looks forward to gain more knowledge and experience in the field and is excited to interact with children.

In her free time, she loves to make art, read, watch movies and anime, and hang out with friends and family.

Vivian is a senior at UT Dallas double majoring in speech, language, and hearing sciences and child learning and development. Growing up speaking two languages, she is especially interested in child language development, bilingualism, and diversifying research. She is excited to continue to learn about and participate in research and hopes to gain a plethora of knowledge regarding language development in underrepresented populations.

In her spare time, she enjoys crocheting, reading, making music playlists, hanging out with family and friends, and trying new restaurants.

Tiffany is a senior at UT Dallas majoring in speech, language, and hearing sciences as well as child development. Being a first-generation Mexican American student, she is passionate about research representing diverse backgrounds. Tiffany has always been fascinated with how easily children are able to acquire language and their desire to constantly learn from the world around them. She hopes to expand her knowledge about the research field and gain experience as an avid learner herself.

In her free time, Tiffany enjoys watching movies, playing ultimate frisbee & video games, and feeding ducks (that is if they don’t run away from her).

Sofia is a junior student in the speech, language, and hearing sciences program at UT Dallas. Growing up learning Italian and English, she is eager to learn more about the field with emphasis on the effects of bilingualism on communication and language development. She hopes to explore the field of research and aid in making a lasting impact.

In her free time, she enjoys ice skating competitively, reading, spending time with family, and traveling.

Mengjie is a junior neuroscience major student at UT Dallas. Growing up with two young siblings in a Mandarin and English-speaking family she has rich experience with bilingual children. As a fresh researcher, Mengjie hopes to learn more in children language development field and gain research study experience for future career.

In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, playing piano, and spending time with pets.

Anjali is an undergraduate junior double majoring in speech, language, and hearing sciences and child learning and development. She is interested in how language can shape the way we think and see our world, especially since she was brought up in a bilingual environment. She loves working with and learning about children and is excited to become a pediatric speech-language pathologist and apply what she’s learned to better the lives of others.

In her free time, she likes to go thrifting, reads, and gets terrorized by her orange tabby.

Daniel is a first-generation student who is currently a senior at UT Dallas double majoring in child learning and development & psychology. He became interested in child development after working for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas and witnessing the disparities present in underrepresented communities. New to research, he is eager to learn from his fellow peers and apply his knowledge of child development into research. One of Daniel’s interests is community outreach and hopes to work closely with school personnel, caregivers, and others who have an impact on children. Daniel’s future plans include obtaining a PhD in developmental psychology.

Daniel enjoys watching movies/tv shows, listening to K-POP, and going out to new restaurants with his friends. You can find him shopping at Target or at one of his favorite restaurants, Jinya.

Emily is a senior at UT Dallas and is double majoring in psychology and child learning and development. She is a first-generation Mexican American college student eager to explore the research field. After her younger brother was born, she became interested in learning more about the language development of children on the autism spectrum who are born in multilingual environments. She is thrilled to be a part of a growing field of science and hopes to advocate for underrepresented populations.

During her free time, she likes to journal, hang out with her cat, and go to concerts with friends.

Hannah is a senior fast-track student, currently completing her BS in speech, language, and hearing sciences; and also beginning her MS-SLP. She is new to research, but loves learning about how language develops, especially in bilingual kids! She is super excited to get more hands-on experience on her way to becoming a speech-language pathologist specializing in pediatrics.

Sumedha is a junior at UT Dallas majoring in neuroscience. She became interested in child development because of her passion for understanding how early life experiences shape long-term health and well-being. She plans to apply what she learns in child development to the medical field to enhance patient care. With extensive experience working with children of various age groups, she is eager to continue this journey with the LILAC lab. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, trying new restaurants, and attending concerts!

Molly Wallace is a senior at UT Dallas in the speech, language, and hearing sciences program. She began her interest in language development as she has a family member with autism and babysits for bilingual children. She has worked with kids for as long as she can remember and cannot wait to begin researching language development more in depth! Molly’s future goals are to obtain her masters in speech language pathology and work primarily with children with autism or work in hospitals working on feeding and swallowing. Outside of school, Molly enjoys art, listening to music, playing games with her little brother, or watching sports!

Sana is a sophomore majoring in healthcare studies. Growing up learning Urdu and English, she became interested in language development in children. She plans to pursue a career as an emergency medicine physician in underserved areas. She is excited to learn more about language development in children and in those with autism spectrum disorder.

In her spare time, she loves to read anything fantasy related, try new restaurants, watch cat videos, and crotchet (badly).

Hatay is a sophomore at UT Dallas majoring in neuroscience. She became interested in child development after volunteering with children with developmental disorders and autism spectrum disorder. Growing up in a bilingual household, she is eager to be a part of the growing field of research that explores the intersections of neuroscience, language development, and developmental disorders.

In her free time, she enjoys reading, painting, and baking for her friends and family.

Shawn is a sophomore majoring in neuroscience and minoring in psychology. As he was born in Taiwan, he grew up speaking Mandarin Chinese and knows how to speak dialects like Hakka and Taiwanese. His career goal is to become an MD/ PhD, so he is really excited to participate in research labs. In his free time, you’ll find him listening to music, playing video games, watching movies or hanging out with friends.