Research Overview
COALab is an interdisciplinary laboratory focusing on cognition, oral and written language disorders, and artificial intelligence. Our core mission is to combine multidisciplinary approaches to study the causes and mechanisms of language disorders and to explore novel assessment and intervention methods.
Core Research Areas
Oral & Written Language Disorders
Focus: Speech-Language Pathology (SLP)
We investigate a range of oral and written language disorders, including developmental language delays, dyslexia, and aphasia. Our work is grounded in speech-language pathology, aiming to characterize the nature of these disorders at the behavioral level.
Key Questions:
- What are the underlying cognitive deficits in specific language disorders?
- How can we better characterize oral and written language impairments?
- What are the most effective intervention strategies?
Developmental Neuroscience
Focus: Neural Mechanisms of Language
From the perspective of developmental neuroscience, we explore the neural basis of language disorders. We use neuroimaging techniques to understand brain development, neural connectivity, and how structural or functional abnormalities relate to language deficits.
Key Questions:
- How does the “language brain” develop differently in children with disorders?
- What are the neural markers of dyslexia and other language impairments?
- How does brain plasticity support recovery or intervention?
Artificial Intelligence
We apply artificial intelligence to the study of language disorders. This involves using machine learning and NLP to assist in screening, analyze complex language behavior data, and build predictive models for diagnosis and prognosis.
Key Questions:
- Can AI models accurately screen for language disorders using speech or text data?
- How can we use AI to analyze large-scale behavioral data to find new patterns?
- Can we build predictive models to identify at-risk children earlier?
Research Facilities
Language & Cognition Lab
- Sound-attenuated testing rooms
- Eye-tracking systems (Tobii Pro Fusion)
- EEG recording equipment
- Response time measurement systems
Computational Lab
- High-performance computing cluster
- GPU servers for deep learning
- Large-scale language corpora
- Software development workstations
Collaboration Spaces
- Group meeting rooms with video conferencing
- Data visualization wall
- Shared workspace for students and postdocs
Funding & Collaborations
Our research is supported by grants from:
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
- Industry partnerships with technology companies
We collaborate with researchers worldwide, including partnerships with:
- Department of Linguistics, University of Toronto
- School of Computer Science, McGill University
- International Consortium for Bilingualism Research
- Multiple industry research labs
Publications
For a complete list of our publications, please visit our Publications page.
Join Our Research
We are always looking for talented students and researchers to join our team. If you’re interested in pursuing research in any of these areas, please see our Contact & Join page.