People

		Jorge Valdés Kroff completed his PhD in Hispanic Linguistics and Language Science at Pennsylvania State University in 2012. He joined the faculty in Spanish and Portuguese Studies in 2014. Primarily using eye tracking, his research examines the social, linguistic, and cognitive factors that modulate real-time processing of bilingual speech, especially in code-switched contexts.
		Lori Lye is a fifth year doctoral student in Hispanic Linguistics. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics, Chinese and Spanish and her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Florida. Her current research investigates second language acquisition through mobile assisted language learning.
		Maria Dominguez is a 3rd year undergraduate student studying Linguistics. Her research interests are bilingual code-switching, and gender inclusive language particularly in Spanish.
		Hamideh Mohammadi is a sixth year PhD candidate of Hispanic Linguistics, researching Psycholinguistics and bilingualism, particularly the impact of age of exposure and working memory capacity on heritage and second language processing. She holds a B.A. in Accounting from the Kar Higher Education Institute in Iran, and a M.A. in Spanish linguistics from the University of Georgia.
		Jeffrey Kunath is a fourth year undergraduate student majoring in both Spanish and Linguistics. He is also pursuing a certificate to teach English as a second language. His research investigates the relationship between gender identity and the processing of gender-inclusive language. His pronouns are he/him/his/él.
		Alexis Berles is a second-year M.A. student of Hispanic Linguistics. She holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Spanish with minors in Biology and History from Coker College in Hartsville, South Carolina (now Coker University). Her research interests include psycholinguistics, second language acquisition, and the cognitive processes underlying bilingualism. She is currently investigating the impact of ambient linguistic diversity and variation of the monolingual experience.
		Josephine (Pepa) Araba Duncan is a second year Master’s student in the linguistics track. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from University of Ghana in Spanish and Linguistics. Her research interests are in second language acquisition, technology in the classroom and phonetics. She loves theatre and fashion.
		Hernán Rosario is a 4th year PhD candidate in Hispanic Linguistics. During the past years his work has focused on the contact of Spanish and English in Puerto Rico, loan words and phonetic perception. His doctoral dissertation focuses on phonetic manipulation and bilingual language processing using eye-tracking.
		Irene Zurita Moreno is a third year PhD student of Hispanic Linguistics. She holds a BA in Hispanic Philology from the University of Alcala and a MA in Hispanic Studies from Auburn University which she concluded with a thesis on the use of Spanish in Southern Arizona. Her research interest focuses on Psycholinguistics, Language Processing, Bilingualism, and heritage Speakers.
		Gabriela D. Rivera Marín is a first-year doctoral student of Hispanic Linguistics at the University of Florida. She holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature and a B.A. in Linguistics & Communication from the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras (UPRRP). Her current research interests include bilingualism, second language acquisition, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and discourse analysis.
		Wen Jiang is a third year undergraduate student majoring in Spanish and Psychology (Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience track). Her research interests include second language acquisition, codeswitching, and general neuro-linguistic processes.
		Aleks Tomic got her PhD degree in Summer 2020. Her work focuses on the psycho/neurolinguistic accounts of sociopragmatic and language use effects on bilingual language processing, using online methods such as eye-tracking and EEG. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the AcqVA Aurora Center at UiT The Arctic University of Norway.
		Dámaris Mayans obtained her Ph.D. in Hispanic Linguistics at University of Florida in 2018 and is currently working as Visiting Assistant Professor at Colby College. She investigates bilingualism and bilingual acquisition, particularly Heritage Speakers, from a psycholinguistic approach.
		Sasha Lavrentovich completed her PhD in Linguistics at University of Florida in 2019. Her dissertation focused on cross-linguistic influence on morphemes in second language acquisition, using computational methods to carry out a Native Language Identification task. Sasha is currently a Language Engineer at Amazon Alexa, working on a team that launches Alexa in new languages.
		Marc Matthews received his Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Florida in 2018. His doctoral research used eye-tracking to investigate real-time comprehension of intonation in dialogue. He is currently a Senior Analyst at W2O Group.
		Mike Johns received his Ph.D. in Spanish and Language Science from the Pennsylvania State University in 2020. He is currently a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security at the University of Maryland. He is currently working on projects examining how vagal nerve stimulation affects second language acquisition. His past research examined the cognitive mechanisms underlying language switching and codeswitching.