Meet Our Team

Brennan Gonering

Brennan is a PhD candidate in linguistics, interested in the neurobiology of syntax; their dissertation examines the connection between long-term memory and different syntactic knowledge. When not teaching or researching, Brennan enjoys playing video games, baking, and being involved in activism.

Jenna DiStefano 

Jenna is a doctoral student in the developmental psychology area. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, minoring in ASL/Deaf Studies and Education. Before graduate school, she worked as a lab manager for Dr. Duane Watson at Vanderbilt University, supporting studies relating to language and cognition. Her current research interests are focused on understanding the link between early language experience and cognitive development in hearing and deaf children. Specifically, she is interested in how language, both spoken and signed, can shape domain-general cognitive mechanisms such as statistical learning and executive function. When not doing research, Jenna enjoys cycling, climbing, crafting, and spending time with her cat.

Jamie Herron Lee
​Jamie is a fourth year doctoral student in the Linguistics Department. Her research interests focus on the characterization and development of second language and bi/multilingual proficiency in the brain. She enjoys cooking, DIY projects, and relaxing at home with her husband and cats.