Alice H. D. Chan, Ph.D., Principal Investigator

alice@ntu.edu.sg | academic profile

Dr Chan worked in the Communication Neural Systems Research Group, Dept of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University before joining NTU. She is Associate Professor and Head of Linguistics and Multilingual Studies, School of Humanities.

Her research work utilizes neuroimaging (fMRI, and EEG) and behavioral measures to investigate language, communication, and learning. Her studies demonstrated that the language experience shapes the perception and cognition of individuals across the lifespan. Her most recent work focuses on bilingual and biliteracy development and dyslexia in Singapore. These projects are supported by the Ministry of Education Tier 2 and SSRTG funding schemes.

Yvonne Lai, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow

yvonnelai@ntu.edu.sg

The relationship between cognitive decline in ageing and changes in associated brain areas is attracting research interest. My research interests include understanding age-related cognitive decline and scaffolding mechanisms in ageing. My PhD project at Newcastle University investigated cognitive scaffolding with a battery of neuropsychological tests and fMRI in healthy older adults. My work at NTU will continue with this research line to observe possible scaffolding mechanisms in bilingual/multilingual users in old age.

Kastoori D/O Kalaivanan, Ph.D Candidate

kast0006@e.ntu.edu.sg

Kastoori graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Linguistics and Multilingual Studies from NTU in 2013, and is a current Ph.D candidate. Her areas of interest lie within the fields of neurolinguistics and psycholinguistics. She is very interested in looking at the relationship between multilingualism and working memory performance and also how speaking more languages may contribute to active aging. Her other areas of interest include understanding more about child language acquisition and language disorders.

Lau Fun, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow

laufun@ntu.edu.sg

Lau Fun received her PhD in Linguistics at Nanyang Technological University under the supervision of Prof Alice Chan in 2019. Her PhD thesis utilized EEG to study hemispheric lateralization effects across different orthographies to better understand the orthographic features that drive differences in hemispheric lateralization in the world's languages. She is passionate about language research in general and hopes to venture further into the field of reading and related topics.

Toh Hwee Bin Wendy, Project Officer

wendy.toh@ntu.edu.sg

Wendy has been working on research projects focusing on Chinese language education, language and literacy assessment, and curriculum evaluation, from conceptualisation to publication, for the past twelve years. Her research interests include early childhood bilingualism, early language acquisition/learning and early literacy.

Toh Xin Ru, Project Officer

xinru.toh@ntu.edu.sg

Xin Ru graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Linguistics and Multilingual Studies with a minor in Psychology. For her Final Year Project, she examined the long-term effects of musical training on linguistic pitch processing. She is passionate about applied research on language and reading development, as well as advocacy for individuals with special needs. She hopes to develop evidence-based neurodiversity-affirming intervention practices that can better support children with language and communication disorders.

Tan Yin Lin, Project Officer

yinlin.tan@ntu.edu.sg

Yin Lin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (1^st Class Hons.) in English Language from NUS in 2020. Her current research interests lie primarily in multilingualism, sociophonetics, migrant communities, and subculture. She is interested in exploring both quantitative and qualitative methods, and particularly enjoys incorporating interdisciplinary perspectives into her work.

Ng Pey Sze, Project Officer

peysze.ng@ntu.edu.sg

Pey Sze graduated with a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons.) in Psychology. She is interested in early language development, bilingualism and communication disorders. She enjoys working with children and hopes to understand more about speech and language intervention.

Sheryl Lim Wen Xi, Project Officer

sherylwenxi.lim@ntu.edu.sg

Sheryl graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (1^st Class Hons.) English Language from NUS in 2018, and is pursuing her Ph.D in Linguistics at NTU imminently in 2022. Having worked as an educational therapist for 2 years, she is interested in Specific Language Impairment and Specific Reading Disability. She is passionate about advocating for innovation and research-based intervention methods - the melding of research and clinical practice - for those with learning disabilities in Singapore.

Lieu May Yen, Research Assistant

lieu0012@e.ntu.edu.sg

May Yen is a Linguistics and Multilingual Studies undergraduate student at NTU. She has worked on documenting Abui, an endangered Papuan language, and is the editor of the Abui Botanical Corpus. Her current research interests are understanding how language learning can attenuate the cognitive effects of aging, and investigating the language acquisition process of bilingual Singaporean children.