about

I am senior lecturer in the Phonetics Lab, Department of Linguistics and English Language and Data Science Institute at Lancaster University. I am also associate editor at Journal of Phonetics. I was awarded my PhD in 2014 from the University of Sheffield.

My research aims to understand how complex systems generate behaviour over time, and how we can model and predict that behaviour. A particularly beautiful example is spoken language, which involves coordinating high-dimensional cognitive and physical dynamics in order to generate the sounds of speech in a rich social environment. My current research investigates how speakers reduce the complexity of speech production via low-dimensional control strategies. I do experiments that monitor acoustic signals and vocal tract movements using sensors and imaging technology, and build computational models of the cognitive and physical mechanisms that underpin spoken language. I apply these insights to longstanding scientific puzzles, such as sound change and the origins of phonological structure.

Current research

I am currently working on the following projects:

• Interpretable acoustic-articulatory relations in speech production (Royal Society, 2025-27)
• Modelling the dynamics of phonetic variation & phonological change (AHRC fellowship, 2024-25)
• TARDIS: Targets and dynamics in speech (AHRC, 2019-23)