about

sk

I am senior lecturer in the Phonetics Lab and Department of Linguistics and English Language at Lancaster University. I am also a member of Lancaster’s Data Science Institute.

My research aims to understand structure and variability in the sound systems of human language. I am particularly interested in modelling the relationship between brain, body and environment during human speech using the mathematics of dynamical systems. This spans a number of topics, including the relationship between high-dimensional phonetic variation and low-dimensional phonology, the role of neural dynamics in phonological organisation, and the processes behind short-term and long-term sound changes. The majority of my work investigates speech production using electromagnetic articulography, ultrasound tongue imaging, and computational modelling.

I have previously done research on the phonetics of bilingualism, sociophonetic variation, minority languages, and phonetic typology.

Current research

I am currently working on the following projects:

  • Modelling the dynamics of phonetic variation & phonological change (AHRC fellowship, 2024-25)
  • Targets and dynamics in speech (with Patrycja Strycharczuk, AHRC standard grant, 2019-23)