Researchers

Allison Bassett received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara in Environmental Studies, and after a stint in the Peace Corps, she started working in academia research where she is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the lab. Ms. Bassett’s passion is community public health, wherein she works for a local non-profit organization that serves at-risk populations. Ms. Bassett enjoys camping and being outdoors, cooking for family and friends, and drinking wine.

Ms. Farnady is a native signer and has been involved in sign language research for over 20 years. Ms. Farnady works with researchers on a variety of projects, and is primarily responsible for recruiting deaf participants for our studies.

Julie proudly hails from San Diego, California. Julie received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at Gallaudet University and Master of Science in Bilingualism in Deaf Education at McDaniel College. Her past experiences include working in the classroom and at home with Deaf children and families in several states and countries. She also worked as a Community Engagement Coordinator and Deaf Advocate for the Deaf and hard of hearing populations. Julie has worked for several non-profit organizations and volunteered with the AmeriCorps. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her Deaf toddler daughter and loves traveling, cooking delicious meals, being outdoors and finding new adventures.

Laurie Glezer received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Georgetown University. Prior to her doctoral work in Neuroscience she was a practicing clinical and research Speech-Language Pathologist. She uses behavioral, fMRI and EEG techniques to examine the neural underpinnings and temporal dynamics of reading and the neural architecture associated with reading and its disorders. Generally, she is interested in understanding the factors that lead to skilled reading, what factors are at play when a person does not acquire typical reading skills, and what can be done to successfully develop or remediate a person’s reading ability.

Dr. Sarah Kimbley earned her Ph.D. in Educational Neuroscience from Gallaudet University and her BS and MS in Psychology from Rochester Institute of Technology. She was also a research assistant at NTID’s Research Center on Culture and Language and the Deaf X Lab, now known as the SPACE Center. As a postdoc, she utilizes imaging techniques (such as fMRI and ERPs) to study the phonological and lexical properties of sign language, aiming to contribute to the development of a neurobiological model for sign language comprehension. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, rock climbing, and time with loved ones.

Dr. Stephen McCullough received his Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from the University of California, San Diego. Dr. McCullough uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural systems that underlie sign language and the cognitive systems that support sign language processing (e.g. face recognition, motion perception).