What are you working on lately?
All of the work in my lab focuses on understanding speech perception by people who have hearing loss. We work a lot with people who use cochlear implants to better understand the challenges they face that might go unnoticed in a clinical evaluation. One of the major challenges is to identify times when they figure out a word from context using mental repair strategies that cost effort and time. Our recent studies look at whether they can target their effort at strategic times and reduce effort when it is less needed.

What did you learn while on the CEBH training grant that you still use today?
During my time on the CEBH training grant, I attended a large number of presentations outside my own area. So I learned the different signature styles of different sub-fields that turned out to be very valuable when I was networking or interviewing with folks outside of hearing science. Having added a lot of those styles and skills into my toolbox was a great asset for later.

Do you have any advice for current trainees?
A great use of your time is investing in your skills in science communication. Learn how to guide audience attention and convince someone of the importance of your work – it will amplify the impact of your science!