Aoju Chen, professor of Language Development, is specialised in speech prosody and interdisciplinary research on prosody acquisition in a first and second language. She and her group have worked extensively on the production, perception, and processing of prosodic meaning and acquisition of prosody in a first and second language from a cross-linguistic perspective. She is the holder of several major grants for research on prosody and prosodic development. She put forward the first cross-linguistic model of the acquisition of prosodic focus marking. Current research in her group bridges speech prosody with language development, foetal learning, brain development and neuroscience, and examines the influence of gestational diabetes on newborns’ language development, the use of prosody in referencing in typically developing children, prosodic production and the use of prosody by minimally and non-verbal speakers with autism, and the interaction between innate biases in prosodic production and perception with input-driven learning mechanisms in prosodic development. Aoju Chen has served as an associate editor of Laboratory Phonology and on the editorial boards of several journals, and is currently a co-chair of the Early Childhood Community of Utrecht University's strategic theme Dynamics of Youth, and an elected board member of the ISCA (International Speech Communication Association) Special Interest Group on Speech Prosody. Read more

Jorik earned a BA in Language and Culture Studies and a research Master’s in Linguistics at Utrecht University. He gained expertise in psycholinguistic research and biophysiological techniques before completing a BSc as a Clinical Neurophysiology technician. At Leiden University Medical Center, he worked in neurology, assisting in diagnosing and treating nervous system disorders edical setting, he followed an additional BSc programme as a clinical neurophysiology technician. Currently, Jorik is doing a PhD within the Sound Start Project on early development of prosodic phrasing. His research interests vary from language and language acquisition in typical and atypical populations on the one hand, to neuroscience and electrophysiological and ultrasonic testing on the other hand. Currently, he is working at the intersection of both of these research areas in his PhD project. Read more

Elanie is a PhD candidate at the Institute for Language Sciences, Utrecht University, with a Master’s in Speech-Language Therapy from Stellenbosch University. Previously a therapist at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in South Africa, her work inspired her research on early speech and language development. Here she also observed first-hand the importance of early intervention to optimize the developmental outcomes of young children. Her further research interests include caregiver-infant bonding and attachment; caregiver experiences of early development; and ultimately, how these factors form a critical foundation for speech and language development. She is passionate about both research and clinical practice and strives to produce research that bridges the gap between these two. Read more

Before completing her research Master's degree in linguistics at Utrecht University, Victoria was involved in several research projects focusing on early phonological development in both monolingual and bilingual children, as well as developing standardised tests for assessing language development in Russian-speaking children. During her Master's programme, she developed a strong interest in prosodic development. Currently, Victoria is pursuing a PhD within the SoundStart project. Under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Aoju Chen and Dr. Roy Hessels, she is investigating visual cues to prosodic learning. Her research aims to deepen the understanding of how infants acquire prosodic features of language within a multimodal context. Read more

As an Associate Professor in experimental psychology, Caroline Junge examines the factors that play a role in early child development. To better grasp patterns of individual variation, she collaborates with researchers from various faculties, including those of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Medicine.  Part of her research focuses on the interplay between early brain development and environmental factors to predict variation in language development. For the Soundstart project she uses her expertise as our contact person for EEG recordings and language tasks. She co-supervises the PhD-students Jorik Geutjes and Elanie van Niekerk. Read more

Roy Hessels studied Psychology and Applied Cognitive Psychology at Utrecht University, obtained a doctorate in 2017 at the same university, and is currently an associate professor in experimental psychology. His main research interests are eye movements and the role they play in interaction with others and the world. In his research, Roy uses wearable eye trackers and dual eye-tracking setups, with participants ranging from infants to adults. He assists as a supervisor in the eye-tracking based research of the Soundstart project. Read more

Luna studied behavioural ecology with a focus on cognitive neurology at Utrecht University. In the last year of ther master's program, she was an intern and a student assistant for the Soundstart team.
She now helps wherever she can as a research assistant for the Soundstart team and the interdiscplinary organisation Dynamics of Youth Early Childhood community.