Who does what

last updated: February 04, 2019

Lab Members

Director / PI

Kathryn Schuler is our lab Director and Primary Investigator. She likes for everyone in the lab to call her Katie. She’s responsible for setting the overall direction of the lab and obtaining the funding to keep us running (grants!). This means that she decides what research projects the lab should work on, oversees those projects, and manages the resources that support them (staff, finances, etc.). Katie also spends a lot of time publishing and presenting the research conducted in the lab, applying for grants, and mentoring the students and research staff.

Postdocs

Postdocs are recent PhD grads who are interested in acquiring additional skills before moving on to faculty positions. They are mentored by Katie (often co-mentored by other faculty) and work on mostly independent research projects, publishing their results, and submitting grants. Post-docs work full-time in the lab (35 hours per week).

PhD Students

PhD students are typically Penn students working toward PhDs in Linguistics, Psychology, or Computer Science. They are mentored by Katie (sometimes co-mentored by other faculty) and work on somewhat independent research projects, publishing their results, and submitting grants. During the first few years, PhD students usually have responsibilities outside the lab, including coursework or TA-ships, so they work in the lab part-time (6-20 hours per week). In later years, graduate students who no longer have these additional responsibilities may work full-time in the lab (35 hours per week).

Programmers

Programmers are undergraduate or master’s students working in the lab on our Experiment Library project. Student programmers can work in the lab for work-study, as student workers (non work-study student employees), or for credit (independent study). Programmers are supervised by and work closely with Katie to develop and maintain the ChildLangLab Experiment Library. During the school year, programmers work part-time in the lab (6-20 hours per week). During the summer, programmers can work full time if they wish to (up to 35 hours per week).

Research assistants

Research assistants are undergraduate students working in the lab to gain research experience. Students can work in the lab for work-study, as student workers (non work-study student employees), for credit (independent study), or as volunteers. Research assistants work in supporting roles on one or more research projects (lead by Katie, a post-doc, or a PhD student). During the school year, research assistants work part-time in the lab (6-20 hours per week). During the summer, research assistants can work full time if they wish to (up to 35 hours per week).

Illustrators / Artists

Because we conduct experiments with children, we often work with illustrators or artists to help us generate experiment stimuli that are appropriate and engaging for children. Illustrators can be undergraduate students working in the lab for work-study, as student workers (non work-study student employees), for credit (independent study), or as volunteers; or they can be freelance artists employed as temporary workers in the lab. Illustrators work in the lab 6-20 hours per week.

Outside Support

Program Coordinator for Linguistics

Amy Forsyth is the Program Coordinator for the Linguistics Department. She makes sure the department runs smoothly and is happy to answer questions. If you need anything from keys, to equipment, to reserving space she is probably the person to go to. Amy is located in the Linguistics Department room 304-CB and her email is aforsyth@ling.upenn.edu.

Local Service Provider

Rich King is the Local Service Provider (LSP) for the Linguistics Department. He’s the computer guru for the entire department and is the person to contact to solve all of your computing problems. His office is located in FBH 232 and he can be reached at linguistics-help@sas.upenn.edu.