Team

Martijn Wieling
Martijn Wieling
Martijn Wieling is Professor by special appointment of Low Saxon / Groningen Language and Culture at the Center for Groningen Language and Culture and an Associate Professor (UHD1) at the University of Groningen. His research focuses on investigating language variation and change quantitatively, with a specific focus on the Low Saxon language. He uses both large digital corpora of text and speech, as well as experimental approaches to assess differences in the movement of the tongue and lips during speech. More information about the research conducted in his group can be found on the website of the Speech Lab Groningen.
Defne Abur
Defne Abur directs the Speech Biosignal Processing lab at the University of Groningen. She is an Assistant Professor of Speech & Speech Technology in the Computational Linguistics department and she is affiliated with the Research School for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences. She received a B.S. in Engineering Science from Smith College, with a concentration in Biomathematics, where she performed research in hearing sciences and middle ear acoustics. She completed her doctoral work at Boston University in the Stepp Lab and focused on auditory contributions to speech motor control in voice disorders and Parkinson’s disease. At the University of Groningen, Dr. Abur’s lab examines a variety of biosignals to characterize typical and disrupted auditory function and speech production using an interdisciplinary approach combining engineering, hearing science, and speech science.
Katharina Polsterer
Katharina Polsterer is a PhD candidate under the supervision of Prof. Martijn Wieling and Dr. Defne Abur. She has a background in speech and language therapy as well as linguistics. Her research interests focus on the intersection of motor, sensory, and cognitive functions, with a particular focus on clinical implications. In her doctoral research, she investigates speech motor control in the context of typical aging, comparing it to Parkinson’s disease and cognitive decline. Katharina conducts her research within the Computational Linguistics group at the University of Groningen, where she contributes to both the Speech Lab Groningen and the Speech Biosignal Processing Lab (https://aburlab.web.rug.nl/). Additionally, she collaborates with the Department of Linguistics and Literary Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and is affiliated with the Research School of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences.

Frank Tsiwah
Frank Tsiwah
My research focuses on the neurophysiological and cognitive mechanisms underlying speech and language processing in both clinical and healthy populations. I explore how speech and language impairments are encoded in audio signals and textual data, leveraging Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning to detect and analyze these impairments. Using experimental, data-driven, and neurophysiological methods (e.g., EMG, EEG), I aim to understand disordered speech and language while developing innovative language technologies to support individuals with communication challenges. My work bridges Linguistics, Neuroscience, and AI to advance both theoretical understanding and practical applications.

Alexander Martin
Alexander Martin
I am an assistant professor in the Linguistics and Dutch Language and Culture programmes at the Faculty of Arts. I am an experimental phonologist and am generally interested in understanding how constraints on language change can explain typology. I use mostly experimental techniques to test how cognitive (perceptual and grammatical) factors and the social use of language influence the shape of linguistic systems.

Cato Piek

Reihaneh Amooie

Hedwig Sekeres

Valerie Querner

Remco Knooihuizen

Eva van Kampen
About
Speech Lab Groningen, led by prof. dr. Martijn Wieling, is a research group at the University of Groningen (Faculty of Arts).
Links
Contact
+ 31 6 10015021
m.b.wieling@rug.nl
Groningen, The Netherlands
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