Portrait

Kristen joined Rutgers in 2011, as a professor in the Department of Linguistics and the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science. An expert in the areas of language acquisition and psycholinguistics, Kristen is the director of the Rutgers Laboratory for Developmental Language Studies, where she and her students' study how humans acquire the meaning of words. She is a strong supporter of undergraduate research and a devoted mentor to her students. Kristen received her Ph.D. from Northwestern University in linguistics with a specialization in cognitive science. She received a Rutgers University Presidential Fellowship for Teaching Excellence in 2017. Kristen has held leadership positions both at Rutgers and in her field, including as undergraduate program director in the linguistics department and as co-director of the SAS-wide Language and Social Justice Initiative. Kristen has been on the front lines in the efforts to promote inclusive language and has been frequently quoted in the news, from Forbes to NPR. Please join us in thanking them for taking on these duties and responsibilities at this crucial time.