Funding


2019-2023 National Science Foundation (## 1838808).“Adaptive partnership for robotic treatment of autism”. Role: Collaborator (PI: Popa, D; Co-PIs: Welch, K., Pennington, R., & Barnes, G). Award budget 1,198,471.09. 

2015-2020 National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (R01DC008581). “Infant-Directed Speech and Language Development in Infants with Hearing Loss”. Role: Collaborator (Co-PIs: Dr. Houston, Dr. Dilley): Award budget $2.9 million. 

2014-2016 Collaboration in Translational Research Grant # UL1TR001108 funded by National Institutes of Health, National Center for Advanced Translational Sciences, Clinical and Translational Sciences. “The role of caregiver touch in language learning for hearing impaired infants”. Role: Senior Collaborator/Research Associate (PI: Dr. Seidl): Award budget $74,278, award period 2014-2016. 

COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY GRANTS AND AWARDS 

2026-2027 Jon Rieger Seed Grant- Spring 2026, “AI-enabled analysis of emotions in daylong child-centered speech recordings”, Role: PI (Co-PIs, Dr. Popa, Dr. VanDam), award budget $8000.

2026 Summer Research Opportunity (SROP) program, administered by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity in the Center for Engaged Learning. “Effects of song versus non-song speech on listening effort in children with and without hearing loss”. Role: mentor (award budget $500). Mentee: Maen Aljijakli (award budget $3500). 

2025 Summer Research Opportunity (SROP) program, administered by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity in the Center for Engaged Learning. “Breaking the silence: Mental health challenges of language discrimination in international students”. Role: mentor (award budget $500). Mentee: Isabella Hausladen (award budget $3500). 

2024 Research & Creative Activities Grants, College of A&S. “Assessment of listening and vocal effort in children with hearing loss during telepractice”. Role: PI (award budget $2000). 

2022-2024 Programmatic Support- Spring 2022, University of Louisville, “Validating techniques for collecting vocal and listening effort in deaf and hard-of-hearing children during remote and in-person speech-language intervention”. Role: PI (award budget $3000). 

2020 Pretenure A&S Working Group grant sponsored by the Arts and Sciences Group of the University of Louisville’s Leadership & Innovation in Academic Matters (award budget $300, Spring 2020). 

2019-2020 The EVPRI grant, UofL: “Telepractice in pediatric speech-language therapy: characterization of patient, parent and provider vocal interactions”. Role: PI. (award budget $10,000). 

STUDENT GRANTS AND AWARDS (* to graduate/undergraduate students under supervision) 

*2025-2026 A&S Research and Creative Activities Grant. “Effects of song versus non-song speech on listening effort in children with and without hearing loss”. Loui Chang ($2.500) (Mentors: Dr. Maria Kondaurova, Dr. Alan Smith) 

*2025-2026 Mentored Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Award. Natalie Spiva (GR mentor, $1000); Rider Robinson (UG mentee, $500). 

*2025-2026 Mentored Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Award. Loui Chang (GR mentor, $1000); Maen Aljijakli (UG mentee, $500).

*2025 Dissertation Completion Award. Bianca Welikson (award budget $26,000).

*2024 Mentored Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Award. Bianca Welikson (mentor, $1000); Maggie Shade (mentee, $500).

*2024 A&S Research & Creative Activities Grants. “The relationship between caregiver’s trauma and the characteristics of child-directed speech. Bianca Welikson (award budget $500). 

*2024 Graduate School-Center for Engaged Learning Mentored Research Award. Bianca Welikson (award budget $500). 

*2020 Undergraduate Mentored Research and Creative Activities Award. Kaelin Kinney (mentor, $1000), Rahaf Alrefai (mentee, $500).