Our Team

Principal Investigator

Kristen Allison, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Laboratory Director

Office: Forsyth 228 B
Phone: 617-373-3697
Email: k.allison@northeastern.edu

Dr. Allison is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders and the director of the SMILe Lab. She received her Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the MGH Institute of Health Professions. She has extensive clinical and research experience working with children who have neurodevelopmental disabilities and is passionate about improving speech and communication outcomes for children.

View Dr. Allison’s Curriculum Vitae

Lab Members

Naomi Rajput

Undergraduate Research Assistant and Lab Co-op Student

Naomi is a fourth-year Behavioral Neuroscience major with minors American Sign Language and Spanish at Northeastern University. Naomi aspires to be a physician with a career both in healthcare and research. Outside of work she enjoys performing all around Boston with her music band as a drummer/singer, doing yoga and meditating.

Jackie Perlmutter

Graduate Research Assistant

Jackie is a second-year student in the Speech-Language Pathology Master’s program. She graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor’s in Clinical Psychology and a minor is Child Study & Human Development. Her primary interests include language disorders and cognitive aspects of communication. Outside of work, Jackie likes going to vintage markets and spending time outside.

Charlotte Hoo

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Charlotte is a second-year undergraduate student at Northeastern University, where she is studying Linguistics and Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, running, and reading.

Marina Iannacito

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Marina is a second-year Biology major at Northeastern University. She aspires to pursue a career in the medical field and is passionate about learning through hands-on experiences. Outside of academics and research, she loves to bake, read, and workout in her free time.

Kylie Miller

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Kylie is a third-year student majoring in Biology and minoring in Psychology on the Pre-Dental Track. While working as a dental assistant, she worked closely with an Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist which sparked her interest in motor speech disorders. Learning about the functions of speech and muscular movement has shown her how closely dentistry and communication are connected, and she’s excited to dive deeper into the interworking of the mouth, oral health, and oral muscles in dental school.

Tiffany Ly

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Tiffany is a third-year student majoring in Health Science with a minor in Biology. She is on the Pre-Med track, aspiring to become a surgeon. She became interested in communication disorders and their treatments after taking a pyschology course! In her free time, Tiffany enjoys cooking, journaling, playing pickleball & tennis, and hanging out with friends.