Dr. Nakamura is the director of the Language & Neural Adaptation Lab and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience, Cognition, and Behavior at the University of San Diego. As a psycholinguist and cognitive neuroscientist, she studies how bilingualism, language learning, and other forms of language experience shape the neural systems supporting language and cognition across adulthood. Her research combines EEG, neuroimaging, and behavioral methods to examine individual differences in language experience, language processing, neural adaptation, and healthy cognitive aging.

CV

Sophia is a second-year undergraduate student pursuing a Pre-Med track as a Neuroscience major. She is a part of the pre-medical fraternity Phi Delta Epsilon, the Filipino Ugnayan Student Organization, and the USD Writing Center. Her research interests include functional and structural changes in the brain as an effect of multilingualism, how language learning supports neuroplasticity across the lifespan, and whether that neuroplastic ability is preserved or diminishes over time. Sophia is eager to work hands-on with study participants using EEG technology and support the research team with experimental design, data collection, and neuroimage processing.

Matilda Newland is a fifth-year undergraduate majoring in Neuroscience and Philosophy with a minor in Chemistry. Her research interests include understanding the cognitive benefits of bilingualism, how the language pathway functions, and how it varies across individuals. 

Chris is a neuroscience major on the pre-med track. He is interested in researching the effects of bilingualism and other complex proficiencies on the brain, particularly how the development of these abilities influences cognitive processes, brain structure, and long-term neurological health. He hopes to explore these relationships through experimental research, with a particular interest in neuroplasticity, cognitive aging, and the potential implications of acquired expertise for neurodegenerative disorders.