About Us

We are donating our time to initiate a chain of kindness in the hope that everyone can pay it forward to help somebody else in need. Here is some information about us:

Manizha Davlatova

Manizha is a MA student in the Second Language Acquisition program at the University of Maryland, and a member of Maryland Language Science Center. Her research focuses on how cross-script variation and orthographic transparency between Tajiki (Cyrillic) and Farsi (Perso-Arabic) shape second language acquisition and reading development among heritage and L1 English learners.

Jiani Jin

Jiani Jin is a MA student in Second Language Acquisition Program at University of Maryland, College Park, and a member of Maryland Language Science Center. Her research interests include psycholinguistics and statistical analysis. She increasingly incorporates quantitative methods and open-science practices into her research and is experienced with basic statistical analysis and data processing in R.

Xiaolan (Gabi) Gu

Xiaolan (Gabi) Gu is a PhD student in a joint PhD program between Ocean University of China and the University of Maryland. She employs psycholinguistic methods and cognitive measures, including reaction times and event-related potentials, to investigate how L2 English and L1 Chinese are represented in the bilingual mind. Her research interests include bilingual processing, emotionality in mental lexicon, and second language acquisition. She uses R for behavioral data analysis. Her work has appeared in International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, International Journal of Applied Linguistics, Philosophical Psychology, Frontiers in Psychology, Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, and four other Chinese journals indexed in CSSCI or the CSSCI expanded edition. She is currently leading three funded projects supported by Ocean University of China, the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, and China Scholarship Council. Xiaolan also serves as an ad hoc reviewer for International Journal of Applied Linguistics.

Randa Saleh Alharbi

Randa Saleh Alharbi is from Saudi Arabia and is pursuing her PhD in Second Language Acquisition at the University of Maryland, College Park, and a member of Maryland Language Science Center. She is interested in virtual reality in language learning. She holds a Master’s degree from New Zealand, where she received the Best Master’s Thesis in Applied Linguistics Award, along with a Higher Diploma in Counseling and Guidance and degrees in English Language and Education. She has worked as an English teacher and gifted student supervisor in Saudi Arabia, supporting participation in international competitions such as ISEF and TISEF, and collaborated with the New Zealand Police on programs supporting international students. Her work published in the Pragmatics (IPrA)​.

Bronson Hui

Bronson Hui earned his PhD in Second Language Studies from Michigan State University. He is an applied psycholinguist focusing second language acquisition in instructed contexts. His areas of interest include multi-modal input in second language acquisition (e.g., reading-while-listening), vocabulary learning and teaching, quantitative research methods, and open science practices. His research appears in journals such as Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Language Learning, The Modern Language Journal, Applied Linguistics, Language Learning & Technology, Applied Psycholinguistics, among other venues. He serves as an editorial board member of TESOL Quarterly (2023-2025), Studies in Second Language Acquisition (2024-2026), and Language Learning & Technology (2025 - present).