People

Daniel Swingley, Ph.D.
Dr. Swingley is the director of the Infant Language Center. He is a professor in the Psychology Department at Penn. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University, and came to Penn in 2003 after several years doing child language research in the Netherlands.
Caroline Beech
Caroline received a B.A. in Cognitive Science, Mathematics, and French and Francophone Studies from Vassar College in 2020. Now a grad student at Penn, she plans to study language acquisition using experiments and computational models. In her free time, she enjoys reading, doing yoga, and playing French horn.
Angelica Buerkin-Salgado
Angelica received a B.A. in cognitive science from Johns Hopkins in 2011. She spent 2 years working on early language production and processing at the Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception in Paris. She is now a grad student at Penn an plans to continue exploring how babies approach the challenge of language acquisition. Known to write the occasional restaurant review or short story, she devotes some time to hiking, yoga, and balcony gardening.
Anna Runova
Anna joined the Infant Language Center as lab manager in 2019 after receiving a B.A. in Linguistics and Psychology from Georgetown University in 2018. Her interests are language development in children and second language acquistion in older learners. Outside of the lab, Anna enjoys walks with her dog, reading, and crocheting.
Mahi Patel
Mahi is a sophomore studying Neuroscience in the College of Arts and Sciences. At Penn, she enjoys her role in tutoring programs in the West Philadelphia community including the Educational 5:05 Pipeline Program and MAS. She is involved in the Transfer Student Organization as VP of Marketing, and loves to cook, explore Philly, and paint in her free time.
Zephaniah Sainta
Zephaniah is a sophomore in the School of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Psychology. She was born and raised in Philadelphia. Her interests include psychology, linguistics, and French, amongst other things. In her free time, she enjoys writing, discovering new music, and catching up with friends and family.
Sharon Ojo
Sharon is a senior studying Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her involvements at Penn include Service Link and Nigerians at Penn. She loves to paint, go to concerts, cook, and watch anime in her free time.
Megan Shelton
Megan is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Medical Sociology. She is interested in pursuing psychology and medicine in the future. At Penn, she tutors in West Philadelphia with the Penn Reading Initiative. In her free time, Megan enjoys yoga, hanging out with friends and family, and spending time outside.
Alyssa Antonian
Alyssa is a sophomore from Southaven, MS, in the School of Arts and Sciences double majoring in Cognitive Science and Computer Science. She is involved with the Netter Center and Penn Leads the Vote, and while at Penn, interested in learning more about linguistics, artificial intelligence, and behavioral economics. In her free time, she loves to bake, paint, and is on a mission to find the world’s best farmer’s market.
Naiya Mainigi
Naiya is a sophomore in the College of Arts. She is planning on majoring in cognitive science with a minor in consumer psychology. She also is a tour guide on campus, and on the club field hockey team.
Laura Preka
Laura is a sophomore studying Health and Societies in the College of Arts and Sciences. She was born and raised in New York City. As a pre-med student, she spends her time volunteering with the Shelter Health Outreach Program at Penn. In her free time, she likes to read novels, be outdoors, and spend time with friends and family.

Meet our alumni!