Li Hsieh

Dr. Li Hsieh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Wayne State University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on neural mechanisms underlying speech, prosody, and cognitive processing, particularly using neuroimaging techniques like fMRI and MEG. She investigates language-specific and universal neural networks, with emphasis on bilingualism, tonal language processing, and driver distraction. Dr. Hsieh holds a Ph.D. from Purdue University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University's Cognitive Science Department.

Educational Background: B.A. in English Literature (Soochow University), M.A. in Linguistics (Fu Jen Catholic University), M.A./Ph.D. in Speech-Language Pathology (Northwestern/Purdue Universities), and postdoctoral work at Johns Hopkins.

Research Interests: Cognitive neuroscience of speech processing, neural correlates of multitasking, cross-linguistic tonal perception, and driver distraction mechanisms. Her work applies neuroimaging to study attention allocation in dynamic environments, with recent focus on developing surrogate tests for measuring driver cognitive load. She has pioneered studies on emotional speech tone effects during driving and bilingual multitasking advantages.

Publications span over two decades, with significant contributions to understanding brain mechanisms in speech disorders and transportation safety. Current projects explore neural networks in disordered populations and translational applications of neuroimaging findings to clinical and automotive settings.

Teaching: Regularly instructs graduate courses in speech science, neuroscience of communication disorders, and research methods. Courses include SLP5120 (Speech Science), SLP7630 (Neuroscience of Communication Disorders), and special topics seminars.