Rachel R. Romeo

Rachel R. Romeo is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology. She also holds courtesy appointments in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences and the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science program. She is affiliated with the Language Science Center, Field Committee in Developmental Science, Brain Behavior Institute, and Maryland Neuroimaging Center.

Education:

• PhD from the joint Harvard/MIT Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology
• MSc in Language Sciences from University College London
• BA in Psychology and Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania
• Clinical licensure in Speech-Language Pathology from the MGH Institute of Health Professions
• Translational Postdoctoral Training in Neurodevelopment at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Research Interests: Rachel’s research examines how early experiences, both favorable and adverse, shape children’s neurocognitive and academic development, with a focus on language, literacy, and socioeconomic disparities. She integrates methods from developmental psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and educational interventions to address these questions.

Scientific Awards:

• Young Investigator Award, Flux Society (2024)
• University of Maryland Research Impact Fellow (2023–2024)
• Faculty Mentor of the Year Award, UMD Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program (2023)
• Early Career Research Contributions Award, American Speech Language Hearing Association (2023)
• Early Career Research Contributions Award, Society for Research in Child Development (2023)
• Rising Star, Association for Psychological Science (2021)
• Flux Congress Science of Learning Award, & Post-Doctorate Award (2019)
• Society for the Neurobiology of Language Postdoctoral Merit Award (2019)
• Society for the Neurobiology of Language Graduate Student Award (2017)
• UCL Language Sciences Dissertation Prize and Overall Achievement Award (2012)
• The Thouron Award (2011)
• Fulbright Fellowship (2011)

Grants & Projects: Her research is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and UMD Brain Behavior Institute (BBI).

Labs & Teams: Rachel directs the Language, Experience, and Development (LEAD) Lab and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams in developmental science and neuroimaging.