Susan Teubner-Rhodes

Susan Teubner-Rhodes is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences within the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University. She leads the Language, Attention and Memory Lab and is actively engaged in research on cognitive neuroscience, language processing, and aging. Her work bridges psychology and neuroscience, focusing on how the brain supports language and cognition across the lifespan.

Research Interests: Dr. Teubner-Rhodes investigates the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying language processing, particularly in challenging listening environments and during aging. Her research emphasizes conflict monitoring, cognitive persistence, executive function, and the impact of bilingualism on brain function. She explores how older adults adapt cognitively to hearing loss and noisy environments, using neuroimaging and behavioral methods.

The recent publications highlight a consistent focus on speech recognition in noise, neural correlates of attention and memory, and cognitive control in bilingual populations. Her work frequently appears in top journals such as Cognition, NeuroImage, and Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, reflecting strong interdisciplinary impact in psychology, neuroscience, and audiology.

Mentoring and Grants: Dr. Teubner-Rhodes is deeply committed to mentoring. She serves as a primary research mentor for the NIH T32 G-RISE program, mentors students from Alabama State University through an NIH/NIA R25 grant, and leads outreach initiatives including AU Brain Camp and the SCOPE program. These efforts support underrepresented students in pursuing careers in psychology and neuroscience.

Labs and Teams: She directs the Language, Attention and Memory Lab at Auburn University, where she trains graduate students and conducts cutting-edge research on cognition and language. The lab integrates behavioral experiments, neuroimaging, and cognitive modeling to understand brain-behavior relationships.