معرفی
Ellen Rombouts is a tenure track lecturer at KU Leuven's Faculty of Medicine within the Department of Neuroscience. She is an active member of the Experimental Oto-rhino-laryngology Research Group and holds dual affiliations with the LBI - KU Leuven Brain Institute and the LILI – KU Leuven Interdisciplinary Language Institute. Her academic governance roles include membership on the Faculty Council of Medicine, POC Speech Therapy and Audiology, and Departmental Council of Neurosciences.
Her research centers on speech and language pathology with specialized focus on bilingual language development and disorders. She pioneers diagnostic protocols for Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) in multilingual children, investigates gesture-based communication strategies for individuals with Down syndrome and stuttering, and applies neuroimaging techniques like fNIRS and EEG to study language processing. Her work bridges clinical practice, neuroscience, and assistive technology development.
Recent publications (2024-2025) reveal strong thematic continuity in bilingual language assessment, highlighted by the PITTO diagnostic protocol development. She demonstrates innovative integration of gesture comprehension tasks for DLD screening and explores AI applications in language support systems. Her research consistently addresses practical clinical challenges while advancing methodological approaches in neuroimaging and cross-linguistic assessment.
As co-promoter on multiple funded projects, she leads research on non-invasive brain activity measurement using fNIRS (2023-2024), develops evidence-based language assessment protocols for bilingual children with DLD (2021-2025), and previously investigated stuttering-gesture interactions in Down syndrome (2018-2022). Her grant portfolio reflects sustained focus on translational research with clinical impact.
Dr. Rombouts contributes to interdisciplinary research ecosystems through the Experimental Oto-rhino-laryngology Research Group, KU Leuven Brain Institute, and Interdisciplinary Language Institute, fostering collaborations that integrate linguistic, neurological, and clinical perspectives on human communication disorders.