Fabienne Chetail

Fabienne Chetail is a Professor at the Faculty of Psychology and Education of Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), joining permanently in 2014. She leads the Laboratoire Cognition Langage Développement (LCLD) since 2018 and is Vice-Dean of the Faculty in 2024-25. Her work bridges cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience, focusing on language and reading processes.

• Education: PhD in Psychology from the University of Bordeaux (2008), followed by postdoctoral research at ULB.

Chetail’s research explores the mechanisms of reading and written word processing, including orthographic learning, statistical learning in literacy, and the impact of consonant-vowel (CV) structure on perception. She investigates how print exposure shapes lexical representations and reading efficiency, particularly in adults and children, using behavioral paradigms (lexical decision, eye tracking) and neuroscientific methods (EEG, MEG).

Her publications demonstrate a focus on orthographic regularities, novel word learning, and the neurocognitive basis of reading. Recent work includes studies on lexical integration of new words and orthographic learning in deaf children.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Rebecca L. Sandak Young Investigator Award (2013)
  • Pierre Gréco Award (2009)
  • ULB Teaching Project Top 5 (2020, 2016)

Chetail supervises numerous PhD and Master’s students in projects related to reading motivation, spelling variability, and orthographic development. She also manages the CRCN EEG and eye-tracking facilities and advocates for open science initiatives, including systematic data sharing and preregistration.