Jacie McHaney

Jacie McHaney is a Research Assistant Professor in the Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northwestern University. Her work bridges auditory neuroscience, speech perception, and computational cognitive neuroscience, with a focus on neural mechanisms underlying speech processing challenges. She earned her PhD in Communication Science and Disorders from the University of Pittsburgh and holds a BS in Psychology with a Biology Minor from The University of Texas at Austin.

• Education:
  • PhD, Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh
  • BS, Psychology (Biology Minor), University of Texas at Austin
  • AS, General Studies in Science, Austin Community College

Dr. McHaney’s research explores how aging and subclinical hearing loss affect speech perception, using EEG, pupillometry, and computational models. Her work aims to develop neurobiologically informed rehabilitative strategies for individuals with hidden hearing loss.

Her publications emphasize auditory neuroscience, neural encoding of speech, and age-related changes in auditory processing. Key themes include cortical tracking of speech, listening effort, and sensory decision-making.

Scientific awards include the NRSA Individual Predoctoral Fellowship and NRSA Institutional Training Program in Auditory Neuroscience. She has secured over $1.1 million in grants, including NIH-funded projects on speech perception in aging and autism spectrum disorder.

Dr. McHaney collaborates with researchers like Dr. Bharath Chandrasekaran and Dr. Ananthanarayan Parthasarathy, advancing interdisciplinary studies in auditory neuroscience and clinical translational sciences.