James Magnuson

James Magnuson is a Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Connecticut, where he leads the Computational Cognitive Neuroscience of Language Lab (CCNLL). He serves as Principal Investigator for multiple NSF-funded initiatives, including the Neurobiology of Language graduate training program and the Science of Learning and Art of Communication research training program, and co-directs the Cognitive Science Shared Electrophysiology Resource Lab (CSSERL).

His research investigates the neurobiological and psychological foundations of language processing, development, and disorders using computational modeling, eye-tracking, and neuroimaging techniques. Key interests include neural-network models of spoken word recognition (e.g., EARSHOT and TISK frameworks), real-time language processing across the lifespan, prosody in Specific Language Impairment, phonological competition dynamics, and cross-modal integration of linguistic information.

Educational background includes a Ph.D. in Brain & Cognitive Sciences from the University of Rochester (2001). Current teaching responsibilities include undergraduate Cognitive Psychology (PSYC 2501) and graduate seminars on language plasticity and time-course methodologies (EEG, eye-tracking).

Magnuson actively advises doctoral students in projects spanning computational modeling of speech recognition, neural bases of language processing, and individual differences in language acquisition. He has secured significant NSF funding for interdisciplinary training programs bridging cognitive science, neuroscience, and genetics.