Janet Nicol

Janet Nicol is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Arizona, with a primary title in Linguistics and joint appointments in Cognitive Science and the Graduate Program in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching. She holds affiliations with the Neurogenic Communication Disorders Research program. Her academic background includes a B.A. in Linguistics from McGill University, an M.S. in Human Communication Disorders, and a Ph.D. in Cognitive and Brain Sciences from MIT.

Her research focuses on bilingualism, second language acquisition, and the cognitive mechanisms underlying language comprehension and production. She employs advanced methodologies such as eye-tracking and neuroimaging to study lexical selection, agreement processing, and the impact of proficiency on language learning. Nicol also explores positive psychology, integrating its principles into language education contexts.

Her teaching portfolio includes courses like PSY 325 - Cognitive Psychology, PSY 384 - Positive Psychology, and PSY 440 - The Bilingual Mind. Nicol’s work bridges linguistic theory with empirical research, emphasizing practical applications in language pedagogy and bilingualism.

Her research has explored topics ranging from anaphora resolution in syntax to the neurocognitive underpinnings of second-language processing. Nicol collaborates across disciplines, contributing to interdisciplinary projects in cognitive science and language acquisition.