The Psycholinguistics and ELectrophysiology In Cognitive Aging and Neural damage (PELICAN) Lab at Louisiana State University is seeking a highly motivated PhD student to start in the Fall 2025 semester under the supervision of Dr Willem van Boxtel. Potential research topics include, but are not limited to: syntactic priming in aging and aphasia; neural dynamics of predictive processing in aging and aphasia; discourse comprehension and conversational ability in older adults and stroke patients. The student will ultimately select research topics of their own choosing: students with degrees from any related discipline are welcome to inquire. The student will be enrolled in the PhD program in Communication Sciences and Disorders at LSU and will receive a 4-year teaching stipend.

The PELICAN Lab is housed in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, which enrolls over 200 undergraduate and 70 graduate students. The LSU Speech, Language, Hearing Clinic is located inside the Department and is a constant source of hands-on experience and research participants. The PELICAN Lab is equipped with a state-of-the-art electroencephalography system, sound-attentuating booth, and several workspaces. The prospective student would have the opportunity to work closely with the PI and student workers, and gain valuable research, mentorship, and writing experience in the process.

Louisiana State University is the flagship university of Louisiana. Rated as an R1 “Very High Research Activity” institution, the university has an endowment of over $1bn, a student population of close to 40,000, and is classified as a land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant institution. LSU’s Baton Rouge campus is located on leafy bluffs overlooking the Mississippi river, in a vibrant city only an hour from New Orleans.

Please submit all queries and interest to the PELICAN Lab’s PI, Dr Willem van Boxtel, at wvboxtel@lsu.edu.