Principal Investigator
Mishaela (Shae) DiNino, Ph.D.
Shae DiNino joined the University at Buffalo in the fall of 2022 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences. She is also a faculty member in the UB Neuroscience Program and the UB Center for Cognitive Science. Her research combines her background in neuroscience and her motivation to better understand auditory perceptual impairments by examining how changes in the auditory system that occur with normal aging influence the ability to hear, particularly in background noise. In her free time, Shae likes travelling to new places, attending concerts (with earplugs!), and spending time with her daughter.
Research Manager
Mythili Thamilchelvam
Mythili graduated from SUNY University at Buffalo with a BA in Psychology. For her Honor’s Project, she studied the association between Emotional Intelligence (EI), Auditory Emotion Recognition, and Pitch Imitation. This sparked her interest in doing research in the auditory domain. She plans to pursue a PhD in the future.
Graduate Students
Jenna Crowell
Jenna is the Lab Manager and is a third-year AuD student at the University at Buffalo. She received her Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing at SUNY Cortland. In the future, Jenna is interested in working in a fast-paced hospital setting with a multidisciplinary team as an audiologist, and working with the older population. In her free time, Jenna likes to read, take walks, and explore the city of Buffalo. Her favorite book of 2024 (so far) is Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir!
Jalaina Groncki
Jalaina received her Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Elmira College. She is currently a third-year AuD student. Post graduate school she would like to work in a children’s hospital as a pediatric audiologist. In her free time, she likes to read, spend time with friends and family, drink iced coffee and go shopping. A little fun fact about Jalaina is that she is on the University at Buffalo Cheerleading team!
Alexandra Stone
Alexandra is a third-year Audiology student hoping to work in pediatrics in a hospital or ENT office. She really enjoys research and hopes to continue to work on it post-grad as well. In her free time, she enjoys reading, painting, and spending time with her cats. She also loves to travel and hopes to work in a different country someday!
Gizzy Kelso
Gizzy is a second-year AuD student at the University at Buffalo. She received her Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Ohio University. After graduating, she would like to work with pediatrics in a hospital setting. In her free time, she likes to be outside, travel and spoil her kitten Maui.
Victoria Critton
Victoria is a second year AuD student at the University of Buffalo. She received her Post-Bachelorette in Communication Disorders at SUNY New Paltz. As a future audiologist, Victoria is interested in working with a multidisciplinary medical team to assist veterans and older populations. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with loved ones, and mystery-solving activities. A fun fact about her is that she is the vice-president of the University at Buffalo’s GSA Audiology organization.
Undergraduate Students
Elizabeth Fish
Elizabeth is a senior double major in Speech and Hearing Sciences and Psychology with a minor in Spanish. She wants to go to grad school to be an audiologist or to do a dual AuD/PhD, but is still undecided. She have a lot of different research interests but really enjoys the central auditory system and EEG. A fun fact about her is that she enjoys running!
Kennidy Dyer-DeCator
Kennidy is a double degree student in Neuroscience and Psychology in her senior year. She plans to pursue a career in the medical field, but is open minded. Kennidy enjoys learning and taking on new opportunities in research. She also takes part in UB Neuroscience Club as well as the Women’s Healthcare and Wellness Association. A fun fact is that Kennidy plays the saxophone!
Eman Salem
Eman is a sophomore student majoring in Communicative Sciences and Disorders. She is interested in the field of Audiology, specifically working with older adults. Her fun fact is that she loves to paint!
Ilsa Kloiber
Ilsa is a senior at the University at Buffalo getting her degree in Neuroscience.
Caitlin Keenan
Caitlin is a junior at the University at Buffalo getting her degree in Speech and Hearing Science.
Grace Madden
Grace is a senior at the University at Buffalo getting her degree in Speech and Hearing Science.
