TAMIU Welcomes Psycholinguistics Scholar Dr. Jankowiak for Future Collaborative Efforts

Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) recently welcomed neuroscientist Dr. Katarzyna Jankowiak to campus.

During her visit, Dr. Jankowiak visited the Brain and Cognition Laboratory, a research endeavor under the auspices of the College of Arts and Sciences’ department of Psychology and Communication.

The visit is the first step toward fostering collaborative opportunities between TAMIU and the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland, where Jankowiak works as an assistant professor at the Faculty of English, and member of the Psychophysiology of Language and Affect Laboratory.

Through a vested interest in bilingualism and language acquisition, Jankowiak’s research primarily focuses on the neuropsychology of bilingualism.

“By learning more about bilingual language processing, we can also learn how people process language in a general manner. Because we have different levels of processing, some mechanisms might be more automatic than others,” she explained.

Jankowiak continued, “Being here [in Laredo] is important to me because I can study the two languages that are dominant across the population, and people are very proficient. So, you have no difference, or the difference is very subtle compared to other bilingual populations we have in Europe.”

During her visit, Jankowiak worked alongside university faculty members Dr. Roberto Heredia, Regents Professor of Psychology; Dr. Anna Cieślicka, professor of Psychology, and Dr. Omar García, assistant professor of Psychology

Jankowiak noted the role played by Drs. Heredia and Cieślicka and their inspiration for her Ph.D. thesis.

“My thesis was devoted to figurative language processing and bilingualism – their [Dr. Heredia and Cieślicka’s] co-edited book was so helpful. I’ve always treated them and perceived them as role models in this area of research. For me, it’s a great opportunity to work with them in this research,” observed Jankowiak.

Jankowiak holds a Ph.D. in English Linguistics from Adam Mickiewicz University where she now serves as an assistant professor of Psycholinguistic Studies. She is recipient of the scholarship from the Minister of Education and Science for outstanding young researchers, awarded in 2022.  She has published prolifically in several top-tier academic journals, including the Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, the International Journal of Bilingualism, Language and Linguistics Compass, Brain and Language, and more. 

Heredia has been a TAMIU faculty member since 1998. He holds his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of California-Santa Cruz, and a post-doctoral position as a National Science Foundation Fellow at the University of California-San Diego. He has published in several fields, including bilingualism, evolutionary psychology, and figurative language processing.

Cieślicka joined TAMIU in 2009. She holds a Ph.D. in English Linguistics from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. She is the director of TAMIU’s Master of Science in Psychology graduate program. Her research focuses mainly on the psycholinguistics of second/foreign language acquisition and processing, bilingual lexicon, figurative language, and neuropsychology of bilingualism. She is the recipient of TAMIU’s Teacher of the Year and Scholar of the Year awards and the Alpha Delta Kappa Golden Apple Award for teaching excellence in higher education.

García holds master’s degrees in Counseling Psychology and in Public Administration, and a Ph.D. in Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience from Texas A&M University. His research focuses on the intersection between language and other cognitive phenomena including number processing, moral decision making, and spatial relations.

For additional information, contact TAMIU’s Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at 956.326.2180, email prmis@tamiu.edu, click on tamiu.edu, or visit offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 268.

Collaborative opportunities for research are currently being explored by faculty members of the University’s College of Arts and Sciences. Pictured, from left to right, are Dr. Anna Cieślicka, Dr. Katarzyna Jankowiak, Dr. Roberto Heredia and Dr. Omar García.