research
SSHRC fellow Kaili Vesik joins the Phonological Processing Lab
Congratulations to Kaili Vesik for being awarded a two-year Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) postdoctoral fellowship. Her project is titled Leveraging computational models to predict challenges and successes in human second language acquisition. Kaili will be working with Ashley Farris-Trimble at the Phonological Processing Lab. To learn about current research being conducted at the Phonological Processing Lab, visit the website.
Research interests
Computational phonology; mathematics; typology and learnability of vowel patterns in Finnic languages
Dissertation
Gradual error-driven learning and typology of Finnic vowel interactions
About
“I’m Kaili Vesik, a computational phonologist having recently completed my PhD in the Linguistics department at the University of British Columbia. I have a background in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Education, and my current focus is on typology and learnability of vowel patterns in Finnic languages. I defended my dissertation in June 2025. My extracurricular interests include sewing, reading, singing, dancing, running, hiking, and skiing. Curious about how to pronounce my name? You’ve got two options! I introduce myself to Estonian speakers as [kɑili vesik] and to English speakers as [kʰaɪli vɛsɪk].”