One of the few pics of me that I like. Photo credit to my wife.
One of the few pics of me that I like. Photo credit to my wife.

I am an assistant professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders at the University of Alabama. My research interests primarily center on sociophonetics, i.e., how the way we talk signals aspects of who we are, and also phonetics more broadly, particularly the phonetics/phonology interface. Much of my sociophonetic work focuses on the English varieties in the American South, with a special focus on Appalachian English varieties.

Aside from phonetics, I am an advocate for the Appalachian region as a whole. I am co-director, with Michael Montgomery, of the Appalachian English website. This site helps to educate both linguists and interested laypersons about the features of and variation within Appalachian English.

Outside of academia, I am an avid reader and sports fan. I love Southern and Appalachian literature, and I can be found cheering on the Volunteers of my home state of Tennessee in pretty much every sport!