My research focuses on understanding how the brain and mind organize linguistic features during speech perception and production. Having defended my doctoral thesis on sensorimotor representations of phoneme perception (January 21, 2025), I have developed expertise in fMRI experiments and multi-voxel pattern analysis (GitHub).
Currently, I am looking for a postdoctoral position in neurolinguistics. I am building up my research career by investigating two main questions:

1. How are linguistic features (sounds and meanings) stored in the brain and mind?
2. How do non-verbal linguistic features (prosody and gestures) of our native language shape emotion recognition across languages?

In pursuing these research themes, I also aim to acquire additional neuroimaging techniques (7T fMRI, EEG, MEG, or TMS) and further refine my analytical skills.
I'm always open to discussions and I welcome academic collaborations, especially within (but not limited to) my current research themes. Feel free to reach out via email : )

FORMATION ET PARCOURS PROFESSIONNEL

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

2021-2025: Ph.D. Researcher

Laboratoire Dynamique du Langage (DDL),
UMR 5596 CNRS - Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France
- ANR Project: AnchorFL (Anchoring Foreign Language Learning) 🔗
2020-2021: Project Assistant

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA
- MITx MOOCs: Chinese Language in Culture 🔗
2020-2021: Project Assistant

Program in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language,
National Chengchi University (NCCU), Taiwan
- MOE Higher Education Sprout Project: sustained progress of universities in Taiwan
- MOE Higher Education Sprout Project: Enjoy E Learning Hub 🔗
2017-2020: Research Assistant & Analyst

Phonetics and Psycholinguistics Laboratory, NCCU, Taiwan
- MOST project: error analysis of Thai students learning Taiwan Mandarin
- MOST project: corpora studies in natural language processing
- MOE New South Bound Policy project: Thai students learning Mandarin lexical tones
EDUCATION

2021-2025: Ph.D. in Neuroscience

Doctoral School in Neuroscience and Cognition, Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France
Thesis: Sensorimotor representations for native and non-native phoneme perception
Supervisors: Véronique Boulenger (CNRS), Claudio Brozzoli (Inserm) and Alice Roy (CNRS)
(Thesis defended on 21st Jan 2025)
2017-2020 : Master of Arts in Linguistics

Graduate Institute of Linguistics, National Chengchi University (NCCU), Taipei, Taiwan
Thesis: Lexical Organization in Taiwan Mandarin: Evidence from Word Association Tasks
(Defense approved with A+, awarded as 2021 NCCU Annual Master's Thesis)

2018 Fall: Graduate Exchange Program

Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders/
Department of Modern Languages, University of Mississippi, Mississippi, USA
Courses: Speech Language Pathology, Phonological disorders, Quantitative linguistics
(Funded by International Outgoing Exchange Programs Award, NCCU, Taiwan)

2013-2017: Bachelor of Arts in English

Department of Foreign Language and Literature, National University of Tainan, Taiwan
SKILLS
Languages: Mandarin (native), English (proficient), French (intermediate)
Neuroimaging: 3T fMRI (sparse/continuous sequence), MVPA (decoding/RSA)
Statistical analysis/Programming (GitHub): Python (Nilearn/scikit-learn/rsatoolbox), R (tidyverse)
Speech processing: Praat
Experimental design: PsychoPy/Pavlovia, Opensesame/Jatos

THÈMES DE RECHERCHE

Neurolinguistics: motor and auditory contributions in speech perception
Psycholinguistics: cross-linguistic sentiment comparisons, association networks in mental lexicon

ACTIVITÉS SCIENTIFIQUES

TALKS
Sensorimotor representations of phoneme perception:an fMRI study with multivariate analyses. Invited talk at NeuroImaging Club 🎞️, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon (CRNL), France, February 2025
How does the human brain process native and non-native speech sounds? 大腦如何辨識母語與外語語音？🔗 Talk at Graduate Institute of Linguistics, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan, February 2025
Sensorimotor representation of native and non-native phoneme perception and its application for foreign language learning 大腦辨識母語與非母語語音的機制與外語學習的應用 (【語言所第363次學術演講】🔗) Talk at Graduate Institute of Linguistics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, February 2025
PhD in France: Motor Representation and Speech Processing in Foreign Language Learning.
法國博士生研究什麼：腦動神經於外語語音學習的歷程 🔗
Invited talk at Graduate Institute of Linguistics, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan, December 2022
Motor representation and speech processing in foreign language learning. Laboratory presentation at ImpAct Journal Club, CRNL, Bron, France, December 2022
Processing of phonemes in a foreign language: an fMRI study, Laboratory presentation at Club PAD DENDY, DDL, Lyon, France, November 2022

COMMUNITY WORK
Laboratory seminar co-organizer with Katarzyna Pisanski
for DDL seminar "Dendy'n Science", Lyon, France, 2023-2024
Invited workshop presenter, DDL Atelier Café Doctorants - Langue taïwanaise, Lyon, France, February 2024
Public workshop presenter, DDL Stage d'Orthophonie, Lyon, France, June 2022, 2023
Public workshop presenter, Biennale des Langues 2022 🔗, Lyon, France, May 2022

DISTINCTIONS OU FINANCEMENTS

2021: 3-year Full-time Funded PhD Contract, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France
2021: Annual Master's Thesis Award, National ChengChi University (NCCU), Taiwan
2019: Conference Travel Grant, Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Taiwan
2018: International Outgoing Exchange Programs Award, NCCU, Taiwan
2017: Academic Performance Award, College of Foreign Languages and Literature, NCCU

ENSEIGNEMENTS

Lecturer
2022 Fall
Introduction to Linguistics in English
UE: 41DCAA01 - TD - General overview of SDL upgrade in English,
Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France
Teaching Assistant - Undergraduate
2018 Spring: Introduction to Phonology, Department of English, NCCU, Taiwan
2018 Spring: Language and Civilization, Center of General Education, NCCU, Taiwan

PRINCIPALES PUBLICATIONS ET CONFÉRENCES

Thèses et mémoires

Tseng, T., 2025, "Sensorimotor representations for native and non-native phoneme perception", Thèse, Neurosciences et Cognition, Université Lumière Lyon 2
Tseng, T., 2020, "Lexical Organization in Taiwan Mandarin: Evidence from Word Association Tasks", Master's Thesis, Graduate Institute of Linguistics, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan

Articles de revues

Tseng, T., Krzonowski, J., Brozzoli, C., Roy, A. & Boulenger, V., 2024 (preprint), "Embodied speech: sensorimotor contributions to native and non-native phoneme processing and learning", PsyArXiv, xx

Communications avec actes édités

Tseng, T., 2020, "Lexical Networks between Sounds and Meanings in Taiwan Mandarin: Evidence from Psycholinguistics" The 3rd International Białystok－Kyiv Conference on Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, Białystok, Poland, December, 2019, 29, pp. 37-52, Crossroads. A Journal of English Studies

Communications

Tseng, T., Krzonowski, J., Roy, A., Brozzoli, C. & Boulenger, V., 2024, "Beyond speech production: sensorimotor contribution to native and non-native phoneme perception", 13th International Seminar on Speech Production (ISSP 2024), Autrans, France, May 13-17, 2024 (poster)
Tseng, T., Krzonowski, J., Roy, A., Brozzoli, C. & Boulenger, V., 2024, "Decoding degraded speech in the motor cortex", Embodied and Situated Language Processing, Berlin, 2-5 Oct (conference)
Tseng, T., Krzonowski, J., Roy, A., Brozzoli, C. & Boulenger, V., 2023, "Cortical representations for native and non-native phoneme perception", 5th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Neurobiology of Language (SNL 2023), Marseille, France, October 24-26, 2023. (poster)