‘I encountered women
who had managed the lot:
be a successful researcher,
a brilliant teacher,
a mum...’
Dr SONJA
SCHAEFFLER
LECTURER, SPEECH AND HEARING SCIENCES
I’m a Speech Scientist. I have degrees in both Phonetics and Psychology,
and my research takes place in the borderland between these two
disciplines. I use phonetic methodology and instrumentation (most
notably Ultrasound Tongue Imaging) to explore psycholinguistic topics.
My projects have included work on
articulatory settings in bilingual
speakers, speech planning and verbal
reaction time protocols.
I’ve been curious about language and
speech for as long as I can think, and
the equipment we have available here at
Queen Margaret University takes things
one step further. Not only can I find out
how things work when we speak, I can
investigate aspects of speech production
that are normally hidden from view (for
example movements of the tongue).
O
E
R A T I N G
L
B
WOMEN
RESEARCHERS
INSPIRING
RESEARCH CAREER
JOURNEYS
When I first started studying in Munich leading roles
were mostly occupied by men, and looking at the
few research active women it very much seemed an
academic career was not compatible with having any
(family) life to speak of. An exchange semester at UCL
London drastically changed my view of things.
Here I encountered women who had managed the lot:
be a successful researcher, a brilliant teacher, a mum...
Professor Valerie Hazan was one of those inspirational
figures. Somewhat more optimistic about a career
in academia I applied for a PhD at Stirling University.
My supervisor, Professor Vera Kempe, turned out to
be yet another stellar example of this ‘new’ breed of
academic women. She was adamant that you could
and should do it all (she had her second baby a few
weeks after my viva, just to prove a point I think!).
And so I try.