Dr. Marisha Speights | Source | Assistant Professor at Northwestern University

Dr. Speights, a speech scientist and speech-language pathologist, is an expert in pediatric speech biomarkers and AI-driven speech disorder detection. As Principal Investigator of the Pediatric Speech Technologies and Acoustics Research Lab, she and her team develop computational tools to classify speech disorders, refine automatic speech recognition models, and leverage machine learning for equitable early screening. A member of the NIH’s AIM AHEAD initiative, her work focuses on mitigating biases in AI-driven speech technologies for young children. Central to this research is the Speech Exemplar and Evaluation Database (SEED), a diverse child speech corpus that fills a critical child speech data gap. Supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and global collaborations, Dr. Speights aims to advance AI-powered, culturally responsive tools for early speech disorder detection and equitable access to intervention.