I am a Research Scientist at the Laboratory for Language and Cognitive Neuroscience, San Diego State University, California, USA. I study how sign language and deafness shape communication and the brain. Specifically, the goal of my research is to use the study of sign languages to understand what is universal to all natural human languages. I earned my doctorate in Cognitive Perceptual and Brain Sciences from University College London, UK. While pursuing my PhD, I worked as a Lecturer in English Language and Communication at Kingston University, UK. I'm a certified teacher of English as a Foreign Language with years of experience teaching in higher education. I write science poetry for fun and host public science communication shows. I'm fluent in Czech, English and American Sign Language.