Matlab, FieldTrip, Resting IAF toolbox, FOOOF toolbox, Psychopy, Presentation, Word, Excel, Powerpoint
Ashley Glen Lewis
Postdoctoral Researcher
Nijmegen
Summary
Postdoctoral Research Scientist with extensive experience in cognitive neuroscience and psycholinguistics research using non-invasive electrophysiological methods (Magnetoencephalography - MEG and Electroencephalography - EEG). Primary interest in work at the intersection between sentence processing on the one hand, and both working memory and cognitive control on the other. Hard-working and reliable with a proven track-record of high quality research leading to publications in top scientific journals within the field. Endeavors to place a premium on discovery (over output), research integrity, and open-science practices.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
12
12
years of post-secondary education
2
2
Certificates
3
3
Languages
Work History
Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Max Planck Institute For Psycholinguistics
Nijmegen
07.2022 - Current
- Neurobiology of Language Department
- Coordinating postdoc for the Big Question 2 (BQ2) of the Language in Interaction Consortium
- Beta oscillations for gating working memory during sentence comprehension
Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Radboud University, Donders Institute For Brain, Cognition And Behaviour
Nijmegen
07.2018 - 06.2022
- Predictive Brain Lab
- Coordinating Postdoc for the Big Question 2 (BQ2) of the Language in Interaction Consortium
- Neural oscillations as indices for a predictive hierarchy in sentence comprehension
Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Haskins Laboratories (Yale And University Of Connecticut Affiliate)
New Haven
12.2015 - 06.2018
- Comprehension Lab
- Intersection between reading and working memory
- Individual differences in reading skill
Education
Ph.D. - Cognitive Neuroscience
05.2012 - 05.2017
- Thesis Title: Explorations of beta-band neural oscillations: sentence processing and beyond
- Supervisors: Prof. Herbert Schriefers, Prof. Marcel Bastiaansen, and Dr. Jan-Mathijs Schoffelen
Master of Science - Cognitive Neuroscience
09.2010 - 05.2012
- Thesis Title: The role of oscillatory neuronal dynamics in discourse-level semantic unification
- Supervisors: Prof. Herbert Schriefers, and Prof. Marcel Bastiaansen
Bachelor of Arts - Cognitive Science
05.2004 - 05.2009
- Honours degree awarded Summa Cum Laude
Skills
Research, Research Methodologies, Scientific Writing, Interdisciplinary Coordination, Data analysis, Cluster-based (and other) permutation statistics, Signal-detection theory, Electroencephalography (EEG), Magnetoencephalography (MEG), Event-related potentials/fields (ERP/F), time-frequency analysis of power, MEG/EEG source estimation, Independent Component Analysis (ICA), Disentangling periodic from aperiodic signals in MEG/EEG data, Identifying individual alpha power peaks
Accomplishments
- Guest lectures - "The neurocognition of language through a neural oscillations lens" in the Trends in Cognitive Neurosciences course and "A brain region for syntax" in the Neurobiology of Language course of the Cognitive Neuroscience MSc at the Radboud University (2021-2023)
- Guest lectures - "How neural oscillations provide the structured brain dynamics to support our language use" and " The quasi-rhythmic nature of our experience and our language" in the Psychology of Language and Cultural Cognition course of the Linguistics and Communication Sciences MA at the Radboud University (2021)
- Guest lecture - "Neural dynamics of language" in the Neurobiology of Language course of the Cognitive Neuroscience MSc (2020)
- Guest lecture - "Prediction in sentence processing" in the Trends and Topics in Neurolinguistics course of the Radboud Summer School (2019)
- Co-organizer of the course “Language and Brain” at the LOT Winter School - taught lectures on “A brain region for syntax” and “The timing of language” (2021)
- IMPRS enrichment session. Co-organized an enrichment session for PhD students to prepare them for the Nijmegen Lectures (2021)
- Designed and taught 2, 50-50 theory-practical sessions on electrophysiological data analysis and neural oscillations using the FieldTrip toolbox for graduate students and faculty at J-Term at the University of Connecticut (2017)
- Coordinated and taught parts of Linguistics 101 at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (2010).
- Supervision of MSc research internship projects for 5 students between 2018-2023 (all theses successfully defended, with 2 students working towards publishing their results)
- Supervision of 2 Ph.D. students (together with promoter) between 2019-2023 (1 successfully defended, 1 on track to finish in 2024)
- Tutor for Advanced MEG/EEG Toolkit at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (2015, 2020-2023)
- Tutor for Linguistics 101, 102, 302 at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (2009)
Software
R, C, Illustrator, Photoshop, UNix, EEGLab, Unfold toolbox, MVPA Light
Python, Perl, E-Prime, Experiment Builder
Certification
BROK (Basic course for clinical investigators in the Netherlands)
Timeline
Postdoctoral Research Scientist - Max Planck Institute For Psycholinguistics
07.2022 - Current
BROK (Basic course for clinical investigators in the Netherlands)
01-2021
Basic Human Health and Safety Training (Radboud University Medical Centre)
01-2021
Postdoctoral Research Scientist - Radboud University, Donders Institute For Brain, Cognition And Behaviour
07.2018 - 06.2022
Postdoctoral Research Scientist - Haskins Laboratories (Yale And University Of Connecticut Affiliate)
12.2015 - 06.2018
Radboud University - Ph.D., Cognitive Neuroscience
05.2012 - 05.2017
Radboud University - Master of Science, Cognitive Neuroscience
09.2010 - 05.2012
University of KwaZulu-Natal - Bachelor of Arts, Cognitive Science
05.2004 - 05.2009
Publications
Citations: ~671
H-Index: 9
i10-Index: 9
2023
Lewis, A. G., Schoffelen, J. M., Bastiaansen, M., & Schriefers, H. (2023). Is beta in agreement with the relatives? Using relative clause sentences to investigate MEG beta power dynamics during sentence comprehension. Psychophysiology, e14332.
Henke, L., Lewis, A. G., & Meyer, L. (2023). Fast and Slow Rhythms of Naturalistic Reading Revealed by Combined Eye-Tracking and Electroencephalography. Journal of Neuroscience, 43(24), 4461-4469.
Zioga, I., Weissbart, H., Lewis, A. G., Haegens, S., & Martin, A. E. (2023). Naturalistic spoken language comprehension is supported by alpha and beta oscillations. Journal of Neuroscience, 43(20), 3718-3732.
2022
Zeller, J., Bylund, E., & Lewis, A. G. (2022). The parser consults the lexicon in spite of transparent gender marking: EEG evidence from noun class agreement processing in Zulu. Cognition, 226, 105148.
2021
Kochari, A. R., Lewis, A. G., Schoffelen, J. M., & Schriefers, H. (2021). Semantic and syntactic composition of minimal adjective-noun phrases in Dutch: an MEG study. Neuropsychologia, 155, 107754.
2020
Lewis, A. G. (2020). Balancing exogenous and endogenous cortical rhythms for speech and language requires a lot of entraining: a commentary on Meyer, Sun & Martin (2020). Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 35(9), 1133-1137.
Jongman, S. R., Roelofs, A., & Lewis, A. G. (2020). Attention for speaking: Prestimulus motor-cortical alpha power predicts picture naming latencies. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 32(5), 747-761.
2019
Prystauka, Y., & Lewis, A. G. (2019). The power of neural oscillations to inform sentence comprehension: A linguistic perspective. Language and Linguistics Compass, 13(9), e12347.
2018
Lewis, A. G., Schriefers, H., Bastiaansen, M., & Schoffelen, J. (2018). Assessing the utility of frequency tagging for tracking memory-based reactivation of word representations. Scientific Reports, 8, 7897.
2016
Lewis, A. G., Lemhӧfer, K., Schoffelen, J., & Schriefers, H. (2016). Gender agreement violations modulate beta oscillatory dynamics during sentence comprehension: A comparison of second language learners and native speakers. Neuropsychologia, 89, 254-272.
Lewis, A. G., Schoffelen, J., Hoffmann, C., Bastiaansen, M., & Schriefers, H. (2016). Discourse-level semantic coherence influences beta oscillatory dynamics and the N400 during sentence comprehension. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 32, 601-617.
Lewis, A. G., Schoffelen, J., Schriefers, H., & Bastiaansen, M. (2016). A predictive coding perspective on beta oscillations during sentence-level language comprehension. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 10.
2015
Lewis, A. G., & Bastiaansen, M. (2015). A predictive coding framework for rapid neural dynamics during sentence-level language comprehension. Cortex, 68, 155-168.
Lewis, A. G., Wang, L., & Bastiaansen, M. (2015). Fast oscillatory dynamics during language comprehension: Unification versus maintenance and prediction? Brain and Language, 148, 51-63.
Moreno, I., De Vega, M., León, I., Bastiaansen, M., Lewis, A. G., & Magyari, L. (2015). Brain dynamics in the comprehension of action-related language. A time-frequency analysis of mu rhythms. Neuroimage 109, 50-62.
Invited Talks
Lewis, A.G. & Popov, T. (2022). “Alpha oscillations facilitate gaze direction during natural reading”. Invited talk at symposium on “Eye movements during natural reading and visual exploration” at International Conference of Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON), Helsinki, Finland.
Lewis, A.G. Hagoort, P, & de Lange, F. (2022). “Shifting the focus internally during sentence reading”. Invited talk at symposium on “Perceiving into the future – how internal states shape perception” at International Conference of Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON), Helsinki, Finland.
Zeller, J., Bylund, E., & Lewis, A.G. (2022). “The parser consults the lexicon in spite of transparent gender marking: EEG evidence from noun class agreement processing in Zulu”. Invited talk at International Christian University Linguistics Colloquium: African Linguistics, Mitaka, Japan (Online Talk).
Zeller, J., Bylund, E., & Lewis, A.G. (2022). “EEG-signatures of gender and number
agreement processing in Zulu”. Invited talk at the Psycholinguistics of language representation (PoLaR) lab at the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway (Online Talk).
Lewis, A.G. (2021). Plugging working memory 2.0 into sentence comprehension 1.0: Beta and gamma power track working memory dynamics during sentence reading. Invited talk presented at the Language and Cognition Group Seminar, Leiden University, The Netherlands.
Lewis, A. G. (2019). Understanding our concept of reality. Talk presented at Pint of Science Netherlands, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Lewis, A. G. (2018). ‘We’ even try to predict the unpredictable: Language, neural oscillations, and predictive coding. Talk presented at Current Issues in Predictive Language Processing Workshop 2018, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Lewis, A. G. (2016). Exploring oscillatory neural dynamics in the beta frequency range during language comprehension beyond the word level. Talk presented at Haskins Laboratories [Staff Talk]. New Haven, USA.
Lewis, A. G. (2015). Using neural oscillations to investigate semantic and syntactic processing. Talk presented at University of KwaZulu-Natal, Linguistics Department [Invited Seminar]. Durban, South Africa.
Lewis, A. G. (2013). Neuronal oscillations in discourse comprehension. Talk presented at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Linguistics Department [Invited Seminar]. Durban, South Africa.
Lewis, A. G. (2012). Integrating timescales: Investigating oscillatory neuronal dynamics during unfolding short discourses. Talk presented at Donders Discussions 2012. Nijmegen, NL.
Service and Open Science
Reviewer
Biological Psychology; Brain & Language; Brain Research; Cerebral Cortex; Cognition; Cortex; Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience; European Journal of Neuroscience; ENeuro; Frontiers in Psychology; Human Brain Mapping; Imaging Neuroscience; Journal of Experimental Psychology: General; Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience; Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition; Journal of Memory and Learning; Journal of Reading Research; Language and Linguistics Compass; Language, Cognition and Neuroscience; Nature Science of Learning; Neuroimage; Neuropsychologia; Plos One; Psychophysiology; Science Advances.
Shared Data
Lewis, A. G., Schoffelen, J., & Schriefers, H. J. (2023). Is beta in agreement with the relatives? Using relative clause sentences to investigate MEG beta power dynamics during sentence comprehension [dataset]. https://doi.org/10.34973/pah0-9v23.
Kochari, A. R., Lewis, A. G., Schoffelen, J., & Schriefers, H. J. (2021). Disentangling syntactic and semantic components in adjective-noun phrase composition: an MEG study [dataset]. https://doi.org/10.34973/0c20-0j33.
Other
- Member of Social Committee for Neurobiology of Language Department at Max Planck Institute for Psycholingusitics (2020-2024)
- Ph.D. doctoral examination board manuscript committee member (2020) and ordinary committee member (2023)
- Presented work at Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Fachbeirat (institute assessment) representing the Neurobiology of Language Department (2022)
- Neurobiology of Language Department representative at meeting with the vice-president of the Max Planck Society during the Fachbeirat (2022)
- Theme 1 postdoc representative during evaluation of Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (2019)
- Assistant and then Senior Editor for Psycholinguistics at Proceedings of the Cognitive Neuroscience Master of the Radboud University – a student run journal (2010-2012)
Academic Achievements and Awards
- DCC Internal Ph.D. Round Grant - Role: Advisor (2019-2023)
- NRF Equipment-related Travel and Training Grant at the University of KwaZulu-Natal - Role: Co-PI - this grant allowed us to carry out the first ever EEG research on sentence processing in a Bantu language by collecting reading data from isiZulu native speakers in South Africa (2016-2018)
- International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) Ph.D. Fellowship (2012-2015)
- HSP Huygens Scholarship for research MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience at Radboud University (2010-2012)
- NRF Post-graduate Academic Merit Scholarship at University of KwaZulu-Natal (2009)
- NRF Honours Free-Standing Scholarship at University of KwaZulu-Natal (2009)
Publications
Citations: ~671
H-Index: 9
i10-Index: 9
2023
Lewis, A. G., Schoffelen, J. M., Bastiaansen, M., & Schriefers, H. (2023). Is beta in agreement with the relatives? Using relative clause sentences to investigate MEG beta power dynamics during sentence comprehension. Psychophysiology, e14332.
Henke, L., Lewis, A. G., & Meyer, L. (2023). Fast and Slow Rhythms of Naturalistic Reading Revealed by Combined Eye-Tracking and Electroencephalography. Journal of Neuroscience, 43(24), 4461-4469.
Zioga, I., Weissbart, H., Lewis, A. G., Haegens, S., & Martin, A. E. (2023). Naturalistic spoken language comprehension is supported by alpha and beta oscillations. Journal of Neuroscience, 43(20), 3718-3732.
2022
Zeller, J., Bylund, E., & Lewis, A. G. (2022). The parser consults the lexicon in spite of transparent gender marking: EEG evidence from noun class agreement processing in Zulu. Cognition, 226, 105148.
2021
Kochari, A. R., Lewis, A. G., Schoffelen, J. M., & Schriefers, H. (2021). Semantic and syntactic composition of minimal adjective-noun phrases in Dutch: an MEG study. Neuropsychologia, 155, 107754.
2020
Lewis, A. G. (2020). Balancing exogenous and endogenous cortical rhythms for speech and language requires a lot of entraining: a commentary on Meyer, Sun & Martin (2020). Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 35(9), 1133-1137.
Jongman, S. R., Roelofs, A., & Lewis, A. G. (2020). Attention for speaking: Prestimulus motor-cortical alpha power predicts picture naming latencies. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 32(5), 747-761.
2019
Prystauka, Y., & Lewis, A. G. (2019). The power of neural oscillations to inform sentence comprehension: A linguistic perspective. Language and Linguistics Compass, 13(9), e12347.
2018
Lewis, A. G., Schriefers, H., Bastiaansen, M., & Schoffelen, J. (2018). Assessing the utility of frequency tagging for tracking memory-based reactivation of word representations. Scientific Reports, 8, 7897.
2016
Lewis, A. G., Lemhӧfer, K., Schoffelen, J., & Schriefers, H. (2016). Gender agreement violations modulate beta oscillatory dynamics during sentence comprehension: A comparison of second language learners and native speakers. Neuropsychologia, 89, 254-272.
Lewis, A. G., Schoffelen, J., Hoffmann, C., Bastiaansen, M., & Schriefers, H. (2016). Discourse-level semantic coherence influences beta oscillatory dynamics and the N400 during sentence comprehension. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 32, 601-617.
Lewis, A. G., Schoffelen, J., Schriefers, H., & Bastiaansen, M. (2016). A predictive coding perspective on beta oscillations during sentence-level language comprehension. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 10.
2015
Lewis, A. G., & Bastiaansen, M. (2015). A predictive coding framework for rapid neural dynamics during sentence-level language comprehension. Cortex, 68, 155-168.
Lewis, A. G., Wang, L., & Bastiaansen, M. (2015). Fast oscillatory dynamics during language comprehension: Unification versus maintenance and prediction? Brain and Language, 148, 51-63.
Moreno, I., De Vega, M., León, I., Bastiaansen, M., Lewis, A. G., & Magyari, L. (2015). Brain dynamics in the comprehension of action-related language. A time-frequency analysis of mu rhythms. Neuroimage 109, 50-62.
Invited Talks
Lewis, A.G. & Popov, T. (2022). “Alpha oscillations facilitate gaze direction during natural reading”. Invited talk at symposium on “Eye movements during natural reading and visual exploration” at International Conference of Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON), Helsinki, Finland.
Lewis, A.G. Hagoort, P, & de Lange, F. (2022). “Shifting the focus internally during sentence reading”. Invited talk at symposium on “Perceiving into the future – how internal states shape perception” at International Conference of Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON), Helsinki, Finland.
Zeller, J., Bylund, E., & Lewis, A.G. (2022). “The parser consults the lexicon in spite of transparent gender marking: EEG evidence from noun class agreement processing in Zulu”. Invited talk at International Christian University Linguistics Colloquium: African Linguistics, Mitaka, Japan (Online Talk).
Zeller, J., Bylund, E., & Lewis, A.G. (2022). “EEG-signatures of gender and number
agreement processing in Zulu”. Invited talk at the Psycholinguistics of language representation (PoLaR) lab at the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway (Online Talk).
Lewis, A.G. (2021). Plugging working memory 2.0 into sentence comprehension 1.0: Beta and gamma power track working memory dynamics during sentence reading. Invited talk presented at the Language and Cognition Group Seminar, Leiden University, The Netherlands.
Lewis, A. G. (2019). Understanding our concept of reality. Talk presented at Pint of Science Netherlands, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Lewis, A. G. (2018). ‘We’ even try to predict the unpredictable: Language, neural oscillations, and predictive coding. Talk presented at Current Issues in Predictive Language Processing Workshop 2018, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Lewis, A. G. (2016). Exploring oscillatory neural dynamics in the beta frequency range during language comprehension beyond the word level. Talk presented at Haskins Laboratories [Staff Talk]. New Haven, USA.
Lewis, A. G. (2015). Using neural oscillations to investigate semantic and syntactic processing. Talk presented at University of KwaZulu-Natal, Linguistics Department [Invited Seminar]. Durban, South Africa.
Lewis, A. G. (2013). Neuronal oscillations in discourse comprehension. Talk presented at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Linguistics Department [Invited Seminar]. Durban, South Africa.
Lewis, A. G. (2012). Integrating timescales: Investigating oscillatory neuronal dynamics during unfolding short discourses. Talk presented at Donders Discussions 2012. Nijmegen, NL.
Service and Open Science
Reviewer
Biological Psychology; Brain & Language; Brain Research; Cerebral Cortex; Cognition; Cortex; Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience; European Journal of Neuroscience; ENeuro; Frontiers in Psychology; Human Brain Mapping; Imaging Neuroscience; Journal of Experimental Psychology: General; Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience; Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition; Journal of Memory and Learning; Journal of Reading Research; Language and Linguistics Compass; Language, Cognition and Neuroscience; Nature Science of Learning; Neuroimage; Neuropsychologia; Plos One; Psychophysiology; Science Advances.
Shared Data
Lewis, A. G., Schoffelen, J., & Schriefers, H. J. (2023). Is beta in agreement with the relatives? Using relative clause sentences to investigate MEG beta power dynamics during sentence comprehension [dataset]. https://doi.org/10.34973/pah0-9v23.
Kochari, A. R., Lewis, A. G., Schoffelen, J., & Schriefers, H. J. (2021). Disentangling syntactic and semantic components in adjective-noun phrase composition: an MEG study [dataset]. https://doi.org/10.34973/0c20-0j33.
Other
- Member of Social Committee for Neurobiology of Language Department at Max Planck Institute for Psycholingusitics (2020-2024)
- Ph.D. doctoral examination board manuscript committee member (2020) and ordinary committee member (2023)
- Presented work at Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Fachbeirat (institute assessment) representing the Neurobiology of Language Department (2022)
- Neurobiology of Language Department representative at meeting with the vice-president of the Max Planck Society during the Fachbeirat (2022)
- Theme 1 postdoc representative during evaluation of Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (2019)
- Assistant and then Senior Editor for Psycholinguistics at Proceedings of the Cognitive Neuroscience Master of the Radboud University – a student run journal (2010-2012)
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