Current members

* Note. The members are listed in the order in which they joined the lab.




Koji LabMember 2

Koji Miwa, Ph.D.  
(Lab leader / manager / janitor)

April, 2017 - In progress (!?)

Email:   kojimiwa  nagoya-u.jp (replace  with @ ) 

Personal website

https://kojimiwa.com

Profiles on the web

ResearchGate: researchgate.net/profile/Koji_Miwa

Google Scholar:  https://scholar.google.com/...AAJ&hl=ja

ORCID:  orcid.org/0000-0002-0890-9265

Web of Science: webofscience.com...N-6428-2018

Current research projects

1. Individual differences in kanji word recognition

2. Visual word recognition of handwritten kanji words 

Keywords

Psycholinguistics, Visual word recognition, Bilingualism, Morphology, Writing system, Eye movements

Message

As the lab leader, I want to make sure that we all play the game of life and the game of academia with balance, fairness, honesty, and respect.



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Mehrnaz (Mary) Piroozi 
(Master's program, G30)

Email:  piroozitabriz.mehrnaz.z2  s.mail.nagoya-u.ac.jp
(replace  with @ ) 

October, 2024 - in progress

April, 2023 - September, 2023 (Research student)

Personal website

TBA

Profiles on the web

Researchgate: researchgate.net/profile/Mehrnaz-Piroozi

Current research projects

Processing of radicals and characters in Japanese Kanji word recognition

Keywords

Language Processing, Mental Lexicon, Word Recognition

Message

The processing of language in the brain is a very interesting phenomenon. It seems like the human brain is a supercomputer that is able to store and process an infinite amount of linguistic information in a few milliseconds, and it becomes even more fascinating if one can speak more than one language. As a speaker of 4 languages (Japanese, English, Persian, and Turkish), I am interested in understanding how this phenomenon takes place in the brain, and finding out if there is a special structure in the brain to accommodate for all these languages.



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Yuta Sugiyama 
(Doctoral program, English Language Education)

Email:  sugiyama.yut  gmail.com (replace  with @ ) 

April, 2024 - In progress

Personal website

https://yutasugiyama.studio.site/

Profiles on the web

TBA

Current research projects

TBA

Keywords

TBA

Message

TBA



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kumiwakita profile picture

Kumi Wakita
(Doctoral program, 
English Language Education)

Email:  wakita.kumi.p2  s.mail.nagoya-u.ac.jp (replace  with @ ) 

April, 2025 - In progress

September, 2024 - March, 2025 (Master’s program)

Personal website

TBA

Profiles on the web

Researchgate: researchgate.net/profile/Kumi-Wakita

Current research projects

Processing of multiword chunks in first and second languages.

Keywords

Psycholinguistics, written language processing, multiword chunks, second language processing,
English language

Message

Much wonder surrounds us, particularly in how our brains process words at the speed of light. I focus on the many mysteries of language processing, especially how individuals who speak multiple languages manage and process different linguistic systems. Understanding these processes is not only fascinating but also essential for uncovering the complexities of human communication.



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Carolina Yanet Rodríguez Ortiz 
(Research student, Humanities)

Email:  yanet.ro.07  gmail.com (replace  with @ ) 

April, 2025 - In progress

Personal website

TBA

Profiles on the web

TBA

Current research projects

Cognitive influence of second language, the linguistic impact on our world perception  

Keywords

Language acquisition, linguistic relativity, bilingualism

Message

I believe we should pursue and try whichever catch our attention in order to let us surprise by life's wisdom. As a speaker of 3 (almost 4, for now) languages I might have 4th times the amount of questions but right now I want to explore how these languages work inside our minds, even if I get more questions than answers.



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Alumni


  • Jiashen Qu (Doctoral program, 2025)
    Conceptualisation of event roles in the first and second languages by Japanese speakers of English


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  • Kumi Wakita (Master’s program, 2025) closely supervised together with Dr. Remi Murao
    How meaningfulness and frequency affect the processing of multiword chunks in a second language


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  • Miki Ikuta (Doctoral program, 2023)
    Metaphor interpretation and analogical reasoning in first and second languages


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  • Miki Ikuta (Master’s program, 2020)
    Figurative language processing in a second language: Towards a bilingual metaphor comprehension model
  • Jinyun Sun  (Master’s program, 2019)
    Cross-language similarities and task demands in Japanese visual word recognition: A chronometric study with Chinese-English-Japanese trilinguals
  • Xue Wang  (Master’s program, 2019),  previously supervised by Dr. Remi Murao
    Cognate processing in Japanese-English bilinguals: An auditory lexical decision study
  • Talia Chang  (Master’s program, 2018),  previously supervised by Dr. Remi Murao
    Second language learners’ utilization of semantic and morphosyntactic cues in sentence comprehension




Academic family tree

The academic family tree continues to grow—from the past, through the present, and into the future. I want to make sure it stays healthy. 

See LinguisTree at  https://academictree.org/linguistics/tree.php?pid=822095#







Last updated 05/23/2025          © Koji Miwa 2015-2025 All Rights Reserved