Faculty/Staff/PhD

Academic Faculty

Gerald C. Imaezue, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor 

Office: PCD 4010
Phone: 813-974-2464
Lab: PCD 1030

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I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of South Florida. I lead the Brain and Aphasia Recovery Lab, where we develop innovative, scalable treatments for aphasia and related neurogenic communication disorders. My research spans four interconnected areas: (1) developing self-directed therapies and methods for aphasia and related disorders; (2) understanding language recovery in real-world settings; (3) understanding how internal feedback mechanisms support language learning and recovery; and (4) leveraging artificial intelligence and computational modeling to design and test new treatment tools.

As part of this work, I developed recursive self-feedback—a novel, flexible technique that enables individuals to actively improve their speech by listening to and adjusting their own verbal output over time, without relying on external cues or clinician feedback. In a complementary line of research, I created Agent-Based Conversational Dialogue (ABCD)—a novel simulation method to model realistic, goal-driven natural spoken dialogues between AI agents navigating communication challenges like disordered speech. ABCD accelerates early-stage clinical tool development by reducing reliance on human testing while maintaining ecological validity.

Across these efforts, my goal is to build treatments that are both scientifically rigorous and clinically practical—empowering people with aphasia, across diverse spoken language backgrounds, to engage in meaningful, independent practice that translates to everyday communication. My research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health and published in leading journals, including Aphasiology, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, and the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. At USF, I mentor students across disciplines and collaborate with colleagues in interdisciplinary fields to help shape the next generation of communication recovery science.

Education

Ph.D. (Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences)	The Graduate Center, City University of New York	2023
MPhil. (Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences)	The Graduate Center, City University of New York	2021
M.Ed. (Distinction: Audiology and Speech Pathology)	University of Ibadan	2015
B.Ed. (First Class Honors: Special Education with a major in Audiology and Speech Pathology, and Political Science)	University of Ibadan	2012