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Welcome! My name is Tanja Roembke (Römbke). I am a postdoctoral researcher at RWTH Aachen University (Germany) since July 2019 and work with Prof. Dr. Iring Koch. Previously, I completed my PhD in Psychology at the University of Iowa working with Prof. Dr. Bob McMurray.

The goal of my research is to better understand the underlying cognitive mechanisms of different language behaviors (e.g., reading, word learning, switching between languages). In this context, I am particularly interested in implicit learning mechanisms and the influence of different linguistic backgrounds (e.g., multilingualism) on language learning and processing. During my PhD, I studied how adults and children learn new words in the absence of explicit instruction and how children master different reading processes. At RWTH Aachen University, I have expanded my research interests to also study language processing and acquisition in bilinguals. Currently, I am leading a German Research Foundation (DFG)-funded project on statistical word learning in bilinguals. Since 2023, I have been able to contribute my expertise as an editor to the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

I am a founding member of the German Word Nerd Network (GeWoNN). Together with other GeWoNN members, we received funds from the DFG for the TRUST Network. The goal of TRUST is to build a transparent, transferable, and sustainable foundation for psycholinguistic reading studies in German. The network will bring together more than 20 researchers in the field to develop transferable and sustainable guidelines for researchers to address critical challenges, including methodological robustness, reproducibility, generalisability, and statistical power.

I am committed to the use of rigorous experimental research methods to better understand mechanisms of learning. For this purpose, I have worked with a range of methodologies (e.g., eye-tracking, motor learning) and populations (e.g., typical adults and children, pigeons). I believe that Open Science principles and Big Team Science can improve psychological research practices. In my work, it is my goal to improve inclusion and accessibility in Psychology and universities more generally.

You can find me on google scholar, research gate and OSF. My bluesky handle is @troembke.bsky.social.