Personal profile
Personal profile
I am a researcher interested in how we acquire linguistic knowledge and how our experience with language supports knowledge acquisition in other domains and across the lifespan. I study these questions using tools from cognitive science and neuroscience.
Presently, I am a postdoctoral research fellow in the Rastle lab. My current line of research explores what children learn through exposure to text and how this knowledge contributes to their reading fluency and proficiency. This project is a collaboration with Kathy Rastle, Marc Brysbaert, and Marco Marelli. I did my PhD at Macquarie University and University of Potsdam through the IDEALAB PhD programme. This work examined neural and behavioural underpinnings of encoding and consolidation in learning of novel words in one’s first and later acquired languages. I was supervised by Audrey Bürki, Lyndsey Nickels, and Paul Sowman.
I have a strong interest in applied statistics and care deeply about open science and healthy research culture. At Royal Holloway, I am the organiser of the ReproducibiliTea journal club, where we alternate between paper discussions and more hands-on “how-to” sessions on various aspects of research life. I am also passionate about making research accessible and involving diverse voices into research to drive positive change. If you’re an educator, parent, or policymaker interested in collaborating, I’d love to hear from you!
Education/Academic qualification
Cognitive Neuroscience, PhD, Learning of new words: Behavioural and neural correlates of encoding and integration, Macquarie University
Sept 2018 → May 2022
Award Date: 27 Oct 2022
Experimental and Clinical Linguistics, MSc, University of Potsdam
Oct 2016 → Jun 2018
Award Date: 26 Jun 2018
Philology, BA & MA, Lomonosov Moscow State University
Sept 2010 → Jun 2015
Award Date: 30 Jun 2015
External positions
Honorary Postdoctoral Fellow, Macquarie University
1 Jan 2023 → …
Academic Tutor, School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University
Feb 2020 → Jun 2022
Research Assistant, Language Research Group, Macquarie University
Nov 2019 → Jan 2020
Research Assistant, Vasishth Lab, University of Potsdam
Apr 2017 → Jun 2018
Research Assistant, NOLA Lab, University of Potsdam
Jul 2016 → Aug 2018
Keywords
- Neuroscience
- Psycholinguistics
- Psychology of memory & learning
- Psychology
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 4 Quality Education
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Assessing text experience in British primary school children: New validated title and author recognition tests
Cooper, H., Korochkina, M., Brysbaert, M. & Rastle, K., 23 Jan 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 27 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Downloads (Pure) -
Morphemes in the wild: Modelling affix learning from the noisy landscape of natural text
Korochkina, M., Marelli, M. & Rastle, K., Apr 2026, In: Journal of Memory and Language. 148, 104746.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Inadequate Foundational Decoding Skills Constrain Global Literacy Goals for Pupils in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Crawford, M., Raheel, N., Korochkina, M. & Rastle, K., Jan 2025, In: Nature Human Behaviour. 9, p. 74-83 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Morpheme knowledge is shaped by information available through orthography
Korochkina, M., Cooper, H., Brysbaert, M. & Rastle, K., 8 Dec 2025, In: Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. 33, 3.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Morphology in children's books, and what it means for learning
Korochkina, M. & Rastle, K., 5 May 2025, In: NPJ science of learning. 10, 22.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access
Activities
- 3 Public engagement, outreach and knowledge exchange - Public Lecture/debate/seminar
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Research & Practice Event 2025: The words children and young people encounter when they read for pleasure, and what it means for learning
Korochkina, M. (Participant)
27 Jun 2025Activity: Other › Public engagement, outreach and knowledge exchange - Public Lecture/debate/seminar
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Words in books: A challenge, a blessing, or both?
Korochkina, M. (Participant) & Rastle, K. (Participant)
7 Sept 2024Activity: Other › Public engagement, outreach and knowledge exchange - Public Lecture/debate/seminar
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Research & Practice Event 2024: What does it take to read and understand the GCSE English Literature texts?
Korochkina, M. (Participant)
21 Jun 2024Activity: Other › Public engagement, outreach and knowledge exchange - Public Lecture/debate/seminar
Prizes
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Student Researcher Credibility Prize
Korochkina, M. (Recipient), 15 Feb 2023
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)