The Paros Endowed Professorship was made possible by a generous gift from inventor and philanthropist Dr. Jerome “Jerry” Paros.
The University of Washington has announced the creation of the Paros Endowed Professorship in Brain Research in the College of Arts & Sciences, made possible by a generous gift from inventor and philanthropist Dr. Jerome “Jerry” Paros. This new professorship further establishes the UW’s leadership in learning and brain development, supports the groundbreaking work of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I‑LABS), and extends its research to neurodiverse populations. Dr. Tian Christina Zhao, an auditory neuroscientist and faculty member in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences and I-LABS, has been named the inaugural Paros Professor in Brain Research.
Housed within I‑LABS, the new professorship will support high-impact research at the intersection of music cognition, speech science, linguistics, developmental psychology and neuroscience. These fields are central to I‑LABS’ mission of understanding the foundations of human learning and translating scientific discovery into real‑world benefits for children, families, and communities.
Uncovering how people learn from sound
Dr. Zhao directs the Laboratory for Early Auditory Perception (LEAP), where she and her team study how infants’ and adults’ brains process the complex sounds of speech and music and how these auditory inputs influence cognitive sensorimotor brain systems. Her research uses behavioral methods alongside advanced neuroimaging tools such as EEG and MEG to reveal how the human brain responds to meaningful, socially engaged interactions.
Zhao’s research has demonstrated that interactive musical experiences can support infants’ neural processing of speech, which is one of the earliest measurable building blocks of language learning, and that adult musicians show enhanced processing of speech sounds. Her laboratory focuses on music and speech, both of which are ubiquitous in people’s lives, and share properties such as rhythm. Investigating neural processing of these complex sounds has helped her shed light on mechanisms for more efficient learning. With new funding from the Paros Brain Research Professorship, Dr. Zhao is extending her work to neurodivergent populations, including people with autism and ADHD, and will, in the future, explore the environmental and genetic factors that influence the brain signatures of complex auditory learning.
Zhao’s interdisciplinary training, spanning speech and hearing sciences, experimental psychology, biology and piano performance, deeply informs her approach. She also collaborates across campus and around the world, drawing on large datasets to better understand what people hear in their daily environments and how those experiences influence their brains.
In recognition of her work, Zhao was recently named a finalist for the NOMIS & Science Young Explorer Award, honoring emerging scientists whose ideas bridge disciplines and expand understanding of the human mind, and her essay on the importance of music in our lives was published in the journal Science in 2024.
“At I‑LABS, we’re committed to developing precision measurements of the human brain while a person processes complex information in order to identify the neural signatures of human learning. Our ultimate goal is to understand how humans learn so we can better support all children, families, and communities,” says Patricia Kuhl, Co-Director of I-LABS. “This generous investment from Jerry Paros strengthens that mission and allows us to advance precision brain science to neurodiverse populations, which is central to our future endeavors. We’re grateful for his vision and thrilled to see Dr. Zhao appointed to this professorship.
An investment in brain research at the UW
The Paros Endowed Professorship in Brain Research was established through a generous gift from Dr. Paros, a longtime supporter of scientific innovation and education at the University of Washington. Paros is a physicist and founder of Paroscientific, Inc., whose precision sensor technologies have strengthened scientific measurement across fields. His legacy of philanthropy at UW is rooted in a belief in rigorous science that directly benefits society.
The new professorship further solidifies this legacy by supporting research that bridges disciplines and deepens understanding of how the brain forms the foundations of language and cognition.
“The Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences is doing remarkable work to illuminate how the human brain processes complex information, and that’s why I chose to invest here,” remarks Dr. Paros, philanthropist, physicist and inventor. “Seeing Dr. Christina Zhao appointed as the inaugural professor gives me great confidence, as her research holds real promise for extending brain science to a broader range of people, including neurodivergent populations. This has the potential to improve the lives of children and families for many years to come.”
Advancing research for community impact
Early childhood is a period of extraordinary brain plasticity, and discoveries from I‑LABS have long shaped how educators, healthcare providers and families support children’s learning. The Paros Professorship will accelerate this impact empowering high‑risk, high‑reward research, strengthening collaborations across disciplines, and growing new initiatives at the intersection of sensorimotor processing, learning and human development.
This new funding will support Zhao and I-LABS as they seek to inform earlier identification of developmental differences, empower caregivers with science‑based strategies to support language and cognitive growth, and shape interventions that can alter an individual’s trajectory toward a successful life. In Washington and beyond, these insights can help build stronger foundations for children during the most important years of brain development.
“I’m honored to be the inaugural holder of the Paros Professorship in Brain Research,” says Dr. Christina Zhao, research assistant professor in I-LABS and Speech & Hearing Sciences. “This support strengthens and expands the work of the LEAP Lab and helps us deepen our understanding of how people process the sensory information around them. I’m grateful for this investment and excited for the impact our research can have in the years ahead.”