Assistant Professor
Department of Communication Disorders
646-7687
mbraff@nmsu.edu
Lab: NeuroLing Lab
Biography
Dr. Rafferty received his Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and his B.A. in Anthropology from Lee University. He joined the Department of Communication Disorders at New Mexico State University as an Assistant Professor in 2023.
Dr. Rafferty’s research investigates how the brain supports language comprehension, with a focus on the neural dynamics underlying syntactic and semantic processing in both healthy adults and individuals with language impairments resulting from stroke and neurodegenerative disease. His work combines electrophysiology (EEG) with computational language modeling to understand how linguistic information is encoded in the brain during naturalistic communication.
At NMSU, Dr. Rafferty teaches courses on Neurogenic Communication Disorders, Cognitive Communication Disorders, Anatomy and Physiology of Speech Mechanisms, and the Neural Bases of Communication Disorders.
Areas of interest
Dr. Rafferty’s research explores:
- Adaptive neural mechanisms of language comprehension and sentence processing
- Electrophysiological biomarkers of healthy aging, aphasia, and neurodegenerative language disorders
- Applications of artificial intelligence and computational modeling to study natural communication
- Brain mechanisms that support speech perception in bilingual speakers
Recent Publications
Rafferty, M. B., Saltuklaroglu, T., Paek, E. J., Reilly, K. J., Jenson, D., Thornton, D., & Casenhiser, D. M. (2024). Syntactic constructions drive cortical tracking in the absence of lexical content: an electrophysiological investigation of sentence processing during reading. Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 1–12.
Rafferty, M. B., Saltuklaroglu, T., Reilly, K.J., Paek, E. J., & Casenhiser, D. M. (2023). Neural synchrony reflects closure of jabberwocky noun phrases but not predictable pseudoword sequences. European Journal of Neuroscience, 57(11), 1834-1847.
Brown, E., Bowers, A., Rafferty, M. B., Harkrider, A.W., Casenhiser, D.M., Reilly, K.J., Saltuklaroglu, T. (2024). Influences of speaking task demands on sensorimotor oscillations in adults who stutter: Implications for speech motor control. Clinical Neurophysiology.
Selected Recognitions
Lessons for Success Research Protégé, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), 2025
Emerging Scholars Award, New Mexico State University, 2023–2025
NIH-NIDCD Research Symposium in Clinical Aphasiology Fellow, 2023
