Lynn Eekhof

Lynn is a PhD student at the Narrative, Cognition and Communication research group, based at the Centre for Language Studies (Radboud University). After studying the tiny bits and pieces that make up language during her bachelor and part of her research master at Utrecht University, Lynn became interested in the way we process language in natural but complex settings such as stories, poetry and in music. For her PhD, Lynn studies how story reading and social-cognitive abilities such as empathy are related: what do we experience during reading? How does language in stories help us to make sense of the inner worlds of story characters? And can reading stories help us understand others in our daily lives? To study these questions, she uses experimental methods such as eye tracking, combined with analyses and insights from narratology. Besides doing research, Lynn also enjoys teaching, both to university students and high school students who are interested in science.

Lynn does her PhD part-time, and spends the rest of her time singing (in choirs), knitting, reading and fighting for climate justice.