January 31, 2026
LRDC Senior Scientist Tessa Warren has been appointed a Faculty Fellow by University of Pittsburgh Provost Joseph McCarthy, effective February 1, 2026. In her new role, Dr. Warren will collaborate closely with the Graduate Studies team in the Office of the Provost. Her work will focus on advancing shared understanding and effective practices related to graduate education and mentorship, as well as further strengthening productive, respectful working relationships across the University. She will report to Amanda Godley, Vice Provost for Graduate Studies.
A Faculty Fellow is a designation for University of Pittsburgh faculty members chosen to participate in specialized programs that enhance research, teaching, or service, often involving course release time, funding for scholarly activities, and mentorship roles within specific centers or colleges. These roles are prestigious, frequently focusing on interdisciplinary work, such as the Humanities Center, Frederick Honors College, or sustainability initiatives.
Warren is a professor in the Department of Psychology and holds affiliated faculty appointments in the Departments of Linguistics and Communication Science and Disorders. She is also a senior scientist at the Learning Research & Development Center. Warren earned her PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has established a strong record of interdisciplinary scholarship, teaching, and service across her academic roles.
Warren's research focuses on how people understand language, drawing on insights from formal linguistics and cognitive psychology to examine how readers and listeners construct meaning from language in context. Her work has contributed significantly to our understanding of language processing and reflects a deep commitment to collaborative, cross-disciplinary inquiry.
