Dr. Dirk den Ouden

Dr. Dirk den Ouden is Professor and Chair of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Chapman University, where he directs the Chapman Aphasia & Neurolinguistics Lab (CHANL). Previously, he was at Northwestern University (as a research associate, 2005-2010) and at the University of South Carolina (as faculty, 2010-2025). Trained in linguistics and neurolinguistics at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, his research focuses on the neurobiology of language. As such, he is interested in the neural and cognitive mechanisms that underlie language production and comprehension, particularly in people with aphasia and related speech and language disorders, as well in the recovery of these functions after stroke. Using methods ranging from lesion-symptom mapping and fMRI to electrophysiology and neuromodulation, he has published widely on topics such as verb and sentence processing, argument structure, phonological encoding, apraxia of speech, and recovery of function after stroke. His more recent work includes interdisciplinary approaches to language rehabilitation, such as participatory drama projects with people with aphasia, and brain stimulation studies targeting verb processing.