Voice and speech acoustics
Humans are a speaking species, and yet we know surprisingly little about the genetic components of voice and speech in humans. At deCODE Genetics, I have investigated the phenotypic and genetic correlates of voice and speech acoustics in a sample of 13,000 Icelanders, focusing on fundamental frequency, vowel formants and voice quality. First results have been published in Science Advances. We discovered the first genetic locus for voice pitch - common sequence variants in ABCC9 - and found that vowel acoustics also have a heritable component. This received considerable media attention, including in Nature. 

Musicality
In 2019 I started the deCODE Musicality Project, collecting data on beat and tone perception in 20,000 Icelanders with the aim to understand the genetics of human musicality. As a linguist, I am particularly interested in the relationship between music and language at phenotypic and genetic levels. First results from the project are in preparation for publication.  I am also a member of the inspiring Musicality Genomics Consortium, in which I contribute to GWAS meta-analyses of self-reported musicality measures.

Language
My ultimate aim is to better understand the genetic factors underpinning language and communication. I am involved in several projects investigating the genetics of language-related traits, including research on the genetic propensity for phonological ability and its association with personality and health.

Olfaction and olfactory language
Inspired by research on olfactory language, I conducted a genome-wide association study on odor perception and naming at deCODE Genetics, discovering sequence variants associated with the perception and naming of fish, cinnamon and licorice odors. The findings were discussed in Nature and New Scientist, and I was interviewed in the New York Times.

Pragmatics
The ability to understand the function of an utterance in context, i.e., what speech act is being performed, is a critical aspect of successful communication. For my PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, I used cognitive neuroscience methods (EEG) to investigate indirect speech act comprehension. The findings show that the processing of indirect meaning begins as soon as possible and involves anticipatory processes.

Conversation
What aspects of turn-taking and conversation are universal across languages and cultures? I contributed to research on this question at the Max Planck for Psycholinguistics, taking part in a cross-linguistic study on the repair of communication problems (e.g., huh? What?) in a sample of 12 languages. I investigated the linguistic practices for repair in Icelandic conversation and contributed to the collaborative project, which revealed universal principles in the repair of communication problems and received considerable media attention, including in the New York Times (see also this wonderful Youtube compilation).