Kaili Vesik

Postdoctoral Fellow 
Email: kaili_vesik@sfu.ca

Dr. Kaili Vesik has been awarded a two-year Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) postdoctoral fellowship. Her project is titled Leveraging computational models to predict challenges and successes in human second language acquisition. Vesik will be working with Ashley Farris-Trimble at the Phonological Processing Lab.  

Vesik's research interests include computational phonology, mathematics, typology and learnability of vowel patterns in Finnic languages. You can read her dissertation here: Gradual error-driven learning and typology of Finnic vowel interactions.

“I’m Kaili Vesik, a computational phonologist having recently completed my PhD in the Linguistics department at the University of British Columbia. I have a background in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Education, and my current focus is on typology and learnability of vowel patterns in Finnic languages. I defended my dissertation in June 2025. My extracurricular interests include sewing, reading, singing, dancing, running, hiking, and skiing. Curious about how to pronounce my name? You’ve got two options! I introduce myself to Estonian speakers as [kɑili vesik] and to English speakers as [kʰaɪli vɛsɪk].”