Mary Paster (PhD UC Berkeley, 2006) is Assistant Professor and Chair of the Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science at Pomona College in Claremont, California. Her research focuses on phonology and morphology, and their interface. She specializes in the study of African languages, particularly their tone systems. She has published in such journals as Phonology, Yearbook of Morphology (now Morphology), Word Structure, and Studies in African Linguistics.

The Crosslinguistic Investigations in Syntax-Phonology Research Cluster is a research cluster of the Institute for Humanities Research, which has provided staff support for this event. Sponsored by the UC Humanities Network.