Brandeis Stories

By Mary Horan
December 9, 2025

When Ben Lambright ’24, MS’25 introduces himself, he keeps it simple: He’s a Brandeis student completing his master’s degree in computational linguistics.

But the work he’s doing is anything but simple.

“Computational linguistics is the study of language and grammar from a computational perspective,” he explains. “We build large databases and computer algorithms to model language and automate processes that rely on it.”

Lambright discovered the field as an undergraduate at Brandeis majoring in both computer science and linguistics. The strong relationships he built with faculty and the research he began as an undergrad made continuing at Brandeis an easy choice.

“I had a great experience here,” he says. “I knew the professors, and I knew I could keep doing the research I started.”

Using AI to build better prosthetics

Lambright’s master’s capstone brings together his interests in language, computing and real-world problem solving. He’s designing tools to help create accessible, 3D-printable prosthetic hands for children across the U.S.

“I’m using AI to help resize 3D-printable prosthetic hands,” he says. “I’m building a chatbot and integrating different AI components to make the process more patient-friendly and easier for the average person to understand.”

The goal: Make prosthetic support more accessible, affordable and intuitive for families who need it.

Why he recommends the program

For Lambright, the strongest part of the computational linguistics program is the tight-knit community.

“The community is great. It’s small, so you really build strong friendships and connections,” he says. “I actually heard about my job through a friend in the program. The network is tight, and the classes feel approachable when you’re working together with your classmates.”

His work at Brandeis has already opened doors. “Last week, I accepted an offer at Babel Street, a company that processes large amounts of text data,” Lambright shares.

He also highlights the straightforward application process. “The application had two parts: a statement of purpose, and a holistic review of your undergraduate work,” he explains.

And even now, Lambright continues to find new parts of the field to explore. He’s currently auditing a course in automatic speech recognition.

“It looks at how audio is processed across languages and accents,” he says. “The course walks through the math and algorithms behind the models that ensure text is processed correctly.”

Now finishing his master’s, Lambright is taking the research foundations he built as an undergraduate into a new phase of applied work, moving from classroom exploration to real-world applications in language and technology.