Dan Xu Song

Prof. Dr. Dan Xu Song is a Professor and Head of the ERC project at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany (since 2022). Previously, he held positions at the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (INALCO) in France, including Exceptional Category Professor (2013–present) and Full Professor (2003–2013). His research focuses on language typology, diachronic syntax in Chinese, language contacts, and interdisciplinary studies linking language to genetics. He leads the ERC-funded TRAM project (2021–2027), investigating language and population mixing in the Gansu-Qinghai area through linguistics, molecular anthropology, and archaeology.

• Awards: Member of Academia Europaea (2021), Senior Member of IUF (2009–2014).
• Grants: ERC-AdG TRAM (2021–2027), ANR-funded projects, and collaborations with Chinese and Hong Kong institutions.

His research integrates linguistics with genetics and history, exploring how nomadic and agrarian populations influenced language evolution in China’s northwest. He founded the Neurolinguistics Lab, focusing on interdisciplinary studies of language structure and its societal impacts.