About
Li Wei is a Professor of Applied Linguistics and serves as Director and Dean of the UCL Institute of Education at University College London (since 2021). Previously, he held positions such as Pro-Vice-Master at Birkbeck, University of London (2011–2014), and Professor of Applied Linguistics at both Birkbeck and Newcastle University. He is a Fellow of the British Academy (2021) and the Academy of Social Sciences (2010). His research focuses on bilingualism, multilingualism, translanguaging, and sociolinguistic practices in transnational contexts.
Li Wei’s education includes a PhD in Speech Sciences from Newcastle University (1991), an MA in English Language Studies (Distinction, 1988), and a BA from Beijing Normal University (1985). He has led or co-led over £4 million in externally funded projects, including studies on bilingualism’s cognitive effects and translanguaging in superdiverse urban areas.
Key contributions include the influential book Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and Education (2014) and pioneering work on family language policy. His awards include two British Association of Applied Linguistics book prizes (2008, 2014) and multiple grants from the Leverhulme Trust, ESRC, and AHRC.
