Mandy Wigdorowitz

Dr. Mandy Wigdorowitz serves as Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics within the Department of Modern Languages & Classics at the University of Alabama, where her work bridges linguistic theory with cognitive and social dimensions of language use.

Her academic foundation includes:

• PhD in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, University of Cambridge (2022)
• MA in Social and Psychological Research (Research Psychology), University of the Witwatersrand (2016)
• BSc Hons in General Psychology, University of the Witwatersrand (2014)
• BSc in Psychology and Physiology, University of the Witwatersrand (2013)

Her research program critically examines psycholinguistic mechanisms in bi/multilingual contexts, with specialized focus on contextual linguistic diversity, sociolinguistic profiling, and codeswitching phenomena. She pioneers methodological innovations for measuring linguistic diversity beyond individual proficiency metrics, while championing open research practices as Senior Editor of the Journal of Open Humanities Data. Current investigations explore how sociocultural environments shape language processing and cognitive outcomes.

Analysis of her 2019-2024 publications reveals consistent emphasis on contextual factors in bilingual cognition, demonstrating how sociolinguistic environments (e.g., South Africa vs. England) and cognitive mechanisms (e.g., inhibitory control) interact in language comprehension. Her work establishes robust frameworks for measuring contextual diversity while identifying multilingual advantages in executive functions like working memory, significantly advancing ecological validity in bilingualism research.

Dr. Wigdorowitz actively contributes to scholarly infrastructure through editorial leadership in open science initiatives, though specific grant funding or student mentorship details remain unreported in available materials.