Rob Pensalfini

Associate Professor Rob Pensalfini holds dual appointments in the School of Communication and Arts and School of Languages and Cultures at the University of Queensland. He is an Affiliate of the Centre for Critical and Creative Writing. His academic career began with a PhD in Theoretical Linguistics from MIT (1997), followed by Visiting Assistant Professorship at the University of Chicago before joining UQ in 1999. Promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2003 and Associate Professor in 2016, his work bridges linguistics and drama, particularly focusing on Indigenous Australian languages (Jingulu/Mudburra) and innovative prison-based Shakespeare performances.

Education:

• PhD in Theoretical Linguistics, MIT, 1997
• Fieldwork-based research in Northern Territory's Barkly Tableland

Research interests:

• Documentation of endangered Indigenous languages
• Language contact phenomena between Jingulu/Mudburra
• Shakespearean performance in correctional facilities
• Phonological typology and morphosyntactic theory
• Interdisciplinary links between linguistics and theatre

Leadership roles:

• Founder of Australia's longest-running Prison Shakespeare program
• Artistic Director of Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble
• Co-lead on biocultural knowledge projects with Indigenous communities

Labs/Initiatives:

• Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble
• Prison Shakespeare Project (since 2008)
• Collaborations with Batchelor Institute on Indigenous language preservation