Samuel D. Epstein

Professor Samuel Epstein is a faculty member in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Michigan's

• College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

, holding the Arthur F. Thurnau Professorship. He also serves as Director of the Weinberg Institute for Cognitive Science.

His research focuses on syntax, language variation, universal grammar, and computational efficiency in linguistic theory. He explores how underspecification and interface conditions generate cross-linguistic and intra-linguistic variation, particularly in Creole languages, tense agreement, and dialectical phenomena.

Epstein delivered a talk titled “The Nature of Nurture and Non-Linguistic Language Variation” at the University of Arizona in Spring 2017, highlighting his hypothesis that syntactic variation arises from computationally efficient derivation rather than stipulated parameters of Universal Grammar.

His notable honors include the Arthur F. Thurnau Professorship, awarded for teaching excellence and contributions to cognitive science and linguistics. Collaborative works with scholars like Hisao Kitahara, Daniel Seely, and others extend his theoretical frameworks.

Contact: sepstein@umich.edu.