Marju Kaps is a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Edinburgh's School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences. Her research focuses on psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology, and experimental syntax, with a particular emphasis on information structure and language processing in Estonian and other languages. She holds a PhD in Linguistics from UCLA and an MA (Hons) in Psychology and Linguistics from the University of Edinburgh. Education: PhD in Linguistics, University of California, Los Angeles MA (Hons) in Psychology and Linguistics, University of Edinburgh Research Interests: Dr. Kaps investigates how syntactic structures and information packaging (e.g., contrastive topics, ellipsis) interact with real-time language processing. Her work employs eye-tracking, pupillometry, and experimental methods to study phenomena in Estonian and other languages, addressing questions about agreement systems, word order flexibility, and the cognitive mechanisms underlying sentence comprehension. Teaching: She teaches undergraduate courses on data analysis in R for psychology students and postgraduate modules on the psychology and neuroscience of language. As of 2024, she is not accepting new PhD supervision inquiries.
Sean Trott is Assistant Teaching Professor in Cognitive Science at UC San Diego, specializing in language comprehension, computational modeling, and large language models. His research examines how humans and language models represent meaning and resolve ambiguity. Research combines behavioral experiments, corpus analysis, and LLM probing to investigate lexical ambiguity, context effects, and semantic representation. Current projects explore cognitive plausibility of LLMs and computational accounts of language processing. Publications analyze word meaning representation, theory of mind capabilities in LLMs, cross-linguistic differences in language processing, and educational applications of large language models. Recent work appears in Psychological Review, Cognitive Science, and ACL proceedings. Teaching covers computational social science, programming, statistics, and language-related courses. Developed the RAW-C dataset for studying ambiguous words in context. Maintains the Counterfactual newsletter on cognitive science and AI. Laboratory develops methods for using LLMs as cognitive models and evaluates their alignment with human language processing.
Prof. Marije Michel is a Full Professor of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and Chair of Language Learning at the Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen. She holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Amsterdam (2011) and previously held teaching positions at Lancaster University and German universities. Her research focuses on second language processing, task-based language teaching (TBLT), and digitally mediated language learning. She leads the Language Learning team within the European Languages and Cultures program, overseeing language courses in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. Research interests include alignment in language interaction, cognitive task demands, and multilingualism in education. She has published extensively on L2 acquisition mechanisms, pedagogical task design, and technology-enhanced language learning. Major awards include the Faculty of Arts Impact Award (2022) and the Nuffic Europees Talenlabel Prize (2022). She supervises multiple PhD candidates and leads projects like the English Academy for Newcomers, providing language education for highly educated refugees. Key academic roles include membership in the European Second Language Association (EuroSLA), International Association of Task-based Language Teaching (IATBLT), and the Dutch Meesterschapsteam Moderne Vreemde Talen. She contributes to editorial boards of journals like System and Journal of Second Language Writing . Her recent work explores AI applications in collaborative writing and psychotypological perceptions of language distance.
Dr. Misha Becker is a Professor and Chair in the Linguistics Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on syntactic theory, first language acquisition, bilingualism, and language revitalization. She has authored/co-authored influential textbooks such as *Language Acquisition and Development: A Generative Introduction* (MIT Press, 2020) and *The Acquisition of Syntactic Structure: Animacy and Thematic Alignment* (Cambridge, 2014). Her work explores how children acquire syntactic displacement structures, emotion adjectives, and abstract verbs through mechanisms involving animacy cues and linguistic context. Her recent collaborations include projects with the New Kituwah Academy for Cherokee language revitalization and studies on Basque language attitudes in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. She teaches courses on language acquisition, bilingualism, and sociolinguistics. The UNC Language Development Lab, under her direction, investigates child language development through experimental methodologies. Key research themes include: syntactic learnability puzzles, language revitalization strategies, and interdisciplinary approaches to emotion word acquisition. Her work bridges formal syntax theory with empirical child language data, often employing computational models and cross-linguistic comparisons.
Antti Arppe is an Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Alberta, Faculty of Arts. His research focuses on computational methods in linguistic analysis, particularly applied to endangered and Indigenous languages. He teaches courses like LING 325 - Writing Systems, exploring the historical and typological dimensions of writing systems and their cognitive impacts. His work integrates formal linguistic theory with advanced computational tools, addressing challenges in morphosyntax, phonology, and language documentation. Key research areas include: computational modeling of polysynthetic languages (e.g., Plains Cree), finite-state methods for morphological analysis, and developing open-source tools like DescTools for descriptive statistics. Arppe collaborates with Indigenous communities to create language revitalization technologies, including speech databases and interactive learning platforms. His contributions bridge academic linguistics with practical applications in language preservation and pedagogy. Recent projects highlight innovations in AI for endangered languages, such as evaluating neural ASR robustness for morphologically complex systems and leveraging word embeddings to enhance low-resource language tools. He actively participates in workshops and conferences on computational methods in endangered language studies, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration between linguists, technologists, and community stakeholders. Teaching emphasizes connecting theoretical linguistic concepts to real-world applications, with courses addressing writing systems’ sociocultural roles and technical dimensions. His publications span over two decades, demonstrating sustained engagement with both foundational linguistic theory and cutting-edge computational methodologies.
Nathan Hill is a Professor at Trinity College Dublin, holding the Sam Lam Professorship in Chinese Studies and serving as Director of the Trinity Centre for Asian Studies. He previously taught at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, where he was Head of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures and Director of the London Confucius Institute. Educational Background: Ph.D. in Linguistics, Harvard University, 2009 Nathan Hill specializes in Sino-Tibetan historical linguistics, with a focus on Tibetan, Burmese, and Chinese. His research spans Old Tibetan descriptive and corpus linguistics, Tibeto-Burman comparative linguistics, historical phonology, and the typology of evidential systems. He integrates computational methods with traditional philology to reconstruct ancestral languages and develop tools for endangered language communities. His recent work includes automated phonological reconstruction, NLP pipelines for Tibetan and Newar, and critical reassessments of Old Chinese reconstruction methodologies. His publications reveal consistent engagement with sound change, morphological evolution, and syntactic-pragmatic features across Sino-Tibetan languages. He frequently collaborates on interdisciplinary projects combining linguistic theory, digital humanities, and language technology. His recent articles highlight trends toward computational modeling, uncertainty quantification in reconstruction, and practical applications in text recognition and language processing for under-resourced languages. Scientific Awards: Li Fang-Kuei Society for Chinese Linguistics, Young Scholar (2018) Li Fang-Kuei Society for Chinese Linguistics, Young Scholar (2013) China Times Young Scholars Award (2008) Nathan Hill actively mentors doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, supervising work on language documentation, computational modeling, and historical analysis. He has led major research projects funded by the European Research Council, the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the British Academy, securing over €11 million in funding. His projects have produced practical tools such as part-of-speech taggers, predictive keyboards for minority languages, and text recognition systems, with real-world impact recognized in the UK's Research Excellence Framework. He is involved in several research labs and collaborative teams, including those developing NLP tools for low-resource Sino-Tibetan languages, corpus creation initiatives, and computational reconstruction frameworks. His future work continues to bridge philological rigor with computational innovation, aiming to elevate the study of Sino-Tibetan languages to the level of classical Indo-European traditions.
Hnin Tun San San serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Southeast Asia and the Pacific at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO) in Paris. Her teaching portfolio includes comprehensive Burmese language instruction from introductory oral courses to advanced literature studies, alongside cross-curricular world languages education. She specializes in practical language acquisition and cultural contextualization within Southeast Asian linguistic frameworks. Her research centers on Burmese pragmatics with particular focus on enunciative particles, discourse markers, and politeness strategies. Employing corpus linguistics methodologies, she investigates how micro-linguistic elements shape discourse coherence and social interaction in Burmese. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with language pedagogy, examining grammatical structures through pragmatic lenses while contributing to the documentation of Myanmar's linguistic diversity including Danu, Jingpho, and Karen languages. Analysis of her 2011-2024 publications reveals sustained investigation into Burmese grammatical architecture, with evolving emphasis from core syntax (subject marking, tense systems) toward discourse-level phenomena. Her scholarship demonstrates consistent integration of descriptive linguistics with practical language teaching applications, reflected in both theoretical journal articles and authoritative reference works like the Burmese Comprehensive Grammar. This dual trajectory positions her at the intersection of linguistic theory and language education methodology. She actively participates in the LACITO research team (Langues et Civilisations à Tradition Orale), contributing to projects focused on oral tradition languages and minority language documentation through resources like the Pangloss corpus.
Elvyra Petrašiūnienė serves as a Lecturer at the Institute of Applied Linguistics within Vilnius University's Faculty of Philology, where she has taught since 2019 after previously holding positions in the Department of Lithuanian Studies (1994-2019). Her instructional portfolio spans Lithuanian grammar (B2-C1 levels), introductory courses for Erasmus and medical students, and specialized evening programs, reflecting deep engagement with diverse learner needs across academic and community contexts. Education: Philologist, Lithuanian language and literature teacher, Vilnius University, 1983 Her research centers on innovating Lithuanian language pedagogy through corpus linguistics and standardized testing frameworks. Current initiatives emphasize practical applications in multicultural settings, including refugee education and EU-funded digital course development. Methodological expertise is demonstrated through co-authored frameworks like the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages adaptation (2008) and State Language Proficiency Examination guidelines (2002). Publication trends reveal sustained focus on structural linguistics (e.g., adjectival syntax analysis) evolving toward technology-enhanced learning, particularly subtitle-mediated acquisition strategies for multilingual audiences. This trajectory aligns with her leadership in projects like EU-funded "Lithuania Here and There" (2012-2014) and Ukrainian citizen language intensives (2022). Scientific Awards: No scientific awards documented in source materials Project leadership spans 15+ years of grant-funded initiatives, including European Social Fund collaborations developing language testing systems (2009-2011), Brazil-Lithuania online courses (2015), and multilingual business communication frameworks with German institutions (2009-2011). Current work involves coordinating Ukrainian language programs and Summer School of China activities, demonstrating ongoing institutional commitment to cross-cultural linguistic exchange. As a Lithuanian Applied Linguistics Association (LITAKA) member, she maintains active partnerships with Humboldt University, Frankfurt University, and international Baltistics networks, contributing to global Lithuanian language preservation through teacher training and digital resource development.
Raina Heaton is an Associate Professor in Native American Studies at the University of Oklahoma , with an additional role as Associate Curator of the Native American Languages Collection at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. Her work focuses on endangered language documentation, revitalization, and morphosyntactic typology, particularly antipassive constructions and syntactic ergativity. She teaches courses in language documentation, revitalization methods, and Native American languages. Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa M.A. in Linguistics from Tulane University B.S. in Linguistics from Tulane University Her research spans several key areas: language documentation , digital archiving , Enlhet-Enenlhet languages , Mayan linguistics , language acquisition , and language endangerment . She leads collaborative projects including the Tunica Language Project and Enenlhet Documentation Project , with a focus on creating accessible digital resources and community engagement. Her recent publications analyze syntactic phenomena in Mayan languages, digital humanities methodologies for Native American literature, and language acquisition strategies. She has received significant funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and institutional grants for these projects. Director of the Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair (2018–present) Board member of OU Humanities Forum (2022–2024, 2025–2026) OU Presidential Professor (2024) She actively collaborates with tribes across Oklahoma, focusing on digital repatriation of archival materials and language stewardship . Her sabbatical (2024–2025) will further these goals through extended research and community engagement efforts.
Matteo Tarsi is a Researcher at the Department of Nordic Languages , Uppsala University , focusing on historical linguistics and lexicology of Nordic languages, particularly Icelandic. His work spans loanword analysis, language purism, valency patterns, and medieval terminology. Research Areas: Medieval Icelandic lexicology, Gothic syntax, language contact, and Nordic textual traditions. Collaborations: Co-authored works with Chiara Zanchi (Gothic valency), Lasse Mårtensson (Scripta Islandica), and Giovanni Verri (Árni Magnússon's essays). Publications: Recent works include studies on Nordic element naming (2023), Gothic valency patterns (2021), and Icelandic language purism (2016-2022). Database Contributions: Co-created the PaVeDa Gothic valency dataset (2023) and Nordic loanword databases (2023).
Albert Wall is an Associate Professor of Romance Linguistics at the University of Vienna. His academic career spans institutions including the University of Tübingen, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Fluminense Federal University (UFF), and University of Zurich, where he worked on multiple Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) projects. Current role: Associate Professor at University of Vienna Prior roles: Assistant for Portuguese/Spanish Linguistics at Zurich University Education: Studies in Romance and Slavic Philology (Tübingen, Rio de Janeiro, Niterói) PhD: Completed in 2015 at Zurich Research Focus : Syntax and semantics of nominal phrases Bare nominals in Brazilian Portuguese Differential Object Marking (DOM) in Spanish and Portuguese Syntax-Phonology interface Experimental linguistics methodologies Publications include monographs and edited volumes on Brazilian Portuguese linguistics, DOM in Romance languages, and methodological approaches to micro-variation studies. His recent work analyzes DOM across Spanish varieties, semantic scales in Ibero-Romance, and language contact phenomena at the Uruguay-Brazil border. Academic Affiliations : Member of Societas Linguistica Europaea Collaborator with Johannes Kabatek and Philipp Obrist Contributor to conference proceedings and journals like Journal of Portuguese Linguistics
Spike Gildea is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Oregon’s College of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on descriptive and documentary linguistics, historical syntax, and phonology, with extensive work on Cariban languages of South America. He has advised numerous graduate students and contributed to collaborative projects like the NSF-funded Werikyana language documentation initiative. Education: Ph.D., Linguistics, University of Oregon (1992) M.A., Linguistics (Applied Linguistics), University of Oregon (1989) B.A., English Literature (cum laude), University of Oregon (1983) Peace Corps/Nepal TEFL Training (1983) Research: Gildea’s work spans Cariban language documentation, historical syntax reconstruction, and typological studies. He collaborates on projects like Trumai and Movima internal reconstruction and diachronic construction grammar. His recent articles explore pluractional markers, antipassive constructions, and copula systems in Amazonian languages. Grants & Advising: Gildea has secured NSF funding and advised over 15 graduate students, including those studying Trumai, Matses, and Kokama-Kokamilla. His mentorship spans multiple language families and revitalization efforts. Labs/Teams: Active in collaborative language documentation initiatives and interdisciplinary research on indigenous methodologies in language revitalization.
Coppe van Urk is a Reader in Linguistics at Queen Mary University of London, holding a PhD from MIT and affiliated with the School of Languages, Linguistics and Film. His academic profile shows active engagement with theoretical linguistics and regular office hours in ArtsOne 1.17B. Dr. van Urk's research centers on minimalist syntax with particular focus on understudied languages, especially Dinka and Austronesian languages. His work spans multiple linguistic domains including: Syntactic theory and operations Morphological systems across diverse languages Austronesian and Nilo-Saharan language families Constructed languages and their theoretical implications Cross-linguistic variation in syntactic phenomena Theoretical implications of language documentation His publication record demonstrates consistent theoretical engagement with syntax while drawing evidence from diverse linguistic sources. Van Urk frequently uses understudied languages like Dinka to reveal insights about universal grammar through language-specific phenomena, showing how syntactic operations interact with other components of grammar across diverse language families. His research bridges theoretical syntax with morphological and typological considerations. Dr. van Urk maintains an active research agenda with publications spanning from 2010 to 2024. His recent work including 'Constraining predicate fronting' (2024) continues his exploration of core syntactic operations. His research demonstrates methodological consistency in using language-specific phenomena to address broader theoretical questions in generative grammar.
Nel de Jong is a Lecturer at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam's Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, affiliated with the Network Institute. She coordinates the Academic Language Programme for Dutch and teaches in teacher training programs for Dutch as a second language. Her research focuses on second language acquisition, psycholinguistics, oral fluency, task-based teaching methods, and vocabulary assessment. Professional roles include directorships at Stichting Les (since 2018) and De Jong Taaladvies (since 2020). She previously served as an Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics, teaching courses like Psycholinguistics and Language Assessment in the Bachelor's and Master's programs. She has supervised PhD theses including Lisa Snakkers' 2017 study on vocabulary and Nadine Linger's 2018 work on vocabulary testing. Research interests span language learning mechanisms, particularly in syntax, vocabulary, and speaking skills. Key areas include the impact of teaching methods on language proficiency and the role of task repetition in fluency development. She has published widely on vocabulary testing instruments (e.g., WTN-Productief) and the effectiveness of instructional approaches like Processing Instruction. Notable achievements include the 2018 'NLS Online' grant for improving writing skills across disciplines. Her work emphasizes practical applications, such as developing online language support systems and standardized vocabulary assessments aligned with CEFR levels. Teaching contributions include revising educational materials for Dutch language courses and advising on academic writing across university programs. Her interdisciplinary collaborations involve projects like the Netherlands Urban Field Station, exploring language diversity's role in societal equity.
Dr. Nina Sangers is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam , within the Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences. Her research focuses on narrative and voice elements in educational materials, corpus studies of textbooks, and student engagement strategies. She explores how linguistic features like vividness and narrative structures influence learning outcomes and pedagogical practices. Key research areas include educational content design , textbook analysis , and language acquisition , with a particular emphasis on Dutch educational contexts. Her work bridges linguistics, cognitive science, and pedagogy, addressing topics such as syntactic processing, motivational factors in reading, and publisher policies. Recent projects include studies on reading behavior in higher education, narrative strategies in adult language education, and the implicit processing of passive constructions in child language. She collaborates with institutions like Stichting Lezen and co-authored reports on NT2 (Dutch as a Second Language) teaching practices. Nina teaches courses such as B-these Pedagogische Wetenschappen , Leerling, Onderwijs en Begeleiding , and Pedagogische- en Didactische Principes , emphasizing practical applications of her research. Her work is characterized by interdisciplinary methods, combining corpus linguistics, experimental studies, and qualitative analyses.
