Dr Gregory Dickson is an Honorary Lecturer at the School of Culture, History & Language, Australian National University. His work centers on Australian Kriol, Pidgin and Creole Languages, and sociolinguistics, with a focus on Indigenous languages and their documentation. PhD (Australian National University) BA (Hons) (University of Queensland) Certified Provisional Interpreter (Kriol-English) (NAATI) Gregory’s research spans language variation, dialectology, and bilingual education, emphasizing Australian Aboriginal Languages and endangered language revitalisation. His recent publications explore sociolinguistic trends, reflexive structures in Kriol, and translation practices within Indigenous communities. A notable project, Stories from the saltwater as told by the old Marra ladies (2010–2011), highlights his commitment to community linguistics. His email contact is Greg.Dickson@anu.edu.au.
Carmel O’Shannessy is a Senior Lecturer at the Australian National University’s School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics and an affiliate of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language (CoEDL) . Her work focuses on language contact, mixed languages, and child language acquisition, particularly in Indigenous Australian communities. Education: PhD in Linguistics (University of Sydney, Australia; Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, The Netherlands, 2007) She has documented the development of Light Warlpiri , a new mixed language, since its emergence. Her research explores how children and adults contribute to contact-induced language change, with fieldwork in Central Australia since 1996. Key projects include her ARC Future Fellowship grant for tracking Indigenous children’s language development. Recent publications span topics like typology of Australian contact languages, child-directed speech modifications in Warlpiri, and sociolinguistic dynamics of youth language varieties. Her work appears in journals such as Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages and Languages , as well as edited volumes like The Oxford Guide to Australian Languages . Scientific Awards: ARC Future Fellowship She has mentored students including Francois-Xavier Faucounau , Annie Kwai , and Zobule . Her interdisciplinary approach combines linguistic analysis, digital tools (e.g., the Little Kids Learning Languages app), and community collaboration. Labs/Teams: ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language (CoEDL)
Dr. Alpha Bah is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), School of Electrical and Data Engineering, where he has been employed since 2019. He holds appointments as Senior Research Fellow (March 2022-present), Post Doctoral Research Fellow (December 2019-February 2022), and Research Associate (February-December 2019). He is also a member of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, Global Big Data Technologies Centre (GBDTC), and the School of Electrical and Data Engineering at UTS. Dr. Bah completed his PhD at UTS in 2019, following an MEng from Queensland University of Technology in 2013. His academic journey represents a transition from 17 years of industry experience in telecommunications (1998-2015) at companies including Optus, Telstra, Xstrata, and Thiess, where he gained extensive hands-on experience in network design, installation, and project management. His research focuses on advanced antenna technologies, particularly wideband antenna arrays, metamaterial-enhanced antennas, and RF subsystems. Dr. Bah is recognized as a pioneer in wideband antenna arrays in Australia and a worldwide expert in this field. His work spans theoretical design, fabrication, and extensive measurement of RF subsystems and antennas in both near and far fields, with expertise in electromagnetic simulation software including Ansys HFSS, CST, and ADS. Analysis of Dr. Bah's publication record reveals a consistent focus on enabling wideband operation and wide-angle scanning capabilities in antenna arrays. His research demonstrates innovative approaches to metasurface applications, impedance matching, and feed network design across multiple frequency bands. The publications show a progression from fundamental balun and feed network designs to sophisticated array implementations with exceptional scanning capabilities and bandwidth performance. Multifunction Aperture (MFA) Program funding in collaboration with DSTG Australian Postgraduate Award CSIRO flagship top up scholarship Space Environment Research Centre industry scholarship Reconfigurable Ultrawideband Tightly Coupled Arrays grant CSIRO post graduate top up scholarship Dr. Bah serves as Lead Engineer and Chief Investigator for a highly sensitive multiparty defense project involving 5 universities, 4 industry partners, and the Commonwealth of Australia, which has secured over $3 million in funding for UTS. He is available for Masters/PhD student supervision, collaborative projects, industry projects, advisory committee membership, teaching provision, and career advice. His language capabilities include English (full professional proficiency) and Fulah (full professional proficiency), along with Creoles and pidgins English based.
Professor Felicity Meakins is a leading linguist specializing in Australian Indigenous languages, holding a professorship at the University of Queensland's School of Languages and Cultures . She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences Australia and the Australian Academy of Humanities , and a Fulbright Senior Scholar for 2025-2026. Education: Bachelor (Honours) of Arts, University of Queensland (1995-2001) Doctor of Philosophy, University of Melbourne (2008) Research Interests: Professor Meakins's research spans language documentation , sociolinguistics , morphology , and language contact . She focuses on Australian languages like Gurindji, Bilinarra, Ngarinyman, and Mudburra, exploring language ecologies, endangerment, and shift. Her work delves into mixed languages, creole languages, code-switching, and language convergence. Recent Research Trends: Her recent publications highlight interdisciplinary approaches to understanding language evolution and contact processes. She explores the role of gender in language change, the dynamics of bilingual communities, and the intersection of Indigenous Knowledges and Western Science. Her work on canine words in northern Australia ('Dingo Lingo') exemplifies this integrative approach. Scientific Awards: Eureka Award for Interdisciplinary Scientific Research (2021) Kenneth L Hale Award for linguistic fieldwork (2021) Prime Minister's Literary Award for Children's Literature (2024) Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences Australia (ASSA) Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities (AAH) Australian Fulbright Senior Scholar (2025-2026) Advising and Grants: Professor Meakins is actively involved in supervising postgraduate students, including PhD and Master's candidates, on topics ranging from language revitalization to grammatical descriptions of Indigenous languages. She has secured significant funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC) for projects like 'Dingo Lingo' and 'Amplifying Indigenous Ecological Knowledge in Western Science with Language'. Collaborations and Outreach: Her work is deeply collaborative, involving Indigenous communities, artists, and scientists. She has co-authored dictionaries, grammars, and ethnobiologies, and produced multimedia resources like films and posters to support language preservation and education.
Katharina Froedrich is a Doctor of Philosophy candidate and Research Assistant at The University of Western Australia's School of Social Sciences, specializing in sociolinguistics with a focus on Aboriginal English in the Pilbara region. As a Forrest Research Foundation scholar, she employs participatory research methodologies to challenge power dynamics in academic-community relationships while examining Indigenous language repertoires. Her research interests span sociolinguistics, language contact studies, and decolonial methodologies, with particular emphasis on: Aboriginal English and Kriol language variation Code-switching and style-shifting in multilingual communities Decolonizing linguistic curricula through community engagement Developing inclusive AI technologies for First Nations communities Her work integrates linguistic analysis with social justice imperatives, focusing on culturally safe research practices. Froedrich has received significant recognition including: Forrest Research Foundation Scholarship (2024-2028) UWA International Fee Scholarship (2024-2028) Australian Government RTP Stipend (2024-2028) Anglumni Book Grant (2021) Her publications demonstrate expertise in Australian English pragmatics and decolonial curriculum development, with emerging research on AI inclusivity. As a Language Lab member, she actively collaborates with Indigenous communities through the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura Aboriginal Corporation, while serving on the GRS HDR Student Consultative Committee. Her teaching portfolio includes CELTA-certified English instruction and linguistics tutorials developed during her Master's at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
Danielle Barth is an Associate Professor at the School of Culture, History and Language at Australian National University. She holds a BA in Linguistics from Rice University, MA in Linguistics from University of Oregon, and PhD in Linguistics from University of Oregon. Her research focuses on quantitative corpus linguistics, typology, and linguistic variation in minority and endangered languages, particularly languages of Papua New Guinea and the Pacific region. She directs the Barth Lab for Corpus Linguistics and leads projects including Matukar Panau Language Documentation and the Social Cognition Parallax Interview Corpus (SCOPIC). She currently supervises multiple PhD students working on corpus-based documentation and usage-based variation projects. Her textbook 'Understanding Corpus Linguistics' provides foundational knowledge in the field.
