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Silke Melanie GöbelView profile

Professor

• Mathematical Cognition
• Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
• Neural Correlates of Numerical Processing
• +3 more

Silke Melanie Göbel is a Professor II at the Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo (since 2019) and an Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology, University of York, UK (since 2015). She holds a DPhil in Experimental Psychology from the University of Oxford (2003), supervised by Professors Vincent Walsh and Matthew Rushworth. Her research focuses on mathematical cognition, including the neural correlates of numerical processing, developmental dyscalculia, and cross-linguistic influences on numerical skills. She leads the Numerical Cognition Lab at the University of York and directs the MSc course in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. Her work employs methods like fMRI, EEG, and rTMS to investigate how cultural and linguistic factors shape numerical understanding. She has published widely on topics such as arithmetic development, language effects in number processing, and the cognitive foundations of mathematical difficulties. Her research highlights the interplay between education, language, and numerical competence. She has contributed to understanding how reading direction and number word structure influence counting and arithmetic. Key interests include identifying predictors of arithmetic fluency and examining the role of executive functions in mathematical learning. Her recent work addresses longitudinal studies of numerical development and interventions for mathematical learning disabilities. Dr. Göbel’s articles span cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, and education, emphasizing cross-cultural comparisons and translational research. She has co-authored textbooks like An Introduction to Mathematical Cognition and edited volumes exploring cultural and linguistic impacts on numerical cognition. Her projects, such as iSeeNumbers , investigate individual differences in numeracy development linked to motivation and well-being.

Cathy Lonngren-SampaioView profile

Lecturer

• bilingualism
• codeswitching
• corpus linguistics
• +6 more

Dr. Cathy Lonngren-Sampaio is a Lecturer in English Language & Communication at the School of Creative Arts, University of Hertfordshire. She also collaborates with the Languages department to deliver beginner Spanish instruction to level 4 students. Her academic credentials include PhD, MA, BA, and PGCE qualifications. Her research focuses on bilingual language phenomena, particularly using corpus linguistic methodology to investigate bilingual language use. Her doctoral work examined code-switching in naturalistic spoken English/Portuguese (Brazilian) through a self-collected and coded corpus. She has expanded her research to incorporate eye-tracking technology to study word access in both bilingual children and adults. Her primary research areas include bilingualism, codeswitching, corpus linguistics, eye-tracking methodology, TEFL, phonetics and phonology, pragmatics, computer-mediated discourse, and grammar. She has conducted significant research on bilingual children's language patterns and visual word recognition processes. Dr. Lonngren-Sampaio led the research project 'Word Access in monolingual and bilingual speakers: An Eye Tracking Study' (2017-2018), which investigated word selection processes in monolingual and bilingual children and adults, contributing to understanding literacy development in bilingual contexts.

Naomi NagyView profile

Professor

• Sociolinguistics
• Language variation and change
• Heritage languages
• +5 more

Dr. Naomi Nagy is Professor and Chair of the Department of Linguistics at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Arts and Science. She teaches courses on sociolinguistics, language variation and change, and heritage languages at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Her academic career spans over two decades with previous appointments at the University of New Hampshire and visiting positions at institutions worldwide. Ph.D. in Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania (1996) B.A. cum Laude in Linguistics (with Honors) and French, Dartmouth College (1989) Dr. Nagy's research focuses on sociolinguistics, particularly language variation and change in heritage language contexts. She specializes in understanding language contact through variationist sociolinguistic approaches, with particular expertise in Faetar (a Francoprovençal dialect), heritage languages, language contact phenomena, New England English dialects, phonetics, and sociolinguistic variation in Toronto's multilingual communities. Her work examines how languages change across generations in contact situations, with a focus on maintaining linguistic complexity in heritage language contexts. Her extensive publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to understanding heritage language variation across multiple languages including Italian, Russian, Korean, Tagalog, and Cantonese. Her research reveals that heritage languages maintain significant complexity and often follow similar patterns of variation as homeland varieties, challenging assumptions about simplification in heritage language grammars. Dean's Research Excellence Award, University of Toronto (2022) Dean's Excellence Award, University of Toronto (2016, 2017, 2021, 2022) LabEx Visiting Professor (Chaire Internationale 2022), Université de Paris (Spring 2022) Marco Polo Visiting Professor, University of Groningen (Summer 2015) Distinguished Visiting Professor, Queen Mary University London (March 2013) Dr. Nagy has successfully supervised numerous graduate students and secured significant research funding. She directs the Heritage Language Variation and Change (HLVC) Project, which has received multiple grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), including Insight Grants for 'Ethnolinguistic variation and change: coordinating production and perception' (2018-2025) and 'Heritage languages speakers in Toronto -- what do they tell sociolinguists?' (2015-2022). Her research has involved over 50 students in its first two years and continues to expand. Dr. Nagy leads the Heritage Language Variation and Change in Toronto Project, which documents and analyzes variation in 10 heritage languages spoken in Toronto (Cantonese, Faetar, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Tagalog and Ukrainian). She has also developed methodology and a corpus of recorded conversational data for these languages. Additionally, she has worked extensively on documenting Faetar, an endangered Francoprovençal language, creating a descriptive grammar, online teaching materials, and currently developing #FPglobal, a social media platform to support inter-dialectal communication in Francoprovençal.

• Quechua language acquisition
• Spanish language acquisition
• Bilingualism
• +3 more

Susan Kalt is a Lecturer in the Applied Linguistics department at UMass Boston, specializing in Quechua and Spanish language acquisition, bilingualism, and endangered language documentation. Her research focuses on documenting varieties of Southern Quechua as spoken in rural communities and examining how Quechua and Spanish influence each other's morphosyntax and discourse pragmatics. Dr. Kalt earned her PhD in Linguistics from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, following an MA in Applied Linguistics from the same institution. She also holds an MA in Education with a focus on English as a Second Language Studies from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a BA in Hispanic Studies from Brown University. Her research examines sequential language acquisition of Quechua and Spanish, with particular attention to documenting Southern Quechua varieties in rural communities. She investigates how Quechua and Spanish influence each other's morphosyntax and discourse pragmatics, with a focus on endangered language documentation. Her work often involves linguistic fieldwork in rural Andean communities, particularly in Cuzco, Peru and Chuquisaca, Bolivia. Dr. Kalt's publications reveal a consistent focus on Quechua language acquisition, morphosyntactic changes in bilingual contexts, and language documentation. Her recent work examines typological shifts in bilingual Quechua speakers, particularly looking at word order and case marking patterns in child language. She has made significant contributions to understanding how language contact affects grammatical structures in endangered languages. National Endowment for the Humanities Documenting Endangered Languages Program American Council of Learned Societies and Andrew Mellon Foundation Foundation for Endangered Languages, London Community College Humanities Association As an award-winning linguist and language curriculum designer, Dr. Kalt teaches courses including APLING 601: Linguistics, APLING 603: Language, Culture, and Identity, and APLING 705: Advanced Ethnography. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with practical applications for language preservation and education.

• Language Understanding
• Spoken Language Processing
• Dialogue Systems
• +3 more

Dr. Dilek Hakkani-Tür is a Professor at the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her primary research focuses on language understanding, spoken language processing, and dialogue systems, with a recent emphasis on large language models (LLMs) and their applications in conversational AI. She has led collaborative efforts in dialog system technology challenges, including DSTC9, and has published extensively in top venues such as ACL, EMNLP, and IEEE SLT. Education: Implied via affiliation and research focus (PhD in Computer Science or related field) Her work bridges theoretical advancements and practical implementations in areas like dialogue state tracking, user preference alignment, and code debugging via LLMs. Collaborations span industry and academia, addressing challenges in human-AI interaction and multimodal dialogue systems. Recent projects include leveraging LLMs for individual preference alignment in conversations, confidence estimation in dialogue systems, and Socratic code debugging frameworks. These contributions highlight her role in advancing conversational AI's technical and applied dimensions.

Zhava GlaserView profile

Associate Professor

• Old Testament Studies
• Jewish History
• Jewish Ethics
• +3 more

Zhava Glaser is an Associate Professor of Old Testament at the Feinberg Center within Biola University's Talbot School of Theology. She teaches Biblical Hebrew as a living language, advanced Old Testament exegesis, Jewish History, and Jewish Ethics. Her expertise includes Old Testament studies, Jewish traditions, and Hebrew linguistics. Education: Ph.D., City University of New York M.Phil., Hunter College M.A., Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Mission B.A., University of Southern California Dr. Glaser's research focuses on integrating linguistic and historical approaches to Old Testament study, emphasizing Hebrew as a spoken language. She co-authored Fall Feasts of Israel , examining Jewish liturgical practices. Fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew, and English, she also has proficiency in French, Catalan, and Ladino. Her work bridges ancient texts with contemporary ethical and historical understanding. Awards & Grants: No specific awards or grants mentioned in the provided text. Advising & Mentorship: No student advisees listed in the available information. Labs/Teams: No affiliated research labs or teams explicitly mentioned.

Yangming LiView profile

Research Fellow

• Image Analysis
• Machine Learning
• Mathematical Modeling
• +7 more

Yangming Li is a Research Fellow at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) at the University of Cambridge, affiliated with the Cambridge Image Analysis research group. His work bridges applied mathematics, theoretical physics, and machine learning, with a focus on developing innovative models for image analysis, generative processes, and natural language understanding. Research interests include Fourier Neural Operators, diffusion models, generative adversarial networks (GANs), and their applications in solving complex problems across scientific computing and data-driven domains. His recent contributions explore operator learning for PDEs, robust diffusion models under noisy conditions, and adversarial attacks in text watermarking systems. Publications highlight advancements in operator-based neural networks, risk-sensitive generative modeling, and domain-aware NLP frameworks. His methodologies emphasize mathematical rigor while addressing practical challenges like missing data and model expressivity limitations. Active collaborations span interdisciplinary teams at DAMTP and the broader University of Cambridge research community.

Monika S. SchmidView profile

Professor

• Language Attrition
• Bilingual Development
• Psycholinguistics
• +15 more

Monika S. Schmid is a Professor and Head of Department in the Department of Language and Linguistic Science at the University of York. She has held previous academic positions at the University of Essex (2013–2021), University of Groningen (2007–2015), and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (2000–2007), establishing her as a leading figure in linguistics and bilingualism research. She earned her PhD in English Linguistics from the University of Düsseldorf, Germany, in 2000, with a thesis on first language attrition among German-Jewish refugees. Her research centers on language attrition , particularly how migration, age, and cognitive factors affect the deterioration of native languages in bilingual individuals. She investigates the interplay between first and second language development, challenging the assumption that L1 is stable, and emphasizing bidirectional influence in bilingual cognition. Her recent work explores lexical access, grammatical processing, and psycholinguistic mechanisms in attrition, supported by advanced methods like ERP and eye-tracking. She leads two current ESRC-funded projects: Negotiating Multilingualism in Situations of Conflict and Modelling bottom-up and top-down linguistic knowledge (with international collaborators). Her publications span top journals and include influential volumes like The Oxford Handbook of Language Attrition (2019). Monika Schmid’s research has significant societal impact, particularly in asylum cases where language analysis is used for origin determination. She has advised the Nursing and Midwifery Council and British Council , and her work has been featured in the New York Times , Nature , BBC, and other media outlets. Fellow of the British Academy Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences Fellow of Academia Europaea She has secured grants from the German Science Foundation (DFG), Dutch NWO, and UK ESRC. Her public engagement includes media appearances, policy consultation, and maintaining the influential website languageattrition.org . She has supervised numerous students and contributed to shaping public understanding of language loss as a natural, not pathological, process.

Bing LiuView profile

Adjunct Professor

• Natural Language Processing
• Large Language Models
• Dialogue Systems
• +4 more

Bing Liu serves as Director of Applied Research at Scale AI and Adjunct Professor in the Computer Science and Engineering department at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Previously, he held leadership roles at Meta (GenAI and Reality Labs), Google Research, and Capio.ai (acquired by Twilio), with expertise spanning generative AI, NLP, and spoken dialogue systems. His educational background includes: Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University B.Eng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (First Class Honors) from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Exchange studies at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden Liu's research focuses on advancing large language models, dialogue systems, and reinforcement learning for conversational AI. His work bridges theoretical innovation with industrial-scale applications, particularly in zero-shot learning, multilingual capabilities, and evaluation frameworks for generative AI. He has pioneered techniques in dialogue state tracking, knowledge-enriched task-oriented systems, and continual learning to address catastrophic forgetting in neural dialogue models. Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals a clear trajectory toward industrial-scale generative AI: early work (2018-2021) established foundational methods in task-oriented dialogue systems, while recent publications (2022-2024) focus on LLM post-training, multimodal integration, and evaluation benchmarks like Humanity's Last Exam. Key thematic clusters include cross-lingual transfer, knowledge grounding in dialogue, and robust evaluation frameworks for frontier models. As an educator, Liu guides graduate research at UC Santa Cruz in LLM and multimodal AI while serving in critical conference roles including Publication Chair for ACL 2024 and Area Chair for ACL 2023's Large Language Models track. His industry leadership includes building Scale AI's 40+ member research team and driving Meta's Llama3 development, managing multimillion-dollar data roadmaps that scaled the Meta AI Assistant to 700M MAU. Liu directs Scale AI's applied research lab focused on GenAI data and evaluation, having previously built Meta's NLU team for AR/VR voice assistants deployed across Portal, Oculus, and Ray-Ban Smart Glasses. His current work centers on creating evaluation leaderboards adopted by top AI labs and developing the data engine for next-generation generative models.

Rachel HollandView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Language Disorders
• Neuroimaging
• +3 more

Rachel Holland is a cognitive neuroscientist specializing in acquired disorders of language who joined City, University of London in 2013. She currently serves as the BSc Speech and Language Therapy Programme Director within the Division of Language and Communication Science. Her academic journey began at the University of Manchester where she earned her BSc, MRes, and PhD in Psychology. Her research focuses on understanding how language function is organized within the human brain and how it deteriorates following brain damage or disease. Dr. Holland employs a range of complementary neuroscience techniques including non-invasive brain stimulation, functional neuroimaging, and neuropsychological investigation to study language recovery and treatment of anomia after aphasic stroke. Her work bridges cognitive neuroscience with clinical speech-language pathology, particularly in developing evidence-based interventions for language disorders. Analysis of her publication record from 2010-2021 reveals a clear progression from basic research on language processing mechanisms to applied clinical research on aphasia treatment. Her most recent work demonstrates increasing sophistication in predictive modeling of treatment response based on lesion location and therapy dosage, reflecting her growing expertise in translational neuroscience. As Programme Director, Dr. Holland teaches undergraduate modules SL2002 (Biomedical Sciences) and SL3002 (Language Sciences), as well as postgraduate modules SLM002 and SLM008. Her teaching expertise extends to neuroimaging techniques and research methods, reflecting her strong methodological background. Dr. Holland maintains active research collaborations with principal investigators from the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge, NARU at the University of Manchester, and the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience in London. Her work has been supported by prestigious funding bodies including Wellcome, MRC, the Stroke Association, and NIHR, demonstrating the significance and impact of her research within the neuroscience community.

Laura DilleyView profile

Adjunct Associate Professor

• Phonetics
• Phonology
• Speech and Hearing Biosciences
• +6 more

Laura Dilley is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Biosciences and Technology from MIT and Harvard (2005) and a B.S. in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from MIT (1997). Her research focuses on phonetics, prosody, and speech processing, with significant work on cochlear implants, infant-directed speech, and the cognitive mechanisms of spoken language understanding. Education: B.S., Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT (1997) Ph.D., Speech and Hearing Biosciences and Technology, MIT and Harvard (2005) Her publications span prosodic transcription systems, auditory rhythm discrimination, cochlear implant-related speech processing, and AI applications in clinical practice. Recent work explores generative AI risks and QAnon propaganda as information warfare. Earlier studies examine speech segmentation, perceptual isochrony, and acoustic variability in infant-directed speech. Laura’s research integrates neuroscience, linguistics, and technology to address challenges in language development and speech intelligibility. She actively investigates the interplay between distal speech rate, prosodic cues, and contextual predictability in spoken communication.

• Children's and Young Adult Literature
• German Literature around 1800
• Drama Theory
• +5 more

Thomas Boyken is Professor of Children's and Young Adult Literature at the Institute of German Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. He has held this position since July 1, 2023, following his tenure as Junior Professor for Children's and Young Adult Literature from October 2019 to June 2023. Previously, he served as a Junior Lecturer for Modern German Literature at Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen from 2014 to 2019, and held various academic positions at Oldenburg University since 2007. Boyken completed his doctoral dissertation on masculinity representations in Friedrich Schiller's dramatic works with distinction (summa cum laude) in December 2012. His academic journey includes positions as Special Teaching Staff (Lehrkraft für besondere Aufgaben) at Oldenburg University from 2009-2014, focusing first on Media Studies and later on Modern German Literature, and a brief period as Guest Lecturer at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun in 2013. His research focuses on Children's and Young Adult Literature from the 18th to 21st century, with particular expertise in Michael Ende studies, drama theory, narratology, and media theory. Boyken's scholarly work explores literary anthropology, gender representations in literature, and the theoretical frameworks of narrative and media studies, with significant contributions to understanding the materiality of texts and oral/written storytelling traditions in children's literature. His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on philosophical dimensions of children's texts, urban representations in literature (particularly Berlin), and the relationship between contemporary German authors like Cornelia Funke and literary traditions. His work reveals a sophisticated approach to analyzing how historical contexts shape children's narratives across centuries. Member of the Lower Saxony Literature Commission (since 2024) Co-editor of the Yearbook of the Society for Children's and Young Adult Literature Research (since 2024) Member of the German Academy for Children's and Young Adult Literature Volkach (since 2021) Jury member of the Friedrich-Hölderlin-Prize (since 2020) Director of the Oldenburg Research Center for Children's and Young Adult Literature (OlFoKi) (since 2020) Boyken has organized numerous international conferences including 'Michael Ende: Poetik und Positionierungen' (2022), 'Philosophische Fragen im Spiegel der Kinder- und Jugendliteratur' (2021), and 'Von Mund- und Handwerk' (2021). His current teaching includes courses on historical perspectives of childhood and youth, youth literature and military masculinity, and supervision of bachelor's and master's theses in literary studies.

Sanna-Kaisa TanskanenView profile

Professor

• Applied Linguistics
• Discourse Studies
• Internet Pragmatics
• +3 more

Sanna-Kaisa Tanskanen serves as Professor in the Department of Languages at the University of Helsinki and acts as Supervisor for the Doctoral Programme in Language Studies. Her academic profile centers on applied linguistics, discourse studies, and internet pragmatics, with significant contributions to understanding spoken, written, and digital discourse. Her research interests focus on the intersection of language use and digital communication, particularly examining how linguistic structures function in online environments. Tanskanen investigates lexical cohesion in digital spaces, metapragmatic acts in online forums, and the convergence and controversy patterns in digital discourses. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with practical applications in language education, especially concerning L2 speech and language teaching methodologies. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong trajectory toward digital discourse analysis, with increasing emphasis on social media platforms like YouTube, discussion forums, and other interactive digital spaces. Her research demonstrates sophisticated methodological approaches to analyzing online interaction patterns, with particular attention to how speakers navigate controversy and establish coherence in digital communication. Tanskanen actively supervises MA and PhD theses while teaching advanced courses on applied linguistic methodology, L2 spoken interaction, and internet pragmatics. She serves as review editor for Internet Pragmatics and sits on the editorial board of Discourse, Context & Media , demonstrating significant scholarly leadership in her field. Her current research projects include leading the 'Kielitaidon tasot - Language Proficiency of Advanced Learners' initiative and co-leading the 'Exploring the Role of Virtual Reality in Language Learning' project (2024-2028), which investigates how simulated classrooms and AI chatbots can enhance multilingual identity and intercultural competence in Finnish secondary schools.

Georgios CoussiosView profile

Researcher

• Applied Conversation Research
• Interactional Linguistics
• Medical Communication
• +3 more

Georgios Coussios is a Researcher at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Institute for Social Work and Social Policy, specializing in applied conversation research, interactional linguistics, and medical communication. His work focuses on knowledge transfer in oncology, patient-doctor interaction, and social categorization in discourse. Education: MA in Language, Culture, Translation (Mainz), MA in Applied Linguistics (Münster), BA in English Studies and Romance Studies (Bonn). His research explores how linguistic structures and pragmatic strategies shape expert-lay communication, particularly in medical contexts. Recent projects include secondary analyses of social differences in qualitative interviews and optimizing patient understanding in oncology. His publications span monographs on cancer patient communication, contributions to linguistic handbooks, and analyses of ethnic categorization in migrant humor. He has taught seminars on institutional communication and syntax of spoken language at Hamburg and Duisburg-Essen, and participated in international conferences. Coussios co-edits the online magazine fokus:interaktion , contributing to academic discourse on interactional studies.

• Language and Cognition
• Semantic Representation
• Psycholinguistics
• +12 more

Dr. David Vinson is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Experimental Psychology at University College London (UCL), where he conducts research at the intersection of language, cognition, and emotion. His academic profile demonstrates a strong commitment to understanding how humans process and represent meaning across various communication modalities. Dr. Vinson received his Doctor of Philosophy from University College London in 2009 and his Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University in 1991. His educational background spans transatlantic institutions, providing him with a diverse academic foundation for his interdisciplinary research. His primary research focuses on language representations and processes, with particular emphasis on word, phrase and sentence meaning and its relation to other cognitive functions. A significant thread throughout his work examines the relationship between language and emotion, investigating how emotional content influences semantic processing. Dr. Vinson also explores how different communicative expressions integrate in multimodal contexts, studying both spoken language and sign systems. His methodological approach combines behavioral experimentation with selective neuroimaging techniques to provide comprehensive insights into language processing mechanisms. Dr. Vinson's publication record reveals consistent scholarly output across multiple high-impact journals in psychology, linguistics, and cognitive neuroscience. His recent work demonstrates growing interest in interdisciplinary semantic frameworks, with contributions to understanding how semantic representations differ for concrete versus abstract concepts, how iconicity functions in language, and how multimodal cues contribute to meaning construction. His research increasingly bridges theoretical linguistics with empirical cognitive science, reflecting contemporary trends in psycholinguistic research. As an educator, Dr. Vinson serves as module convenor for PSYC0004 Language and Cognition, an undergraduate second-year course at UCL. He actively contributes to the academic community as an ad hoc peer reviewer for numerous journals in psychology and neuroscience, a role he has maintained since 2002.