Find Academic Supervisors

• Generative Syntax
• Language Acquisition
• Music
• +6 more

Iain Giblin is a Lecturer in the Department of Linguistics at Macquarie University, affiliated with the Centre for Language Sciences (CLaS). His research focuses on generative syntax, language acquisition, and music, situated within the Universal Grammar framework. He investigates how computational features of the mind structure human experience. He has been involved in major research projects including 'Unexpected Wide Scope Phenomena in Child Language' (2020-2022), 'CLaS: Centre for Language Sciences (CLaS) - MQRC 2019' (2019-2021), and 'Child-friendly mobile eye-trackers' (2018). His work spans theoretical linguistics and applied research in education. Key research contributions include studies on genre theory in education, recursive grammar acquisition in children, and experimental investigations into verb processing and event semantics. He received the 2024 FMHHS Education Excellence Award for teaching excellence.

Mitchell BrowneView profile

Research Fellow

• Endangered Languages
• Linguistics
• Grammar Description
• +7 more

Mitchell Browne is a Research Fellow in the Department of Linguistics at Macquarie University. His research focuses on endangered Australian Aboriginal languages, particularly Pama-Nyungan and Ngumpin-Yapa language families. He specializes in grammar description, syntactic and semantic analysis, and language documentation. Current projects include investigating language genesis in Aboriginal communities and leveraging computational methods for speech analysis in endangered languages. Education: PhD in Linguistics (2021, unpublished doctoral thesis on Warlmanpa) His research interests span grammar description, morphosyntax, language contact, and community-based language revitalization. He combines traditional fieldwork with computational approaches to address challenges in documenting endangered languages. Recent work includes cross-referencing in Pama-Nyungan languages and collaborative projects with First Nations communities in Geelong. He has authored a peer-reviewed book on Warlmanpa grammar and contributed to Oxford's guide on Australian languages. His projects include MQRF 2025 examining language genesis through speaker identity and EES 2024 focused on employment pathways for Indigenous communities. Browne collaborates with institutions like ANU Press and Deakin University, emphasizing ethical engagement with Indigenous knowledge systems. His work bridges theoretical linguistics with applied community initiatives.

Marie-Eve RitzView profile

Associate Professor

• Semantics
• Pragmatics
• Tense and Aspect
• +4 more

Marie-Eve Ritz is an Associate Professor of Linguistics and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia's School of Social Sciences. Her primary affiliation is with the Department of Linguistics where she has held academic roles since at least the late 1990s. She completed her PhD in Linguistics at the University of Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV). PhD: University of Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV) Her research focuses on linguistic semantics, particularly temporal categories like tense, aspect, and modality. Key areas include Australian English temporal usage, formal models for aspectual phenomena in Indigenous Australian languages (e.g., Martuthunira, Panyjima), and semantic change processes. She leads international collaborative projects such as the EU-funded TAMEAL initiative exploring Tense-Aspect-Modality-Evidentiality interrelations in Australian Aboriginal languages. Grants include major awards like the Marie Curie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (FP7–PEOPLE–IRSES–2008) and multiple Australian Research Council grants. She has secured over €82,800 in European funding and AU$26,310 in Australian grants for her research programs. 2009: €82,800 EU Marie Curie Grant (TAMEAL project) 2001: AU$11,289 UWA Grant (Present Perfect Study) Teaching contributions span undergraduate linguistics (syntax, semantics), applied linguistics (second language acquisition), and educational linguistics. She supervised 39 HDR students in theoretical/applied linguistics areas since 2008. Recent work includes analyzing temporal discourse markers in Australian English narratives and formal semantic modeling of Indigenous Australian aspectual systems.

James BednallView profile

Lecturer

• Language Documentation
• Language Revitalisation
• Morphosyntax-Semantics-Pragmatics Interfaces
• +3 more

James Bednall is a Lecturer in Linguistics at Charles Darwin University and an Honorary Lecturer at the Australian National University. He holds a PhD from both Université de Paris and the Australian National University, focusing on temporal, aspectual, and modal expression in Anindilyakwa. His research emphasizes language documentation, revitalization, and community-guided methodologies, particularly with First Nations communities in Western Australia and East Arnhem Land. Education: PhD (Temporal, aspectual and modal expression in Anindilyakwa), ANU/Université de Paris; PhD (L’expression de la temporalité, de l’aspectualité, et de la modalité en Anindilyakwa), Université de Paris; BA(Hons) Linguistics & BMus, University of Western Australia. Research Interests: Language documentation/description, language revitalization, morphosyntax-semantics-pragmatics interfaces, semantic typology, and mathematical expression in Indigenous languages. Projects include Anindilyakwa monolingual lexicography and Badimaya language portal development (FLA PLSP Grant 2021–23). Grants: CSFP Grant (2021–) for mathematical expression in Indigenous languages; CoEDL GFS Grant (2021–22) for monolingual lexicography methods. Labs/Teams: Collaborates with Groote Eylandt Language Centre, Bundiyarra-Irra Wangga Language Centre, and the Top End Language Lab. Supervises postgraduate research at CDU.

Michelle LiuView profile

Lecturer

• Philosophy of Mind
• Consciousness
• Philosophy of Language
• +4 more

Michelle Liu is a Lecturer in Philosophy at Monash University, specializing in philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, and aesthetics. Her research examines consciousness, polysemy in language, mental imagery in comprehension, musical expressiveness, and the aesthetics of poetry and abstract art. She serves as secretary of the Australasian Society for Philosophy and Psychology. Key research explores polysemy processing, revelation in consciousness, cross-domain descriptions, and the role of mental simulation in language comprehension. Her work connects empirical cognitive science with philosophical analysis of concepts. Liu has received recognition including the Annette Baier Prize (2024), Paul Bourke Award (2024), and Finnish Society for Aesthetics Article of the Year (2023). Current projects investigate emotion descriptions in music, zeugmatic phenomena, and intersensory artistic expressions. She completed her DPhil at Oxford (2019) and held a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship.

• Psychology
• Adolescent Development
• Substance Abuse
• +6 more

Dr. Karen Li is an Adjunct Professor at the School of Psychology , University of Queensland, with research interests spanning Psychology, Adolescent Development, Substance Abuse, Linguistics, and Cognitive Linguistics. Her work bridges interdisciplinary domains, including metaphor theory, construction grammar, and cross-cultural studies. Interdisciplinary Research: Combines psychological and linguistic methodologies to analyze adolescent behavior and figurative language. Key Themes: Metaphor in cultural contexts, semantic constructions, and language acquisition. Email: k.li@uq.edu.au Research Trends: Recent publications focus on metaphor in gaming, semantic framing, and cross-linguistic analysis. Earlier work addresses adolescent alcohol use and clinical practices. Her articles explore conceptual metaphor, construction grammar, and agency in art descriptions. Academic Contributions: She integrates cognitive linguistics with social sciences, examining how metaphoric language influences cultural perceptions, legal discourse, and digital media. Her methodology spans corpus analysis, discourse studies, and experimental psychology.

• Linguistics
• Sociolinguistics
• Pragmatics
• +2 more

Dr. Yoko Yonezawa is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Sydney. She holds a PhD and MA from The Australian National University and a BA from Japan Women’s University. Her research explores the interface between language and culture, with a focus on Japanese pragmatics, sociolinguistics, and identity formation. Her research interests include: Interaction between grammar and pragmatics Language and identity in political discourse Comparative studies of Japanese and East Asian languages Gender and language in Japanese society Kinship terms and address practices She teaches advanced Japanese language courses (JPNS3611, JPNS3612, JPNS3650) and supervises postgraduate research in Japanese linguistics. Current projects examine Japanese female politicians' language and kinship terms in contemporary Japanese. Awards include teaching excellence honors from ANU and a Higher Education Academy Fellowship. Her publications focus on Japanese address terms, pronoun usage, and cross-cultural pragmatics, with recent work analyzing kinship conceptualization and creative pronoun use in reported speech.

• Psycholinguistics
• Language Acquisition
• Language Processing
• +5 more

Professor Evan Kidd is a prominent academic in psycholinguistics and developmental psychology, currently serving as a Professor at the Australian National University (ANU) within the School of Literature, Languages & Linguistics. He previously held senior roles at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. His research focuses on language acquisition, syntax processing, and the interplay between language and cognitive development. Kidd holds a PhD in Psycholinguistics from La Trobe University (2004) and a BBSc(Hons) in Psychology from the same institution (2000). Key research interests include first language acquisition, bilingualism, adult language processing, and the role of individual differences in language development. His work emphasizes crosslinguistic perspectives, particularly in typologically diverse languages like Murrinhpatha. Kidd has explored how language interfaces with social cognition, symbolic play, and executive functions. He leads a research group investigating language processing mechanisms, neurodevelopmental aspects of grammar learning, and the impact of endangered language documentation on linguistic research. Notable projects include the Evolution of Cultural Diversity - Initiative (ECDI) and collaborations with MPI on language development and typology. His publications span psycholinguistics, cognitive science, and developmental psychology, with a focus on experimental methods and theoretical contributions to language acquisition models.

Peter PetersonView profile

Associate Professor

• Linguistics
• Syntax
• Second Language Acquisition
• +4 more

Associate Professor Peter Peterson holds academic positions in the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences at the University of Newcastle, specializing in Linguistics. His roles include Assistant Dean (Teaching and Learning) in the Faculty of Education and Arts and Honorary Associate Lecturer. He has extensive administrative experience, including leadership in Linguistics departments and program development for Speech Pathology and Applied Linguistics programs. Dr. Peterson's research focuses on English syntax, particularly coordinate structures and relative clauses within a Lexical-Functional framework, alongside Second Language Acquisition (SLA) with a large learner English corpus. He has supervised 10 completed PhDs in areas like sociolinguistics and TESOL. His teaching spans undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Linguistics and Children's Literature, with notable course and program development contributions. Publications span syntax theory, SLA, and interdisciplinary topics like public diplomacy and wind energy. He has secured $10,110 in internal grants for linguistic research and conference support. His work bridges theoretical linguistics with applied contexts, emphasizing morphosyntactic development in learners and cross-disciplinary methodologies.

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Neurophysiology
• Language Processing
• +4 more

Matthias Schlesewsky is a Professor at the University of South Australia (UniSA), affiliated with UniSA Justice and Society. His research focuses on cognitive neuroscience, neurophysiology, and language processing, with a particular emphasis on EEG analysis and mindfulness interventions. He leads studies on how mindfulness training impacts resting-state EEG parameters in high-demand cohorts, such as military personnel. His work also explores the neurobiological foundations of syntax processing, predictive mechanisms in memory, and the role of individual alpha frequency in cognitive tasks. Key affiliations include the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory and the Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments. His research integrates experimental psychology, neuroimaging, and computational modeling to investigate language comprehension, attention, and decision-making. Notable projects include studies on EEG-based cognitive workload monitoring in military training and the effects of mindfulness on dynamic task performance. His articles highlight interdisciplinary approaches, combining EEG, ERP, and behavioral data to understand neural mechanisms underlying language, memory, and attention. Collaborations span institutions like Georgetown University, the University of Miami, and the Defence Science and Technology Group.

Ben DaviesView profile

Research Fellow

• Child Language Acquisition
• Inflectional Morphology
• Hearing Loss
• +3 more

Ben Davies is an Honorary Postdoctoral Fellow at Macquarie University's Department of Linguistics, affiliated with the Hearing CRC Centre for Language Sciences (CLaS) and the Macquarie University Child Language Lab. His research focuses on children's acquisition of inflectional morphology, particularly the influence of hearing loss and Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). He completed his PhD on 'Children's Gradual Acquisition of Singular and Plural,' examining how children understand plural forms in English. Research interests include cross-linguistic morphosyntactic variation, bilingual language development, and the role of phonology in morphological processing. His work spans experimental methodologies in speech research and digital tool validation for language studies. Recent publications highlight bilingual acquisition dynamics, predictors of language comprehension in hearing-impaired children, and public awareness of DLD. His articles explore morphosyntactic variation in Sesotho and English, as well as the application of smartphone tools for speech data collection. No scientific awards are listed in the provided texts. Research outputs include collaborations on topics like predictive processing in hearing-impaired children and the validity of remote language assessments. Davies' work integrates experimental psychology, linguistic theory, and applied methodology to advance understanding of child language development challenges.

• Child Language Acquisition
• Mandarin Phonology
• Speech Acoustics
• +3 more

Ping Tang is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Linguistics at Macquarie University, associated with The Child Language Lab as a senior research officer. Their work focuses on Mandarin tone acquisition in children, including those with hearing impairments. Ping has contributed to projects like "Improving Child Hearing Health in China: Assessing Tone Acquisition by Children with Cochlear Implants" (2019). Key research interests include child language development, phonological acquisition, speech acoustics, and the impact of hearing loss on linguistic skills. Their studies often explore how Mandarin-speaking children process prosodic cues like tone, duration, and pitch in comprehension and production. Publications span topics such as infant-directed speech variability, lexical segmentation in preschoolers, and prosody challenges faced by cochlear-implant users. Collaborations involve experts in linguistics, audiology, and developmental psychology.

Sergio Rodriguez MendezView profile

Research Fellow

• Knowledge Graphs
• Ontology Engineering
• Linked Data & Semantic Web
• +7 more

Sergio Rodriguez Mendez is a Research Fellow in Knowledge Graph Engineering at the School of Computing, Australian National University. His work focuses on advancing ontology engineering, linked data, semantic web technologies, and their applications in domains like astronomy, brain-computer interfaces, and IoT. He is a member of the Australian Government Linked Data Working Group (AGLDWG) and the W3C Knowledge Graph Construction Community Group, and holds a senior role at the Software Innovation Institute (SII). His research interests include Knowledge Graphs, Ontology Engineering, Linked Data, Data Science, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Brain-Computer Interfaces, IoT, Cloud/Fog/Edge Computing, and Software Engineering. He has contributed to frameworks like pathfinder for astronomical literature review and Doc-KG for document-to-KG conversion. Recent work emphasizes integrating large language models (LLMs) with knowledge graphs, such as AstroLLaVA for astronomical data unification and hybrid frameworks for entity linking. His publications span conferences like WWW, JCDL, and the ACM/IEEE Joint Conferences. He actively supervises research students and is involved in initiatives like the ASKG project for enriching scholarly knowledge graphs. His work addresses challenges in semantic data representation, automated query processing, and syntactic complexity reduction, with a focus on domain-specific applications in science and cultural heritage.

Anna MargettsView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Language Documentation
• Linguistic Typology
• Syntax-Semantics Interface
• +13 more

Anna Margetts is a Senior Lecturer in the Linguistics Program at Monash University, where she has been a faculty member since 2002. Her academic journey includes a PhD from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, fieldwork on the Saliba language of Papua New Guinea, and prior studies at the University of Cologne and SUNY Buffalo. Research Interests: Language documentation and grammatical description Linguistic typology and semantic-syntactic mapping Discourse-syntax interface and narrative structure Three-participant events, valence, and transitivity Demonstratives and spatial deixis Child language acquisition and conceptual metaphors Her recent research focuses on cross-linguistic patterns in semantic encoding, particularly in caused motion and multimodal communication. The analysis of her publications reveals a consistent emphasis on empirical fieldwork, typological comparison, and the interplay between syntax, semantics, and discourse. She has led multiple ARC and VolkswagenStiftung-funded projects, demonstrating sustained external research support. Scientific Engagement: Guest editor and peer reviewer for John Benjamins, Oxford University Press, Linguistics , and Gesture Active contributor to the linguistic research community through editorial and review responsibilities Anna Margetts has supervised Honours, Masters, and PhD theses across diverse topics in linguistics. Her grants include major projects such as 'Where Gesture Meets Grammar' (ARC, 2024–2027) and 'Cross-Linguistic Patterns in Three-Participant Events' (VolkswagenStiftung). She is involved in collaborative, cross-linguistic research networks and continues to publish in leading linguistic venues. Labs and Research Teams: She leads and collaborates in cross-institutional research teams focused on multimodal communication and typological semantics, working with scholars from Germany, the Netherlands, and beyond. Her work integrates linguistic analysis with cognitive and anthropological perspectives.

• Linguistics
• Emotion Studies
• Australian Indigenous Languages
• +3 more

Dr. Maia Ponsonnet is an Adjunct Research Fellow in Linguistics at the School of Social Sciences, University of Western Australia. She previously served as Senior Lecturer (2017-2021), Linguistics Discipline Chair (2019-2020), and School Graduate Research Coordinator (2020-2021). She holds a PhD in Linguistics from Australian National University and completed postdoctoral research at CNRS. Her research examines expressivity and emotions in language, focusing on how humans discuss emotions through words, metaphors, and expressive resources. She specializes in Indigenous languages of Australia's Northern Territory, with expertise in Gunwinyguan languages and Kriol. She has led multiple research grants including ARC DECRA Fellowship (2016-2018) and projects on cultural collections preservation and Indigenous fire knowledge. Her work has received recognition including the 2021 Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning.