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Anna de KosterView profile

Researcher

• Linguistics
• Cognitive Modelling
• Language Acquisition/Development
• +3 more

Dr. Anna de Koster serves as an Academic Advisor in the Department of Physics and Applied Physics at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Science and Engineering. Her role includes academic advising for students and program management within the Physics cluster. She holds a PhD and has conducted extensive research at the intersection of Linguistics, Cognitive Modelling, and Artificial Intelligence. Her research focuses on language acquisition and distributivity in sentence interpretation, particularly in children and adults. She employs experimental methods to investigate how cognitive processes like working memory influence semantic interpretations. Her work combines empirical studies with computational modeling, bridging linguistics, psychology, and computer science. Anna collaborates within the Physics cluster team, contributing to programme coordination and academic support alongside colleagues like Prof. Diederik Roest and MSc Bo Slot. She has been affiliated with the Optical Condensed Matter Physics group and has held past research roles in language acquisition. Her publications (2015-2022) explore distributivity in language processing, collective interpretations, and the cognitive mechanisms behind syntactic-semantic interactions. Though no scientific awards are noted, her interdisciplinary research reflects significant contributions to understanding language development and cognitive modeling.

Harm BrouwerView profile

Associate Professor

• Neurocomputation of Language
• Neurocomputational Modeling
• Cognitive Science
• +3 more

Harm Brouwer is an Associate Professor at Tilburg University's School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, within the Department of Cognitive Science and AI. His research focuses on neurocomputational modeling of language comprehension, particularly examining electrophysiological responses such as the N400 and P600 potentials. He explores how these neural markers reflect lexical retrieval and syntactic integration processes during reading and listening. Key research themes include the interplay between surprisal-based expectation and neural correlates of language processing, with applications in computational psycholinguistics and diagnostic tools for neuropsychiatric disorders. His work integrates computational models with neurophysiological data to bridge gaps between theoretical linguistics and cognitive neuroscience. Brouwer has contributed to projects like the 'Normative Range of P600 Morphology' (2025–2027), aimed at developing diagnostic tools for mental health through electrophysiological biomarkers. He has been recognized with the Robert J. Glushko Prize (2015) for his dissertation on cognitive science. His publications span over 15 years, emphasizing the biphasic nature of N400-P600 interactions, computational semantics, and the role of neural networks in linguistic processing. His work often bridges formal semantics with empirical neuroscience, advancing understanding of how language is processed in the brain.

• Eye Tracking
• Sentence Processing
• Psycholinguistics
• +7 more

Dr. Iris Mulders is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Languages, Literature and Communication, Utrecht University, and a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Language Sciences. Her work focuses on Eye movement monitoring Sentence processing mechanisms Psycholinguistics Interfaces between syntax, semantics, and pragmatics R programming for statistical analysis . Research Interests: Mulders specializes in experimental linguistics, particularly using eye-tracking to study language acquisition, processing, and disorders. Key subfields include Dutch posture verbs (functional vs. lexical analysis), prosodic focus processing, referential communication, and digital literacy in humanities education. Article Trends: Recent publications analyze: AI's role in language research (ChatGPT as informant) Eye-tracking methodology for reading patterns Focus marking in native/non-native English Stress processing in sentence comprehension Developmental differences in verb processing Interface phenomena across syntax/semantics/pragmatics Lab Involvement: She actively demonstrates and trains in eye-tracking lab facilities, contributing to experimental methods in language acquisition research through tutorials at EMLAR workshops and international conferences.

Xiaochen ZhengView profile

Researcher

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Language Processing
• Cognitive Control
• +5 more

Xiaochen Zheng is a Cognitive Neuroscientist at Leiden University's Social and Behavioural Sciences faculty, specifically within the Cognitive Psychology Unit . She holds a Researcher title and investigates intersections between language and broader cognitive systems using advanced neuroimaging techniques. Bachelor: Psychology, Beijing Normal University PhD: Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Her research spans cognitive control , working memory , and language processing , with a focus on how the brain manages information overload, facilitates multilingualism, and generalizes knowledge. Techniques include EEG , MEG , and fMRI across healthy and clinical populations. Recent publications highlight her work on frontoparietal networks , theta oscillations in bilingual control , and hippocampal cognitive mapping . These articles reveal a trend toward understanding domain-general mechanisms in cognition and their applications to language processing. Veni Grant (NWO) - The age of information overload: how do we control what we say? Scholarship for Academic Excellence (Tilburg University) As a co-promotor, she supervised PhD student Elena Mainetto and coordinated interdisciplinary teams across 10+ international institutes. Her work emphasizes team science and open science principles, with data sharing practices evident in multiple publications.

• Semantics
• Pragmatics
• Logic
• +3 more

Dr. Tom Roberts is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Languages, Literature and Communication at Utrecht University, affiliated with the Faculty of Humanities and the UU Computational Linguistics Group. Areas of Expertise: Semantics, Pragmatics, Logic, Interfaces (syntax/semantics/pragmatics), Generative Linguistics, Human-centered Artificial Intelligence His research employs formal, experimental, and computational methods to investigate how linguistic meaning (semantics) is mentally represented and interacts with cognition and conversational contexts. He specializes in uncovering universal properties of meaning construction through seemingly idiosyncratic linguistic structures, with a focus on Estonian since 2015. He teaches courses in Computational Linguistics, Formal and Natural Languages, Machine Learning I, Meaning in Language, and Phonology and Fieldwork, contributing to the Artificial Intelligence (MSc/BSc) and Linguistics (BA) programs.

Tijs van der StormView profile

Professor

• Computer Science
• Software Engineering
• Programming Languages
• +4 more

Prof. Tijs van der Storm is a Full Professor in Software Engineering at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Science and Engineering. He holds a position as Senior Researcher at CWI. His expertise spans Computer Science and Software Engineering, focusing on programming languages, domain-specific languages, and language engineering. He is affiliated with the Bernoulli Institute and contributes to the Software Engineering department. Research Interests: Tijs van der Storm specializes in programming languages, software development methodologies, domain-specific languages, and model-driven engineering. His work emphasizes language design, tooling for software ecosystems, and interactive programming frameworks. He explores challenges in polyglot systems, schema evolution, and exploratory programming environments. Publications: His recent work includes frameworks for polyglot debugging (PolyDebug), studies on polyglot software development, and schema evolution techniques. Articles address both foundational and applied aspects of programming language design and software engineering practices. Awards: He has received prestigious awards such as the Distinguished Artifact Award (2021), SCAM Most Influential Paper Awards (2019), and Best Vision Paper Award (2018). These recognize his contributions to software engineering and language technologies. Advising and Collaborations: While specific student names are not listed, his research involves collaborations with institutions like CWI and international colleagues. Projects often involve tool development and empirical studies in software ecosystems. Labs and Teams: His work is part of the Bernoulli Institute's Software Engineering group, focusing on language engineering and software system design. He contributes to open-source tools like Rascal and frameworks for domain-specific language development.

• First Language Acquisition
• Morphosyntax
• Dynamics of Youth

Jacqueline van Kampen is an Affiliated Researcher at the Institute for Language Sciences , Utrecht University. A leading expert in First Language Acquisition and Morphosyntax , her work focuses on the Dynamics of Youth research theme. She has extensively studied Dutch syntax acquisition, verb clusters, pronoun systems, and discourse-related phenomena.

• Semantics
• Cross-linguistic Variation
• Second Language Acquisition
• +4 more

Dr. Bert Le Bruyn is an Associate Professor at the Department of Languages, Literature and Communication (TLC) within Utrecht University's Faculty of Humanities. As a semanticist, his expertise spans cross-linguistic variation, second language acquisition, and the study of referentiality and tense/aspect phenomena. He has pioneered the Translation Mining methodology through collaborative projects like Time in Translation (2017–2021, NWO Free Competition, €750k) and The semantics and acquisition of referentiality (2014–2017, NWO VENI, €250k). Research Focus : Semantics, cross-linguistic variation, tense/aspect systems, and second language acquisition mechanisms Methodologies : Corpus analysis, experimental offline studies, and translation mining frameworks Recent Research Trends show a strong emphasis on comparative studies across Romance, Germanic, and Sino-Tibetan languages. His work explores how definiteness and perfect tense constructions vary across languages and how these differences inform semantic theory. Notably, his Translation Mining approach leverages multilingual corpora to decode implicational hierarchies in temporal reference and partitivity. Scientific Contributions include methodological innovations in corpus-based translation studies and theoretical advancements in weak referentiality. He has served as editor for Languages (2022) and Belgian Journal of Linguistics (2009).

• Second Language Acquisition
• Intercultural Communication
• Syntax (Generative Framework)
• +4 more

Dr. Manuela Pinto is an Assistant Professor at Utrecht University's Department of Languages, Literature and Communication, with affiliations to the Institute for Language Sciences and the Dynamics of Youth (DoY) research theme. Her work bridges formal linguistics (Generative Grammar) with applied language education, focusing on second language acquisition, psycholinguistics, and intercultural communication. PhD in Linguistics (Utrecht, 1997) - Thesis: Licensing and Interpretation of Inverted Subjects in Italian MA in General Linguistics (Utrecht, 1991) MA in German Language/Literature (Italy, 1986) Research spans child language development, bilingualism, and societal applications through projects like: Coloring Book - Digital method for assessing language comprehension in children KleurenSchat - Dutch vocabulary assessment tool Nederlands voor Alle Kinderen (NvAK) - Language tracking for newcomer children Community Engaged Learning projects with migrants' organizations Recent publications focus on: Syntactic theory and microcontact phenomena Ecological validity in language testing Aspectual properties in L2 acquisition Intercultural pragmatics in advertising She has received research grants for: Heritage Storytelling projects Bidirectional Storytelling initiatives Additional contributions include: Coordinating typological databases Organizing international conferences (Going Romance, ISB symposia) Founding Growingupbilingual.org information service

• Formal Semantics
• Syntax
• Pragmatics
• +9 more

Dr. Eddy Ruys is Assistant Professor and University Lecturer at Utrecht University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Languages, Literature and Communication, and a member of the Institute for Language Sciences (ILS) research group Language, logic and information. His office is located in the Transcomplex building, room 1.58, at Utrecht Science Park. Research Interests: Formal semantics and pragmatics of natural language, especially Dutch Syntax–semantics interface Demonstratives, pronouns, and deferred reference Measure phrases and pseudo-partitives Scope reconstruction and quantification Choice functions and specificity Over the past two decades Ruys has produced more than 30 research outputs and delivered 36 invited talks at major international venues such as Sinn und Bedeutung, FASL, FDSL and the Dutch Annual Linguistics Day. His recent work explores how large language models like ChatGPT can serve as informants in syntactic and semantic research, and he continues to refine theories of deferred reference across syntactic categories. Editorial & Service Roles: Editor, Lexicon of Linguistics (2003–2005) Organiser, Lexicon of Linguistics web-based lexicon (2003) Contact: Email: e.g.ruys@uu.nl or egruys@uu.nl Tel: +31 30 253 8439

• Theoretical Linguistics
• Morphosyntax
• Language Variation
• +5 more

Dr. Silvia Terenghi is an Assistant Professor at Utrecht University's Institute for Language Sciences , affiliated with the Department of Languages, Literature and Communication . She holds a PhD in Linguistics from Utrecht University (2023) and previously studied at Pisa University and Scuola Normale Superiore. Education : PhD (Utrecht University, 2023), MA/BA (University of Pisa, Scuola Normale Superiore) Research interests focus on morphosyntax and morpho-semantics , with an emphasis on linguistic variation , language change (both diachronic and contact-induced), heritage languages , and person/number features . Empirically, she works with Romance languages , particularly Italian and Italo-Romance dialects, and conducts typological studies . Her recent publications explore demonstrative systems , pronoun structure , and non-monotonicity effects in heritage languages. Key themes include deictic encoding , feature stability , and syntactic constraints on variation. Collaborative work with Roberta D'Alessandro and Michael Putnam addresses contact vs. diachronic change and heritage language complexity . Scientific roles include: Co-editor of Heritage Languages and Syntactic Theory (Oxford University Press, 2025) Contributor to projects like Microcontact

• Interlinguistics
• Esperanto
• Constructed Languages
• +5 more

Prof. Federico Gobbo holds the special chair of Interlinguistics and Esperanto at the University of Amsterdam's Faculty of Humanities, established through a partnership with the Universala Esperanto-Asocio. Based at the Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication (ACLC), he operates at the intersection of theoretical linguistics, language policy, and educational innovation, with a focus on constructed languages as tools for understanding linguistic diversity and social dynamics. His research centers on interlinguistics, where he examines Esperanto as a model for planned languages and their societal integration. Gobbo pioneered Adpositional Argumentation (AdArg), a framework for mapping natural argumentative discourse that bridges linguistics and computational analysis. He investigates language invention in Montessori primary education to develop metalinguistic awareness, while his work on linguistic justice explores equity in multilingual policy. His scholarship consistently connects theoretical rigor with practical applications in education and social cohesion. Analysis of his recent publications reveals three dominant trajectories: foundational work on Adpositional Argumentation advancing computational discourse analysis; empirical studies of language invention in educational settings demonstrating pedagogical innovation; and critical examinations of Esperanto's role in peace education and linguistic justice. These strands converge in his exploration of how constructed languages model solutions to real-world communication challenges, with increasing emphasis on the sociopolitical dimensions of language planning. No scientific awards were documented in the provided source materials. The available information contains no details regarding academic advising responsibilities or research grant funding, though his special chair position suggests institutional support from both the University of Amsterdam and the Universala Esperanto-Asocio. While specific laboratories are not mentioned, his affiliation with the Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication indicates participation in broader collaborative research within the Faculty of Humanities' linguistic research ecosystem.

Peter CoopmansView profile

Professor

• Language Acquisition
• Language Processing
• Language Disorders
• +4 more

Prof. Peter Coopmans is a Professor of Language Acquisition at Utrecht University's Department of Languages, Literature and Communication, affiliated with the Utrecht Institute of Linguistics OTS. He specializes in language acquisition, processing, and disorders, with a focus on syntax-discourse interfaces and bilingualism. Since 2012, he has served as Director of Education for Humanities, overseeing teacher training programs within the Graduate School of Teaching. He also holds national roles in Humanities education and language policy. Research: His work explores child language development, specifically syntax-discourse interactions in Mandarin and Dutch, and the role of cognitive factors like theory of mind. He has published extensively on topics such as diminutive productivity in Dutch, L2 acquisition of Spanish syntax, and neurolinguistic studies of grammatical processing. Grants & Labs: Coopmans has coordinated national initiatives like 'Talentenkracht' promoting interdisciplinary education and led research on multilingualism funded by NWO. His lab collaborates internationally on projects involving Mandarin and Dutch-speaking populations.

• Morphosyntax
• Dutch Linguistics
• Language Acquisition
• +2 more

Dr. Marijke De Belder is an Assistant Professor at Utrecht University's Department of Languages, Literature and Communication, specializing in Dutch linguistics and language education. Her research focuses on morphosyntax, Dutch compounding, and pluricentric language education. De Belder's research explores Dutch morphosyntax through theoretical frameworks like Distributed Morphology. Key interests include compounding, affixation, allomorphy, and the syntax-morphology interface. She investigates how theoretical linguistics can inform language education practices. Her publications consistently address Dutch morphosyntax, theoretical frameworks like Distributed Morphology, and pedagogical applications. Recent work emphasizes language variation awareness in educational contexts and interface phenomena in Dutch grammar. De Belder coordinates subject didactics in the Graduate School of Teaching and teaches in the Master's program in Multilingualism and Language Acquisition. She has developed interdisciplinary courses on language, law, and interpretation.

• Sociolinguistics
• Language Variation and Change
• World Englishes
• +4 more

Dr. Katharina Pabst is an Assistant Professor of English Linguistics at Radboud University, affiliated with the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures and the Centre for Language Studies. Her research focuses on language variation and change, employing quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze sociolinguistic, contextual, and cognitive factors. She investigates topics like phonological processes in Canadian English, gender representation in textbooks, and the impact of technology on language norms. Teaching roles include coordinating courses on Language Variation and Change, Sociolinguistics, and Syntax. She emphasizes inclusive education and scholarly teaching practices, contributing to resources like TRILL (Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Linguistics). She actively participates in committees such as the Linguistic Society of America’s Committee on Gender Equity in Linguistics (COGEL). Dr. Pabst holds an Excellence in Teaching Award from the University at Buffalo (2016). Her work bridges sociolinguistic theory and pedagogical innovation, with publications in journals and conference proceedings. She also engages in community-based research, examining language use during cognitive decline and the effects of pandemic disruptions on language maintenance.