Abbas Benmamoun

Dr. Abbas Benmamoun is Professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and Linguistics at Duke University, where he also serves as Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement and Director of the Linguistics Program.

His research examines syntactic theory with focus on Arabic and its dialects, heritage language acquisition, and comparative morphology. He investigates how bilingualism affects grammatical structures in heritage speakers.

Recent publications analyze wh-question formation in Egyptian heritage speakers and theoretical frameworks for heritage language research. His grants include the Provost's Initiative on Free Inquiry (2024-2028) and Faculty Leadership Development Initiative (2018-2022).

He previously held leadership positions at University of Illinois including Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Director of the School of Literatures, Cultures, and Linguistics.