Alex Francois

Alex Francois is an Honorary Associate Professor at the School of Culture, History & Language, ANU, and a Senior Researcher (Directeur de Recherche) at CNRS–LaTTiCe in Paris. His research focuses on Oceanic languages, historical linguistics, and language documentation, with a focus on endangered languages in Vanuatu and Solomon Islands.

Education: PhD in Linguistics (Sorbonne, 2001), Habilitation (INALCO, 2014), and École Normale Supérieure (Classics, 1992–1998).

Research interests include phonological systems, semantic change, language geography, and ethnomusicology. He has led major projects like ComPLETE (complex predicates typology) and EvoSem (semantic change database).

Awards include membership in Academia Europaea (2020), CNRS Bronze Medal (2004), and Agrégation de Grammaire (National Rank #1).

Grants include a 2017–18 ELDP grant for archival projects and a 2004–07 ANR grant on Vanuatu ethnomusicology. He has published over 30 works, including Araki: A disappearing language of Vanuatu (2002) and co-authored a linguistic atlas of French Polynesia (2015).