Martin Hilpert

Martin Hilpert is a Professor of English Linguistics at the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, where he has been employed since 2012. He currently serves as Vice-Recteur Enseignement (Vice President for Education) at the university, having previously served as Head of the Institute of English Language and Literature from 2012-2020. His academic career includes positions as Junior Fellow at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (2008-2012) and postdoctoral work at the International Computer Science Institute in Berkeley.

Hilpert's educational background includes:

• MA in English Linguistics from Universität Hamburg (1997-2003)
• PhD in Linguistics from Rice University (2003-2007)
• Habilitation at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg (2012)

His research focuses on corpus linguistics, grammaticalization, usage-based linguistics, construction grammar, and cognitive linguistics. Hilpert approaches language as a dynamic system shaped by usage patterns, examining how linguistic constructions evolve over time through corpus-based analysis. His work bridges theoretical linguistics with empirical methodology, particularly through the application of quantitative techniques to historical language data. He has made significant contributions to understanding how grammatical constructions change while maintaining functional coherence across centuries of language use.

Hilpert's publication record demonstrates consistent productivity across multiple formats:

• 4 monographs including highly cited works on construction grammar and diachronic linguistics
• 30 peer-reviewed journal articles
• 41 book chapters
• 10 edited volumes and special journal issues

His scholarly impact is evidenced by 3,941 Google Scholar citations, an h-index of 28, and an i10-index of 53. His 2019 textbook "Construction Grammar and its application to English" has received 643 citations, while his 2013 monograph "Constructional Change in English" has 435 citations.

Hilpert has received significant recognition including:

• The 2018 Credit Suisse Award for Best Teaching at the University of Neuchâtel
• Two competitive Swiss National Science Foundation grants totaling over CHF 924,000
• Leadership roles as President of the Societas Linguistica Europaea (2016) and Vice-President for Research of ISLE (2013-2020)

His international scholarly engagement is extensive, having served on dissertation committees across eight countries, provided tenure review expertise for universities worldwide, and delivered conference keynotes on five continents. Hilpert has organized major international events including the 2019 ICAME Conference and the 2017 Doctoral Summer School of the Societas Linguistica Europaea. His research network spans collaborations with scholars from Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Poland, France, UK, and USA, reflecting his position at the center of European and global linguistics research communities.