Nikki Swift

Dr Nikki Swift is the Associate Head of Language and Linguistics at the School of Education, Language and Psychology, York St John University. She holds a PhD from the University of York and a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice. With over two decades of teaching experience, she specializes in Phonetics, Phonology, and Child Language Acquisition. Her roles include leadership in curriculum development, quality assurance, and student experience oversight for linguistics and TESOL programmes. She has contributed to academic leadership roles such as Director of Linguistics and Head of Learning and Teaching in the Business School.

Her research focuses on phonological acquisition in multi-dialectal environments, sociophonetics, and the interface between phonetics and phonology. She has presented at conferences like the Sociolinguistics Symposium and published in peer-reviewed journals. Dr Swift is also a mentor for Higher Education Academy fellowships and has taught modules on articulatory phonetics, language acquisition, and applied phonetics.

Her professional activities include chairing the School Quality Panel and serving on the University Quality Committee. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with practical applications in education, emphasizing technology integration and assessment innovation.