Nobuko Koyama

Nobuko Koyama is an Associate Professor of Japanese at the University of California, Davis, currently on sabbatical until June 2026. She holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Her research focuses on Japanese language pedagogy, academic Japanese, discourse analysis of contemporary literature, open educational resources, and DEI/LGBTQIA+ communities in language learning. Koyama has extensive experience in curriculum development, including designing the Japanese language major at Temple University Japan Campus in 2010.

Her edited books include Konnichiwa! Let’s Learn Japanese, Vol. 1 (2019) and contributions to works like The Routledge Handbook of Endangered and Minority Languages (2025), examining modularity in LGBTQIA+ education. She collaborates with the Japan Foundation and Yoshimoto Kogyo on a Japanese language and culture video project. Koyama has received multiple research grants from UC Davis, including Academic Senate Travel Grants (2014–2019) and Faculty Development Awards (2015–2016).

Her recent publications emphasize practical pedagogy, such as internships’ impact on language learning and critical reading strategies in L2 literature seminars. She advocates for inclusive language education that integrates marginalized communities’ linguistic needs.