Roberta D'Alessandro

Roberta D'Alessandro is a Professor of Linguistics/Syntax and Language Variation at Utrecht University's Department of Languages, Literature and Communication, and Head of the Linguistics section. She leads the research group 'Language Structure: Variation and Change' within the Institute for Language Sciences (ILS). Her work focuses on syntactic variation, heritage language syntax, and microvariation in Italo-Romance and Indo-Aryan dialects. She is editor-in-chief of Isogloss and Grammars and Sketches of the World's Languages/Romance, and president of Going Romance.

Her research explores syntactic theory through heritage language data, language contact in migration contexts, and the syntax-phonology interface. Awards include the Knight of the Italian Republic (2014) and membership in the Global Young Academy (2014–2019). She coordinates EU policy initiatives and advises on ethical research practices.

• Education: Ph.D. in Linguistics (not explicitly stated, inferred from career)
• Grants: ERC Consolidator Grant (Microcontact Project), NWO VIDI (2010–2015), Marie Curie Fellowship (2005–2007)

Recent work emphasizes ethical considerations in theoretical linguistics and the integration of fieldwork with formal syntactic analysis. She collaborates internationally, leading projects on endangered languages and linguistic microvariation.