Sarah Duffy

Dr. Sarah Duffy is a Senior Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics at Northumbria University's Department of Humanities and holds a concurrent role as Visiting Associate Professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. Her work focuses on metaphor, embodied cognition, and cognitive linguistics applications in education, society, and design. She earned her PhD in Cognitive Linguistics from Northumbria University (2014) and a BA (Hons) in English Language (2008).

Her research employs experimental methods to explore how metaphors structure abstract concepts, with notable contributions in journals like Cognitive Linguistics and Frontiers in Psychology. She co-authored the monograph Time, Metaphor, and Language (2023) and launched the Cambridge Elements Series in Cognitive Linguistics (2019). Duffy has held editorial roles including Review Editor for Language and Cognition (2016–2023) and currently serves on the boards of Cognitive Linguistics and Cognitive Linguistic Studies.

Her research interests span metaphor theory, embodied cognition, and interdisciplinary applications. Recent work examines individual differences in temporal metaphor interpretation and practical reasoning in Polish syntax. She actively supervises PhD candidates exploring metaphor, embodied cognition, and cognitive linguistics in societal contexts.