Shuna Neilson

Shuna Neilson is an Associate Professor of English for Academic Purposes at the School of Liberal Arts, Richmond University. She serves as Programme Director of the Academic Literacies/English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Programme and teaches on its core courses. Her professional journey includes leadership roles such as Head of the English Department at Yeni Ufuklar School in Istanbul and founding director of the Richmond English Language Institute, which became the Academic English Program in 2000. The program received British Council Accreditation in 2001 and 2006 under her guidance.

Education:

• MA(Hons) in Italian and German with subsidiary Russian (University of Aberdeen)
• Year of study at University of Zurich (German, Italian, Russian, Japanese)
• Six months in Siena studying Italian
• MA in Applied Linguistics, Socio-cultural Approaches (University of London)
• RSA Diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign Language for Adults (Dip.TEFLA)

Research interests focus on Language(s), Language and power, Intercultural communication, and Learning across cultures. She contributes to the International Visual Arts and Cultures research centre.

Honors include Senior Fellowship status by the Higher Education Academy (2020). Professional experience spans teaching English in Italy, Japan, Turkey, and Russia, alongside Italian and German language and translation instruction. She has led educational programs in Moscow since 1998.

Outside academia, she chairs the South Downs Branch of the Society of Recorder Players and enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, cycling, and canoeing, with interests in arts, aikido, and natural history.