Maria Mazzoli is an Assistant Professor at the University of Groningen’s Faculty of Arts, specializing in Theoretical and Empirical Linguistics. Her research focuses on sociolinguistics, language contact, creole studies, Algonquian morphology, and language policy. She coordinates courses on language planning, minority languages, and multilingualism. Affiliations: Theoretical and Empirical Linguistics (TEL) department, Faculty of Arts Teaching: Language Development, Minority Languages II, Diversity Management (BA/MA) Grants: VIDI 2021 NWO Grant (SHADES project), Marie Curie Fellowship (2016) Her work addresses decolonization in linguistics, linguistic awareness among migrants, and ethnolinguistic vitality. Recent projects include studying morphological productivity in Indigenous languages and language diversity in urban contexts (e.g., Bremen). Key Awards: Mapudungun Nemülkawe (2023), IMPACT Grant (2021) Labs/Teams: Leads the SHADES project exploring cognitive bases of morphological productivity.
Rolando Coto Solano is an Assistant Professor of Linguistics at Dartmouth College , with an Adjunct Assistant Professor appointment in Computer Science and an Affiliate Professor role in the Quantitative Social Science Program (QSS) . He focuses on creating computational tools to document and revitalize Indigenous languages like Cook Islands Māori and Bribri. Education : PhD and MA in Linguistics from the University of Arizona; BA in Computer Science from the University of Costa Rica. Research Interests include: Natural Language Processing for Indigenous and Under-Resourced Languages Tonal Phonetics and Phonology, with a focus on tonal reduction Sociophonetics, particularly interisland variation in Cook Islands Māori Publication Trends show expertise in automatic speech recognition (ASR) for Indigenous languages, computational sociophonetics, tonal priming, and metadata standards in academic publishing. He collaborates on tools like Universal Dependencies treebanks and the ELPIS pipeline . Scientific Awards : Fulbright Foreign Student Program (Master’s Degree) National Science Foundation (NSF) Consultant Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund Ship for World Youth Program (Office of the Prime Minister of Japan)
Yin Liu is a Professor and Department Head of English at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Arts and Science. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Alberta and specializes in medieval English language, literature, and digital humanities. Her research focuses on Middle English romances, medieval manuscript studies, and the intersection of textual and visual communication. Current projects include the Medieval Codes initiative. Education: B.A. and Ph.D. (English) from the University of Alberta. Research interests include: Medieval English language and literature History of the English language Manuscript studies Medieval reading practices Digital humanities applications Teaching includes courses like Middle English Romances and historical linguistics. She has been honored with three Teaching Excellence Awards (2005, 2017, 2018) from the University of Saskatchewan. Her work bridges textual analysis and digital innovation, exploring how medieval texts were read, annotated, and transmitted. She supervises graduate students in English and collaborates on interdisciplinary projects such as ArchBook and the Oxford English Dictionary’s historical methodologies.
Dr. Silke Hamann is a researcher at the University of Amsterdam, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Linguistics. Her work bridges phonology and phonetics, focusing on the emergence of phonological features, perceptual cues in segmental contrasts, and the interaction of phonology with orthography and language acquisition. Current projects: diachronic loanword adaptation, congenital amusia's impact on speech perception, Bantu languages (with Nancy Kula and Laura Downing), Catalan studies (with Francesc Torres-Tamarit) Research interests span synchronic/diachronic phonology, phonetic perception, computational modeling of phonological acquisition, and cross-linguistic analysis of retroflex consonants. Her publications analyze phenomena in Korean, Japanese, Bantu languages, German, Portuguese, and Slavic languages, with recurring themes of cue weighting, phonological constraints, and orthographic influence. Recent articles highlight her focus on creaky voice diagnostics, loanword phonotactics, congenital amusia, and Bantu intonation systems. Collaborations with Nancy Kula (Bantu) and Francesc Torres-Tamarit (Catalan) underscore her international research network.
Munther A. Younes is the Reis Senior Lecturer of Arabic Language and Linguistics at Cornell University , affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences, Linguistics Department, Near Eastern Studies, and the Religious Studies Program. He is also a Stephen H. Weiss Provost Teaching Fellow. PhD, University of Texas at Austin (Linguistics, 1982) Diploma, University of Jordan (English as a Second Language, 1975) B.A., University of Jordan (English Language and Literature, 1974) His research focuses on Arabic linguistics , including phonetics, phonology, morphology, sociolinguistics, and comparative/historical dialectology. He specializes in teaching Arabic as a foreign language , Qur'anic Arabic , and comparative Semitic linguistics , with a particular emphasis on integrating colloquial Arabic with Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha) in pedagogy. His publications, including books like Charging Steeds or Maidens Performing Good Deeds: In Search of the Original Qur’an (2019) and The Integrated Approach to Arabic Instruction (2015), highlight his work on Arabic language instruction and Qur'anic exegesis. His recent articles address CEFR guidelines, dialectal integration, and historical linguistic analysis. Stephen H. Weiss Provost Teaching Fellowship Sophie Washburn French Instructorship
Sverre Stausland Johnsen is Professor of General Linguistics and Scandinavian Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Oslo. His academic work focuses on language change within the fields of phonology, historical linguistics, and sociolinguistics, with particular emphasis on Norwegian language history and Scandinavian languages. Johnsen's research interests span phonology, sound change, language change, historical linguistics, and sociolinguistics. His work often examines how linguistic structures evolve over time, with special attention to Norwegian orthographic reforms, phonological patterns in Scandinavian languages, and the historical development of linguistic features. He has made significant contributions to understanding vowel harmony, retroflexion in Norwegian, and the historical development of grammatical structures in Old Norse and related languages. His recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on Norwegian language history, orthography reforms, and phonological patterns. The 2021-2025 publications show particular emphasis on Somali tonal systems, Norwegian word formation, stress patterns in loanwords, and historical aspects of Norwegian orthography, especially regarding the 1901 spelling reform. His work combines theoretical linguistic frameworks with detailed historical analysis of Scandinavian languages. Johnsen is actively involved in two research groups: Language Change and Phonology. His ongoing projects include studies on the spread of uvular /r/ in Norway, the historical development of grammatical structures, and the relationship between phonetic perception and phonological change. His research often bridges theoretical linguistics with practical applications in understanding language evolution and variation.
Carmen Brandt is a Professor of Contemporary South Asian Studies at the University of Bonn, Germany, where she has been a faculty member since 2017, first as a Junior Professor and since 2023 as a W2-Professor. She is affiliated with the Department of South Asian Studies within the Faculty of Humanities. Her academic journey began at Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, where she earned her Magistra Artium in 2006 and her doctorate in 2015 with a dissertation on the 'Bedes' of Bengal. She previously served as a research associate and lecturer at Halle before joining Bonn. W2-Professor, University of Bonn (2023–present) Junior Professor, University of Bonn (2017–2023) Research Associate, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg (2007–2016) Lecturer in Bengali, Halle (2006–2007) Her research focuses on language and script politics, minority discourses, nation-building, and the cultural dynamics of Bengal and Bangladesh. She investigates how writing systems serve as tools of identity formation and political contestation, particularly among marginalized communities such as the 'Bedes' and Balti people. Her interdisciplinary approach draws from sociolinguistics, cultural anthropology, and postcolonial theory. The 15 most recent publications reflect a consistent engagement with themes of script identity, ethnic marginalization, and geopolitical belonging. Her work spans monographs, journal articles, and edited volumes, often analyzing how language policies and media representations shape national and subnational identities in South Asia. She frequently collaborates with scholars across institutions and countries, contributing to transnational academic discourse. Scientific and Professional Memberships: Editorial Team, ASIEN journal Chairperson, Bengal Link e.V. Chairperson, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Asienkunde (DGA) Spokesperson Council, Working Group “Modern South Asia” (DGA) Member, Literaturforum Indien e.V. Member, Association of Asian Studies She has advised and organized numerous academic events, including the German South Asia Days and workshops on Tibetanness and language politics. She has delivered invited lectures across South Asia, Europe, and North America, demonstrating her international scholarly reach. Her work bridges academic research and public engagement, particularly through journalistic contributions on South Asian socio-political issues. Laboratories and Research Teams: While not leading a formal lab, she actively organizes and participates in collaborative research networks, including the Working Group on Modern South Asia and the German South Asia Consortium. She has co-organized multiple international conferences and workshops, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue among early-career and established scholars.
Wen Xin serves as an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of English at the University of Kansas within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her academic profile centers on contextual language appropriateness across spoken/written contexts, regional variations, and historical periods, with emphasis on language as both an empowerment tool and mechanism for marginalization. Her research program intersects English Language Studies and Writing Studies through corpus linguistics, sociolinguistics, and text mining methodologies. She investigates pragmatic feature variation in writing classrooms to foster equitable pedagogical environments, with specialization in History of English, Digital Humanities, and Response to Student Writing. This work integrates quantitative analysis with critical language awareness frameworks to address systemic inequities in writing instruction. Publication trends reveal consistent application of diachronic corpus approaches to writing studies, examining linguistic justice in feedback practices, comparative analysis of native/nonnative English-speaking composition instructors, and historical orthographic patterns. Her scholarship demonstrates methodological rigor through mixed-methods designs that bridge historical linguistics with contemporary writing pedagogy. No scientific awards are documented in available materials. While graduate student advising details remain unspecified, her research agenda shows strong emphasis on developing data-driven writing assessment frameworks and equitable feedback systems through corpus-based investigations of classroom language practices.
Christoph Schroeder is a Professor for German as a Second and Foreign Language at the Institute for Germanistics, University of Potsdam. He serves as a corresponding member of the Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies (IMIS) and has held visiting professorships at the University of Cyprus (2004) and Istanbul Bilgi University (2005). His work bridges linguistics, migration studies, and multilingual education. Education: Habilitation in Linguistics (University of Osnabrück, 2004); Promotion (PhD) in Germanistics (University of Bremen, 1995). Key Affiliations: IMIS, Center of Migration Studies (Istanbul Bilgi University), Arbeitsgebiet DaZ/DaF (University of Potsdam). Research Interests focus on language contact, contrastive linguistics, and multilingualism in schools. His work examines orthographic challenges in German-Turkish language contact, secondary predication in Turkish, and strategies for supporting students with non-German native languages through multilingual education frameworks. Notable Projects include leading the Volkswagen Foundation-funded project "Schriftspracherwerb in der Organisation Schule unter den Bedingungen von Migration und Mehrsprachigkeit" (2007-2012), which explored literacy acquisition in multilingual schools across Germany, Turkey, and Cyprus. His editorial roles include co-editing Essener Linguistische Skripte and serving on the editorial board of Language Typology and Universals (STUF) . Publications span contrastive linguistics, language typology, and migration-related educational challenges. Recent work analyzes orthographic systems in language contact scenarios, adverbial modification in Turkish, and article systems across European languages. His research often integrates sociolinguistic and typological perspectives. Professional Memberships: Association of Linguistic Typology (ALT) Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sprachwissenschaft (DGfS) Deutsche Gesellschaft für Fremdsprachenforschung (DGFF)
Prof. Atik Aydın is a full-time Professor in the Department of Arabic Language and Rhetoric at Ankara Social Sciences University's Faculty of Theology. He obtained his PhD from Ankara University (2004) after completing degrees at Marmara University (BA, 1993) and Sakarya University (MA, 1996). Before joining Ankara Social Sciences University, he taught at İnönü University (2010-2022) and conducted research at the University of Nottingham (2018). He also served at Qatar's Ministry of Defense School of Foreign Languages (2019-2022). His research spans: Arabic language pedagogy and grammar systems Historical development of Arabic literature Ottoman-era Arabic manuscripts Quranic linguistic analysis His publications focus on Arabic syntax, educational methodologies, and classical text analysis, with recurrent themes in Quranic exegesis and Ottoman linguistic heritage. Recent works analyze pedagogical frameworks (2020) and rhetorical structures in Islamic texts (2022). He advises graduate students on topics like classical Arabic poetry metrics and Quranic reception history. He co-developed the Abjad Arabic textbook series (2016-2021) and participated in a national project for Arabic language education materials.
Thomas Rainsford is a Lecturer at the University of Stuttgart's Institute of Linguistics, Division of Romance Linguistics. His research focuses on historical Romance linguistics, particularly phonological change, morpho-syntax, and corpus development. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and has held positions at ENS de Lyon and as a British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Oxford. Research interests center on: Diachronic evolution of French, Occitan, and Italian Prosodic changes and phonological annotation Lexical and morpho-syntactic aspects of motion events Historical corpus development with multi-layer annotation Publications demonstrate consistent focus on: Historical phonology and orthographic systems Syntactic change in medieval Gallo-Romance languages Corpus linguistics methodologies Computational approaches to historical texts Awards include the British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellowship. Current research involves leading a DFG-funded project examining motion events in French and Italian through lexical and syntactic change analysis. Developed the Old Gallo-Romance Corpus (OGR) with specialized phonological and metrical annotation layers.
Dr. Mirela Ivanova serves as Lecturer in Medieval History at the Department of History, School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities, University of Sheffield since 2021. Her research centers on Byzantine intellectual and social history with particular focus on Central and Eastern European medieval contexts, examining written culture, multilingualism, and cultural transmission across political boundaries. Her scholarship operates at two interconnected levels: analyzing medieval textual production as a tool for socio-political change, and critically examining how 19th-20th century nationalist projects shaped Byzantine historiography and heritage practices. Current projects investigate how historiographical frameworks influence contemporary heritage management in Eastern European states, bridging medieval studies with postcolonial theory. Recent publications including the monograph Inventing Slavonic: Cultures of Writing between Rome and Constantinople (2024) and co-edited volume Is Byzantine Studies a Colonialist Discipline? (2023) demonstrate methodological innovation through combining manuscript analysis with critical heritage studies. Her work consistently explores the tension between medieval textual creation and modern identity politics. Scientific recognition includes: BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker (2021) Junior Research Fellowship, University of Oxford Research Fellowship, Koç University Residential Fellowship, Centre for Advanced Study in Sofia Dr. Ivanova actively engages public audiences through History Today, Los Angeles Review of Books, and BBC Radio 3 appearances. She develops university access initiatives for UK schools while teaching undergraduate courses including Byzantine Intersectionality and postgraduate Presenting the Past , emphasizing critical approaches to historical narratives and heritage.
Yair Sapir is a Senior Lecturer in Swedish at Kristianstad University's Faculty of Teacher Education, Department of Subject Teacher Education. His work focuses on Älvdalian and Sami language revitalization, language policy, and sociolinguistics. Teaching: Grammar, phonetics, language history, second language pedagogy, and language sociology at Kristianstad University; Älvdalen dialect training for Älvdalen Municipality (2022); Old Icelandic and Nordic culture at Ghent University. Research: Älvdalian structure, political status, and revitalization; Icelandic word formation; Sami language revitalization; linguistic purism. Collaboration: Coordinator of Råðdjärum (Älvdal Language Council) since 2004; linguistic advisor for Älvdalen's revitalization project Wilum og bellum (2019-2022). His recent publications, including A Grammar of Elfdalian (2024), emphasize language documentation and revitalization. He actively engages in public lectures and consultations, such as reviewing Sweden's minority language policy (2024-2025). Sapir is a corresponding member of the Royal Gustav Adolf Academy of Swedish Folk Culture.
Jacqueline Leybaert is a Professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in the Faculty of Psychological and Educational Sciences. She is a leading researcher in the LCLD (Language, Cognition, Learning, and Development) laboratory, focusing on multimodal language perception, particularly in the context of deafness and hearing disabilities. Her work bridges psychology, linguistics, and audiology with significant implications for deaf education and communication strategies. Her research interests encompass multimodal language perception, audiovisual speech integration, deafness, hearing disabilities, orthographic learning, and numerical cognition. Dr. Leybaert has made substantial contributions to understanding how Cued Speech—a system that uses handshapes near the mouth to disambiguate speech sounds—can enhance language acquisition and speech perception for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. Her work explores the cognitive and perceptual mechanisms underlying language development in deaf children, particularly those using cochlear implants or Cued Speech. Analyzing her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on how multimodal information (auditory, visual, and manual cues) integrates in speech perception, especially in challenging listening conditions. Her research demonstrates how Cued Speech can improve speech recognition in noise, enhance orthographic learning, and support language development in deaf children. The interdisciplinary nature of her work connects cognitive psychology, linguistics, audiology, and educational practices for deaf individuals. Dr. Leybaert has supervised doctoral students, including Sabatier, E., whose dissertation focused on orthographic representations in deaf children. Her collaborative work extends to researchers such as Cécile Colin, Caron Jirschik, and Vilain, indicating strong research networks in deaf education and speech science. Though specific grant information isn't detailed in the provided text, her extensive publication record suggests significant research funding and project leadership. Her laboratory work centers on the LCLD lab at ULB, which appears to focus on language development, cognitive processes, and learning mechanisms, particularly in special populations including deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. The lab's research employs various methodologies including behavioral experiments, eye-tracking, and potentially neuroimaging techniques to investigate language processing and development.
Professor I Wayan Arka is a leading academic at the School of Culture, History & Language, Australian National University (ANU), with a focus on Austronesian and Papuan languages. He has held leadership roles including Head of Linguistics Program (2014-2021, 2024-present) and Convenor of the Indonesian Language Program (2021-2023). His career spans theoretical linguistics, typology, and language documentation, supported by funding from the ARC, ELDP, and UK AHRC grants. PhD and MPhil in Linguistics (University of Sydney) MA in Applied Linguistics (University of Sydney) His research integrates Lexical-Functional Grammar (LFG) with fieldwork on Indonesia's diverse languages, emphasizing community collaboration and digital archiving. Recent projects include the Barrier Islands Project (2023-2027) and Enggano language studies (2019-2024). Key publication themes include: Corpus-based typology and syntactic analysis Computational grammar implementation Orthography development for endangered languages Scientific recognitions: Elected Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (2021) Elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (2022) He supervises research students and contributes to interdisciplinary linguistics teaching, covering syntax, morphology, and Austronesian languages.
