Yoryia Agouraki is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies at the University of Cyprus since 1994. She holds a B.A. in English Studies from the University of Athens (1986), an M.Phil. in Theoretical Linguistics from the University of Cambridge (1988), and a Ph.D. in Syntax from University College London (1993). Her research focuses on syntactic theory, comparative syntax, and interfaces between syntax and phonology/morphology/semantics. Her academic career includes teaching positions at King's College London (1989-1993) and University College London (1990-1993), followed by a research post at the University of Crete (1993-1994) before joining the University of Cyprus. Her work examines syntactic phenomena in Greek dialects and formal syntactic frameworks, with notable contributions to the analysis of wh-clauses and aspectual categories. Key research areas include: Syntactic theory and comparative syntax Interactions between syntax and other linguistic modules Morphosyntactic variation in Greek dialects Her publications analyze clause structure, aspectual categories, and syntactic phenomena in Standard vs. Cypriot Greek. No grants or awards were explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
Dr. Andri Kanikli is an Assistant Professor of Linguistics at UCLan Cyprus, serving as Deputy Course Leader for BA (Hons) English Language and Literature and Research Degree Tutor. She holds a PhD from the University of York (2012) and a PGCert in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from the University of Central Lancashire (2018). Her research focuses on multilingualism, language disorders, and minority language preservation, particularly Cypriot Maronite Arabic. She leads key roles in academic governance, including ASQAC and Senate representation. Education: PhD in Linguistics, University of York, UK (2012) PGCert in Teaching & Learning in HE, UCLan UK (2018) BA in Philology (Linguistics), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (2007) Research Interests: Language Acquisition & Disorders Minority Language Transmission Family Language Policy Cypriot Greek Syntax Language Revitalization Her recent work includes developing screening tools for language development (SSLD), leading the Erasmus+ 'Planting Languages' project, and documenting Cypriot Maronite Arabic through syntactic analysis. She has secured over €300,000 in research grants, including projects on family language planning and policy-making. Awards include the UK Alumni Award (2024) and EPOS Quality Label recognition. She actively organizes conferences/seminars on multilingualism and advises PhD students on topics like family language strategies and L2 perception. Labs/Initiatives: MIDEX Research Centre Co-PI, CIELL Research Cluster member, and lead on projects at UCLan's School of Business & Management.
Gulshen Sakhatova serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cyprus, with prior academic appointments spanning eight institutions across Germany, Greece, and Turkmenistan. Her international career includes professorships at Georg-August University Göttingen (2017-2020), Aristotle University Thessaloniki (2015), and multiple German universities, alongside repeated visiting positions at the University of Cyprus since 2007. Her academic foundation includes an MA in Philology (German, English and World Literature) from Magtymguly Turkmen State University and a PhD in Turkology/Linguistics from Friedrich Wilhelm University Bonn (2004). This dual expertise enables sophisticated cross-linguistic analysis between Germanic and Turkic language families. Sakhatova's research centers on the structural intricacies of Turkic languages, particularly verb systems and modality phenomena in Turkish, Turkmen, and Cypriot Turkish variants. She investigates linguistic contact effects in multilingual environments, Turkmen's status as a 'degraded' Turkic language, and pedagogical challenges in teaching Turkish to Greek speakers. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with practical language acquisition frameworks, emphasizing semantic-pragmatic interfaces and historical development pathways. Current research demonstrates strong productivity with 15+ publications since 2021, primarily in specialized linguistics journals and the Societas Uralo-Altaica series. Her output reveals consistent focus on modality systems (35%), dialectology (25%), and language pedagogy (20%), with growing emphasis on Greek-Turkish language contact phenomena through her two active research projects. She currently leads two major funded initiatives: 'A Manual for Language Instructors of Turkish to Greek L1 Learners' (2023-2025) and 'Teaching/Learning Turkish as SL/FL in Greek language classrooms' (2024-2025). These projects address critical gaps in pedagogical resources for Greek-speaking Turkish learners, examining interference patterns and developing context-specific teaching methodologies. Her international collaborations span institutions in Germany, Greece, Russia, and Turkey through co-authored publications and scholarly networks. Students benefit from engagement with active fieldwork projects, corpus development for endangered Turkic varieties, and participation in international academic exchanges. Her supervision emphasizes empirical research in Turkic linguistics with applications to language preservation and pedagogy, particularly relevant for scholars interested in Mediterranean language contact zones.
