Professor Li Wei elected Chair of University Council of General and Applied Linguistics (UCGAL)
Li Wei, Professor of Applied Linguistics, has been elected the new Chair of University Council of General and Applied Linguistics
Li Wei, Professor of Applied Linguistics, Pro-Vice-Master for Research and Director of Birkbeck Graduate Research School, has been elected the new Chair of University Council of General and Applied Linguistics (UCGAL).
UCGAL brings together twelve linguistics societies in order to provide a unified voice on public policy matters for linguistics and to advance the discipline within the UK higher education community. It aims to promote research, teaching and learning, and scholarship as well as co-operation and co-ordination, and the sharing of expertise and good practice, between institutions, learned societies, professional associations and related bodies in all areas of general and applied linguistics.
A leading applied linguist, Li Wei has researched extensively in areas of bilingualism and multilingualism, including language maintenance and shift in immigrant communities, language acquisition and disorders of bilingual and multilingual children, and bilingual and multilingual education. He is an Academician of Social Sciences, a member of the ESRC Grant Assessment Panel (A: Psychology, Education and Linguistics), and Principal Editor of the International Journal of Bilingualism.
Commenting on his election, Professor Li Wei said: “UCGAL has played a crucial role in arguing the case for linguistics in higher education policy at a time of uncertainty and change for research and teaching in the humanities and social sciences. It will strive to continue to support the member associations in demonstrating the relevance of linguistics to a range of 21st century social challenges. I am honoured by the trust of colleagues to serve UCGAL and the linguistics community in the UK.”
Li Wei will take over from the current chair in the autumn.