Education
2016: Ph.D in linguistics at the Australian National University, Canberra with the thesis: A Grammar of Komnzo. A language of Southern New Guinea pdf
2009: Magister Artium in political science, english linguistics, and applied linguistics at the Technische Universität Chemnitz with the thesis: Die Sprache des Migrationsdiskurses. Eine linguistische Analyse der Diskussion um das Zuwanderungsgesetz (The language of migration policy - a linguistic analysis of the debate on migration legislation) pdf
2007: Honours Degree in linguistics at the University of Melbourne with the thesis: The clusivity flip. Patterns of deponency in the pronoun paradigms of Northern Australian languages pdf
Work
2023-today: Postdoctoral Researcher * Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW), Germany * I currently work on a DFG-funded intrastructure project Open Text Collections developing a publishing platform for interlinearized text
2021: Parental leave (9 months)
2020-2023: Postdoctoral Researcher * Leibniz - Centre General Linguistics (ZAS), Germany * I worked on a two-strand project that addressed multilingualism and complex verb morphology in the languages of Southern New Guinea
2017-2019: Postdoctoral Researcher * Universität zu Köln, Germany * I worked on the ELDP funded project A comprehensive documentation of Bine - a language of Southern New Guinea
2016-2017: Editor, developer * Walther de Gruyter, Berlin, Germany * I worked in the editorial team for the Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception and as a developer in the team for database management and development
2016/2017: Researcher * Australian National University, Canberra * I carried out primary data collection for Idi and Komnzo for the ARC project The Wellsprings of Linguistic Diversity
2015-2016: Lecturer * Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Germany * I was teaching the following classes: Syntax (BA), Language contact (BA/MA), Introduction to Papuan languages (MA)
2010-2015: Researcher * Australian National University, Canberra * I carried out primary data collection and archiving for the DOBES project (Volkswagen Foundation) Nen and Komnzo - two languages of Southern New Guinea
2009: Teacher * Bildungswerkstatt Chemnitz gGmbH, Germany * The work was funded by the Leonardo program. I taught English for special purposes (ESP) to students of mechatronics from Chemnitz during their exchange at Ammattiopisto Lappia in Kemi, Finland
2008: Intern * OSCAR e.V., Chemnitz, Germany * I was part of the organising team for the international arts exhibition Transaktion 2008 -– Skulpturen des Übergangs, which involved four artists staging public performances
2005-2008: Tutor for various lectures and seminars in both the department of English Linguistics and the department of Political Theory and History of Ideas, TU Chemnitz, Germany
2005-2006: Research assistant * Department of English Linguistics, TU Chemnitz, Germany
Funding
2023-2026: Open Text Collections, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG); co-applicant with Sebastian Nordhoff and Mandana Seyfeddinipur
2017-2019: A comprehensive documentation of Bine - a language of Southern New Guinea, Endangered Languages Documentation Programme (ELDP)
2010-2015: Nen & Komnzo - Two languages of Southern New Guinea, Volkswagen Foundation (DoBeS); co-applicant with Nicholas Evans and Julia Colleen Miller
2013: Vice Chancellors HDR Travel Grant, Australian National University (ANU)
2010-2013: Stephen and Helen Wurm PhD scholarship, Australian National University (ANU)
Awards
2022: Georg von der Gabelentz Award for A grammar of Komnzo, Association for Linguistic Typology (ALT)
2021: Franz Boas Award (honourable mention) for the Bine collection at ELAR, The Digital Endangered Languages & Musics Archives Network (DELAMAN)
2017: Stephen Wurm Prize for Pacific Linguistics for A grammar of Komnzo, Australian National University (ANU)
2017: Franz Boas Award (honourable mention) for the Komnzo collection at TLA, The Digital Endangered Languages & Musics Archives Network (DELAMAN)
Primary data collection (AKA fieldwork)
Bine, 9 months between 2018-2019, Irukupi, Western Province, Papua New Guinea
Idi, 3 months between 2016-2017, Bimadbn/Dimsisi, Western Province, Papua New Guinea
Komnzo, 18 months between 2010-2016, Rouku, Western Province, Papua New Guinea
Tolaki, field methods class in 2010, Australian National University, Canberra
Warta Thuntai, field methods class in 2012, Australian National University, Canberra
Membership
since 2021: Societas Linguistica Europaea (SLE)
since 2021: Association for Linguistic Typology (ALT)
since 2016: Nordic Anthropological Film Association (NAFA)
since 2015: European Society for Oceanicists (ESfO)
since 2014: Gesellschaft für bedrohte Sprachen e.V. (GbS)
Service
since 2024: editor-in-chief for the series Open Text Collections, Language Science Press
2022-2023: member of the workers’ council (Betriebsrat) at Leibniz-Centre General Linguistics (ZAS)
since 2021: board member of the Förderverein deutsche Linguistik-Olympiade e.V. (DOL)
since 2021: editorial board member for the series Comprehensive Grammar Library, Language Science Press
2018-2021: editorial board member for the series Studies in Diversity Linguistics, Language Science Press
since 2015: proofreader for Language Science Press
2013-2014: PhD student representative at the Department of Linguistics, ANU
I have reviewed articles, books, and applications for: Studies in Linguistics, NUSA, The endangered languages documentation project (ELDP), International Journal of Bilingualism, Pacific Linguistics - deGruyter, Language Science Press, Open Linguistics.
I have examined and co-supervised theses at the following institutions: Australian National University, University of New England, Universität Regensburg, Sorbonne.
Conference organization
Jun 2022: 14th Austronesian & Papuan Languages and Linguistics Conference, Leibniz-Centre General Linguistics & Humboldt University, Berlin.
Dec 2021: MultEx@ZAS - Workshop on Multiple Exponence, Leibniz-Centre General Linguistics, Berlin.
May 2013: 2nd Workshop on the Languages of Melanesia, Australian National University, Canberra.
Mar 2012: 1st Workshop on the Languages of Melanesia, Australian National University, Canberra.