Dr. Bronwyn Bjorkman to Join Program in Linguistics Faculty in January 2026

The Program in Linguistics will welcome Dr. Bronwyn Bjorkman as a new Associate Professor in January 2026. Dr. Bjorkman earned her B.A. from McGill University and her Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She specializes in theoretical syntax, with a particular interest in how syntactic information is represented and shared with phonological, morphological, and semantic modules of grammar. Her research takes a typological perspective, bringing many different languages to bear on linguistic theory, and a cross-theoretical perspective, stepping outside individual theories to evaluate empirical findings. She has published her research in top venues such as Linguistic Inquiry, Natural Language and Linguistic Theory, Syntax, and Phonology. In addition to her scholarly work, Dr. Bjorkman brings a wealth of pedagogical experience, having taught courses in nearly every subfield of linguistics and having co-authored the open access textbook Essentials of Linguistics. She also brings considerable administrative experience, having served as Head of the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Queen’s University (Kingston) since 2022. Dr. Laura Kalin, Associate Director of the Program in Linguistics, notes that “Dr. Bjorkman’s expansive approach to the study of language and to academia make her an outstanding addition to our growing program. We are thrilled that she will be joining us!”