29 January 2018
Anneliese Maier Research Award:Sociolinguist Prof. Dr. Ingrid Piller to research at Universität Hamburg
Photo: Marcin Debski
Prof. Dr. Ingrid Piller is professor of applied linguistics at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, and researches in the field of intercultural communication, language acquisition, and multilingualism within the context of migration and globalization. Piller’s research focuses on the social consequences of language diversity: What opportunities does multilingualism offer for social participation? And how do difficulties experienced by migrants in the official national language affect cultural, economic, and political participation? During the course of her career, Piller has researched in Germany, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America.
Prof. Dr. Dieter Lenzen, President of Universität Hamburg said: “I congratulate Professor Dr. Ingrid Piller and thank Professor Dr. Ingrid Gogolin and Professor Dr. Drorit Lengyel! As an educational scientist, it is a particular pleasure that our area of potential Literacy in Diversity Settings in the Faculty of Education can be strengthened with a scholar so distinguished as Professor Piller.”
Research project on language education in multilingual societies
The Anneliese Maier Research Award provides Prof. Piller with the opportunity to collaborate with Universität Hamburg over the next five years in the research area of the Faculty of Education entitled Literacy in Diversity Settings. Piller, a linguist, will spend two research periods of several months each at Universität Hamburg: The first visit is planned for December 2018. The second for December 2021.
Host scholars at Universität Hamburg are Prof. Dr. Ingrid Gogolin and Prof. Dr. Drorit Lengyel from the Faculty of Education. Funding will enable the researchers to collaborate on the project entitled “Language Education in Linguistically Diverse Societies.” The project comprises two parts: firstly, international knowledge transfer of Piller's existing research on language education and, secondly, questions about the linguistic integration of children with a migration background. The project should also complete a study that clarifies how recently immigrated children and families deal with linguistic challenges in their new surroundings.
About the Anneliese Maier Research Award
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation awards up to 8 Anneliese Maier Research Awards each year. The prizes are worth 250,000 euros each and are awarded to outstanding researchers working abroad in the humanities and the social sciences. Candidates are nominated by cooperation partners at German universities and research institutions. The award funds research collaboration with the host institutions in Germany for a period of up to 5 years. The aim of the award is to further internationalization in the humanities and the social sciences in Germany and the program is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). In 2018, 8 winners were selected from among 111 nominees from 30 countries.