Broadly speaking, I am interested in how we learn language. My research has focused on the role of statistical learning in language development and how learning processes shape human languages. I am interested in the learning of both first and further languages, in children and adults, and in processes involved in learning and processing both spoken and written languages. I am also interested in the educational implications for modern foreign language instruction, particularly in the primary school years.  

From a theoretical perspective, I have recently become interested in whether human language may be understood in terms of discriminative learning — a well understood theory of learning developed in the study of animal learning. This work is funded by a grant from the Leverhulme Trust.

Short biography

I began (academic) life with an undergraduate degree in Linguistics and Artificial Intelligence from the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 2000. I then moved to the US for a PhD in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester. After getting my PhD in 2006, I moved back to the UK and spent six years as Postdoctoral research fellow at University of Oxford, followed by two years as an Assistant Professor at University of Warwick. I am currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Education at University of Oxford, and a Supernumerary Fellow at St. Johns College.

Contact details

	Email
	Department of Education – University of Oxford 15 Norham Gardens, Oxford OX2 6PY, United Kingdom
	Book a meeting with Liz at the Department of Education
	Listen to the UCL’s “What works?” podcast where Liz discusses language science, development and her research career with Sophie Scott
	Meet Liz on Oxford’s web page