I work as an Associate Professor in computational linguistics at the Institute for Luxembourgish Linguistics and Literature. Before that, I worked at the Research Center Deutscher Sprachatlas in Marburg, where I was involved in the development of a comprehensive research platform on the regional languages of German (www.regionalssprache.de). Since 2022, I am responsible for the new Culture & Computation Lab at the Department of Humanities (see below).

In my work I combine different disciplines and methodological approaches to the analysis of language as a cultural phenomenon. The starting point of my research is formed by the complex relationships between human activity in the world on the one hand and the structure and dynamics of cultural symbol systems on the other. The main foci of my work are the empirical investigation of sociolinguistic issues, the implementation of computational approaches to language use and evaluation, and the development of theoretical models for the description of human cultural practice. I see the close connection of computational working methods and theoretical reflection with societal engagement and an open research practice as a special motivation for my work as well as a challenge for the future of the humanities as a whole.

In particular, I am currently dealing with the opportunities and implications of digitization for scientific and everyday practice. On the one hand, this concerns the expansion of sociolinguistics through data-driven and computational approaches (Computational Sociolinguistics), but also the further development of algorithms and models in computer science by grounding them in sociocultural data (Cultural AI). In this context, I am also concerned with the theoretical foundations of computer-aided cultural practices for the investigation of social processes (Culture & Computation). I am committed to the development of digital language resources and applications for Luxembourgish (Natural Language Processing) as well as to an active dialogue between science and society in the context of participatory research projects (Citizen Science).

Culture & Computation Lab

The new hub of my various working interests is to become the Culture & Computation Lab, an initiative of the Department of Humanities at the University of Luxembourg. The goal of the Lab is to establish an interdisciplinary center for Cultural Data Science, i.e., research in the humanities using computational methods. The thematic focus of the Lab is on Critical AI Studies and Cultural Language Processing. In this context, a comprehensive approach to the analysis of culture and digitality is of particular importance to us, both in terms of everyday practice and in terms of reorienting the practice of research in the humanities. In addition to research, the Lab also aims to teach basic Data Science to students and researchers alike as well as to establish cooperations with industry partners.

More information about the Lab can be found at cucolab.uni.lu.

Roles and responsibilities
Head of Institute Institute for Luxembourgish Language and Literature
Associate SFB Deutsch in Österreich (DiÖ)
Board member Internationale Gesellschaft für Dialektologie des Deutschen e.V. (IGDD)
Editor Book series The Ends of the Humanities. University of Luxemburg: Melusina Press. Together with Till Dembeck, Georg Mein and Johannes Pause. Link
Member COST action European network for Web-centered linguistic data science (NexusLinguarum)

Memberships and engagements
ACL Association for Computational Linguistics
DH Benelux Digital Humanities in the Benelux countries
ECSA European Citizen Science Association
EuADS European Association for Data Science
Scistarter Science we can do together
SLICE Standard Language Ideologies in Contemporary Europe
VndS Verein für niederdeutsche Sprachforschung