This year marks the 25^th consecutive year TIRF has offered its Doctoral Dissertation Grants (DDGs)  to doctoral candidates around the world. With the support of our partners – Cambridge (sponsored by Cambridge English, which is part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment) and Duolingo, and the TOEFL® program at ETS – along with many individual donors – TIRF has recently completed the process of awarding a total of US $35,000. The funds were distributed among 13 grantees, who are from Argentina, China, Egypt, South Korea, and Turkey.

Including the funding for this year’s grantees, TIRF has awarded more than US $600,000 via its DDG program to 253 individuals from approximately 30 countries. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the donors who have supported our grant-making efforts to help deserving junior scholars. In particular, we want to acknowledge those individuals who have contributed to TIRF’s Russell N. Campbell fund, which is used to recognize the highest-rated DDG applicant each year.

We are very pleased to announce the 2026 class of TIRF DDG recipients. Below you will find brief bio statements for each of this year’s grantees, as well as information about their research, their home countries, and the particular TIRF Research Topic(s) each study addresses. Information about the recipients of the 2026 DDG awards has been posted to our website (select the “Recipients” tab and use the drop-down menu to select “2026″).

	Name & Bio: Andrea Hernando is a Ph.D. candidate in Spanish Linguistics at Georgetown University. Originally from Argentina, Andrea’s research interests include language development in study abroad settings, the psychology of language learning, social networks, and heritage language education. At Georgetown, Andrea has taught courses including Spanish for Business, Teaching Spanish, and Spanish for Heritage Speakers, as well as introductory and advanced Spanish courses. Hometown: Catamarca, Argentina Project Title: The Socioemotional Landscape of Study Abroad: An Examination of Enjoyment, Anxiety, Linguistic Insecurity, Social Networks, and Language Development Sponsor: Cambridge TIRF Research Topic Investigated: Individual Learner Differences and Effective Language Education
	Name & Bio: Gayoung Choi is a doctoral candidate in Educational Studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Her research interests include translanguaging, language learning motivation, and AI-mediated language learning. Her dissertation uses mixed methods to investigate how AI-mediated translanguaging can support vocabulary learning and motivation among young learners in South Korean elementary English classrooms. Hometown: Gangneung, South Korea Project Title: AI-Mediated Translanguaging in South Korean Elementary EFL Classrooms: A Mixed-Methods Study of Vocabulary Acquisition and Learner Motivation Sponsor: Duolingo & TIRF TIRF Research Topics Investigated: (1) Teaching Second and Foreign Languages to Young Learners; (2) Artificial Intelligence (AI)
	Name & Bio: Hala Salem is a Ph.D. candidate in Curriculum and Instruction, with an emphasis in Language, Culture, and Society and a minor in Africana Studies, at The Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests include multilingual education, language teacher education, teacher identity, Africana Studies, and culturally responsive pedagogy. Her dissertation examines how translanguaging and dialogic pedagogy shape EFL preservice teachers’ engagement in Egypt. Hometown: Zagazig, Egypt Project Title: Reimagining English Teacher Education in Egypt: Translanguaging, Dialogic Pedagogy, and Student Engagement among EFL Preservice Teachers Sponsor: Duolingo TIRF Research Topics Investigated: (1) Language Teacher Education; (2) Plurilingualism and Multilingualism in Educational Contexts; (3) Language Policy and Planning
	Name & Bio: Shujing Zhao is a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Linguistics at Northern Arizona University. Her research interests include instructed second language acquisition, particularly task-based language teaching and individual differences, as well as research methodology. Her dissertation investigates how different types of pre-task planning influence second language learners’ task-specific anxiety, planning behaviors, and speaking performance. Hometown: Hengshui, China Project Title: Pre-Task Planning, Task-Specific Anxiety, and Performance in L2 Speaking Tasks Sponsor: Duolingo TIRF Research Topic Investigated: Individual Learner Differences and Effective Language Education
	Name & Bio: Soyeon Sim is a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Linguistics and ESL at Georgia State University. Her research interests include learner corpora, technology-enhanced language learning, second language acquisition, and usage-based linguistics. Her dissertation compares L2 learners’ spoken interactions with AI, fellow L2 learners, and L1 English speakers, focusing on phraseological patterns and interactional behaviors. Hometown: Seoul, South Korea Project Title: A Corpus-Based Comparison of Phraseological and Interactional Competence in Learner-AI, Learner-Learner, and Learner-L1 Spoken Interaction Sponsor: Cambridge TIRF Research Topic Investigated: Artificial Intelligence
	Name & Bio: Xiaojia Lyu is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Leeds, UK. Her scholarly interests include English for Specific Purposes, language teacher education, teacher knowledge, AI-assisted language teaching, and World Englishes. She has research experience in education and public policy and has presented at international conferences. Her doctoral research investigates how ESP teachers in Chinese higher education construct and develop their professional knowledge. Hometown: Guangzhou, China Project Title: Understanding and Constructing the ESP Knowledge Base: A Study of Language Teachers in Chinese Higher Education Sponsor: Cambridge TIRF Research Topics Investigated: (1) English for Specific Purposes; (2) Language Teacher Education
	Name & Bio: Xiaole Shan is a doctoral candidate at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education. Her research interests include bilingual and multilingual education and second language acquisition. She previously taught Chinese language courses at Columbia University, where she earned her master’s degree. Her dissertation examines translanguaging, language policy, and student agency in a Mandarin–English dual-language immersion classroom. Hometown: Wuhan, China Project Title: Language Policy and Multimodal Translanguaging: Racially and Linguistically Minoritized Young Learners in a Dual-Language Immersion Classroom Sponsor: Duolingo TIRF Research Topics Investigated: (1) Content-based Instruction; (2) Language Policy and Planning; (3) Plurilingualism and Multilingualism in Business, Industry, the Professions, and Educational Contexts; (4) Teaching Second and Foreign Languages to Young Learners
	Name & Bio: Xin Hu is a Ph.D. candidate at University College London. Her research interests include the teaching and learning of vocabulary in a second or foreign language and the cognitive processes underlying second language learning and use. Her doctoral project investigates how reading modality and cognitive individual differences influence L2 processing and learning using mixed methods, with a focus on low-proficiency EFL learners. Hometown: Luzhou, China Project Title: The Effects of Reading Modality on Incidental Vocabulary Learning and Comprehension: An Aptitude-Treatment Interaction Design Sponsor: Duolingo TIRF Research Topic Investigated: Individual Learner Differences and Effective Language Education
	Name & Bio: Xinhang (Hermione) Hu (TIRF’s 2026 Russell N. Campbell Awardee) is a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Linguistics and Language Education at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her dissertation examines how transnational multilingual language teachers and their students negotiate plurilingual pedagogy, identity, authority, participation, and language norms in English-dominant U.S. higher education, with the goal of informing more equitable multilingual language education and classroom practice. Hometown: Xi’an, China Project Title: Transnational Multilingual Language Teachers in English-Dominant Higher Education: Plurilingual Pedagogy, Intersectional Identity, and Positioning Sponsor: Cambridge TIRF Research Topic Investigated: Plurilingualism and Multilingualism in Business, Industry, the Professions, and Educational Contexts
	Name & Bio: Yanxue (Michelle) Feng is a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Linguistics at Western University, Canada. Her research interests include cognitive linguistics, incidental vocabulary learning, and corrective feedback. Her doctoral research features a meta-analysis examining the effects of corrective feedback on L2 vocabulary learning and two empirical studies examining the role of metalinguistic feedback in learning single-word and multi-word items. Hometown: Luoyang, China Project Title: Corrective Feedback and Second Language Vocabulary Learning Sponsor: Duolingo TIRF Research Topics Investigated: (1) English for Specific Purposes; (2) Individual Learner Differences and Effective Language Education
	Name & Bio: Yifei (Phoebe) Wang is a Ph.D. candidate in Education at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research focuses on translanguaging, multilingual classroom interaction, bilingual language development among typically developing and neurodivergent populations, and the role of digital technology in young learners’ bilingual language development. Her dissertation examines how lower-elementary EFL teachers in China coordinate translingual, multimodal, and digital resources to support inclusive participation and learning. Hometown: Beijing, China Project Title: Exploring Technology-Mediated Translanguaging in Inclusive Lower Elementary EFL Classrooms in China: A Multi-Method Study Sponsor: Duolingo TIRF Research Topics Investigated: (1) Digital Technology in Language Education; (2) Teaching Second and Foreign Languages to Young Learners
	Name & Bio: Zeynep Arslan is a doctoral candidate in Multilingual Language Education at The Ohio State University. Her research interests include language teacher education, language ideologies, and generative AI in education. Her dissertation examines how preservice English language teachers negotiate pedagogical tensions, accountability, and transformative agency while engaging with GenAI during instructional tasks. Home Country: Turkey Project Title: Preservice English Language Teachers’ Negotiation of Professional Judgment and Accountability During Generative AI-Mediated Pedagogical Tasks Sponsor: Duolingo & TIRF TIRF Research Topics Investigated: (1) Artificial Intelligence; (2) Language Teacher Education
	Name & Bio: Ziwen Mei is a Ph.D. candidate in Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia. Her dissertation examines social class dynamics and family language policy among rural migrant families in urban China, focusing on how temporal-spatial capital shapes multilingual practices and educational opportunities. Her broader research interests include multilingual education, digital literacy, language policy, and postqualitative methodologies. Hometown: Hangzhou, China Project Title: English Learning, Temporal-Spatial Capital, and Family Language Policy Among Rural Migrant Families in China Sponsor: Duolingo TIRF Research Topics Investigated: (1) Language Planning and Policy; (2) Teaching Second and Foreign Languages to Young Learners; (3) Plurilingualism and Multilingualism in Educational Contexts

2026 TIRF DDG Awardees

We also wish to note that the 2026 TIRF DDG Honorable Mention distinction has been awarded to two individuals this year. Although this distinction does not involve a monetary award, we would like to recognize the outstanding work of these doctoral candidates:

• Mi-Jin Chung (Lancaster University, UK): Assessing Novice Engineers’ Pragmatic and Interactional Competence Through AI Interlocutors in a Metaverse-Based Oral Communication Test
• Wiktoria Allan (Lancaster University, UK): Evaluating the Effect of Extended Time Accommodations in Tests of English as a Second Language on University Students With ADHD: A Mixed-Methods Study

Please join us in congratulating this year’s DDG awardees and honorable mentionees!!