Prof Bart Deygers is an assistant professor of second language acquisition and language testing at Ghent University. He is the Co-PI of the MILA project. His research interests include migration policy, fair and just test score use, policy analysis, and validity theory, and instructed language gains in vulnerable migrant populations.
"I love the pursuit of knowledge, but I could never pursue knowledge for its own sake. For me, research always has to have a societal connection. More than a connection. It needs to be societally embedded and needs to have societal relevance. That is why I like to involve policy in research."
Dr Benjamin Kremmel is a Senior Researcher at the University of Innsbruck where is the head of the Language Testing Research Group Innsbruck. He is the Co-PI of the project and has published on a range of topics on language testing and assessment.
"What is the importance of research? My doctoral advisor wrote in one of his books, 'Improve the world, start with knowledge' and I think research is an excellent way of getting us there. What motivates me in my research is the potential for empirical findings to make language policies and language tests more equitable."
Dr Laura Schildt is leader of Work Package 1 and supervises Work Packages 2 and 3. She is a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University. She has published on a range of topics including language policy, language testing and assessment, language in migration and integration processes, and the role of language professionals in policymaking.
"I love applying my fascination with deeply understanding and explaining things to two things I'm passionate about: policy and languages. I love how speaking a language, even a few words, can express interest in another person and open up a view to their perspective on life."
Eva Konrad is leader of Work Package 2. She is a PhD student and part of the Language Testing Research Group at the University of Innsbruck. Her research focuses on language testing, migration, and integration. She has presented her work at international conferences and published on language policy in Austria.
''I find it genuinely exciting to explore questions that matter beyond academia, and to develop a deeper understanding of complex social realities. Research can help, not necessarily by providing easy answers, but by enabling us to ask better questions.''
Shriya Dixit is leader of Work Package 3 and a researcher at the Language Testing Research Group (University of Innsbruck), where she works on the MILA project while pursuing her PhD. She holds an Erasmus Mundus Master in Global Studies (Leipzig University/University of Vienna) and a Master's in German Studies (Savitribai Phule Pune University). She has worked at the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce and has over 7 years of experience as a German language trainer.
''What motivates me in my research is that it is rooted in real lives. Research lets us look past assumptions and trace how tests shape migration, integration and social mobility. This work is sharply focused yet wonderfully holistic. I am constantly challenged and inspired by my team members, who bring fresh perspectives to the same questions.''
Former Team Members
Viktoria Ebner worked on Work Package 3. She is a researcher at the University of Innsbruck. Her research interests include (language) assessment literacy among science teachers, the interplay between content and language in assessment, and language assessment for migration.
