ULAB to welcome Dr David A Peterson as Senior Fellow in Linguistics

The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh will welcome Dr David A Peterson, Associate Professor of Linguistics at Dartmouth College, USA, as a Senior Fellow in Linguistics at the Department of English and Humanities from 17 to 27 November 2025 in the Fall 2025 term.

Dr Peterson is a globally recognised linguist with expertise in multiple areas of linguistics and language documentation, particularly within the Tibeto-Burman and Kuki-Chin language families.

For more than twenty-five years, he has focused his research on indigenous and endangered languages across Bangladesh, India and Myanmar, with notable work on Rengmitca, Khumi and Mro. He earned his PhD in Linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley, and is widely acknowledged for his contributions to the study and preservation of lesser-studied languages in the region.

During his time at ULAB, Dr Peterson will meet faculty members, undergraduate and graduate students from the department, and independent linguistics researchers in Bangladesh to discuss research ideas, curriculum development and course planning across different fields of linguistics. He will also conduct a three-day workshop to train students from the ULAB English and Computer Science and Engineering departments on language documentation and the use of technology in linguistics research.

A panel discussion will be held during the workshop, featuring linguists, community activists and cultural representatives who will examine the preservation of linguistic diversity in Bangladesh, with a focus on infrastructural and policy challenges and on strengthening academic and community initiatives to protect endangered languages and cultural heritage. Dr Peterson will conclude his visit with a masterclass on how to conduct linguistics research, open to both current students and alumni of ULAB's English Department.

UNESCO has declared 2022-2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. This fellowship is expected to reinforce the university's commitment to advancing research in linguistics and support collaboration between institutions to protect the cultural and linguistic heritage of the region.