The UCL Institute of Education has appointed a linguistics and language education expert as its new director and dean.
Professor Li Wei joined the IOE in 2015 and will take up the new role from 1 July 2021.
A world-leading scholar in applied linguistics and language education, Professor Wei has focused in his research on the development and education of bilingual and multilingual children and the wellbeing of immigrant and ethnic minority families and communities.
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Professor Wei worked for over 20 years at Newcastle University, where he completed an MA in English language studies, followed by a PhD in speech sciences.
Enhancing UCL Institute of Education’s ‘global impact’
He was the university’s first head of its school of education, communication and language sciences between 2002 and 2006.
He also held a number of leadership roles at Birkbeck, University of London, between 2007 and 2014, including being pro-vice-master for research and postgraduate studies.
Twice the recipient of the British Association of Applied Linguistics Book Prize, Professor Wei has published widely and is currently editor of the International Journal of Bilingual Education and the Bilingualism and Applied Linguistics Review.
He said: “I am excited to take up the prestigious role as director and dean of the UCL Institute of Education at a time of tremendous turbulence in the field of education, and as we look forward towards a post-Covid and post-Brexit era.
“The challenges ahead are enormous, and so are the opportunities. 2022 will be the 120th anniversary of the founding of the IOE.
“I am very much looking forward to working together with all our staff, students and alumni, to renew our vision based on our foundational values of equity and social justice, to expand our interdisciplinary research base, strengthen our engagements with the local communities and the teaching profession, and enhance our global reach and impact.”
Professor Wei takes over from Sue Rogers, who has served as interim director since January 2020, when former director Becky Francis left the IOE to lead the Education Endowment Foundation.
