I am interested in documenting and analysing how people speak and gesture. My current research focus is the cross-cultural variation in gesture use. I also work on the grammar of Tibeto-Burman languages, constructed languages, emoji use online and communicating linguistics to a general audience. This research is underpinned by an interest in critical approaches to linguistic data.

I co-host the podcast Lingthusiasm with Gretchen McCulloch and run the generalist linguistics website Superlinguo. From 2013 to 2021 I wrote ‘By Lingo’, a regular column for The Big Issue (Australia) about the history of everyday words.

I am currently a Senior Lecturer at La Trobe University. I have held research fellowships at NTU Singapore (2014-2015), SOAS (2015-2017) and La Trobe University (2017-2019). My PhD (2013) is from the University of Melbourne.