Our Guest Speakers

Dr. Filipo Gao Lubua holds an M.A. in Applied Linguistics and a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from Ohio University. He is currently a Teaching Assistant Professor and Director of the African and African Diasporic Languages Program at the University of Pittsburgh, where he teaches courses in Swahili and in Technology and Language Learning in the Linguistics Department. His research focuses on Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), academic entrepreneurship in CALL, and the integration of digital technologies in resource-constrained learning environments. He is particularly interested in how educators become innovators, entrepreneurs, and active contributors to the development of CALL solutions grounded in contextual pedagogical needs, to address unique educational challenges, expand access to less commonly taught languages (LCTLs), and foster equitable, culturally responsive language learning experiences. A native speaker of Swahili and a language educator with more than fifteen years of teaching experience, Dr. Lubua has devoted much of his professional career to advancing African language education and CALL capacity building among African language instructors. His work continues to contribute to the growth of African language programs and the broader integration of technology into language teaching and learning. He is currently co-editing a volume titled Handbook of CALL in African Languages, which is in the final stages. 

Dr. Ji-young Shin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Language Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada. She earned a PhD in Second Language Studies/ESL and an MS in Educational Psychology and Research Methodology from Purdue University. Her research and teaching focus on technology-enhanced language teaching and learning, language and educational assessment, corpus linguistics, and research methodology. Her work has been published in leading applied linguistics journals, including Language Learning & Technology, English for Academic Purposes, British Journal of Educational Studies, Language Testing, and Language Assessment Quarterly.

Dr. Kayo Shintaku (Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition & Teaching, University of Arizona) is an Associate Teaching Professor and an Assistant Chair for Critical Languages at the Department of Global Interdisciplinary Studies in Villanova University. Her research interests include technology-mediated L2 pedagogy and learning, autonomous and self-directed learning, and literacy practices with media such as digital games, anime, and manga. 

Dr. Paul Meighan is a Senior Research Associate at the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph, where he supports Indigenous-led, land-based research with Ndaakendaaswen Gamig. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Studies from McGill University. As a Gael sociolinguist and educational theorist, his research explores the intersections of language, land, identity, and power. He is the originator of the concept Colonialingualism, co-editor of Countering Colonialingualism in Language Education (Routledge, 2026) and The Routledge Handbook of Race and Equity in Applied Linguistics (2026), as well as author of the forthcoming monographs Decolonizing Research Practices in Education: Kincentric and Relational Methodologies (Cambridge University Press) and Online Language Revitalization: Indigenous Language Acquisition and Technology (Palgrave Macmillan). He serves as co-editor of the Palgrave Macmillan book series, Critical Multilingualism in Education.