For a full academic CV: Google Document

Brayan Andrey joined the Institute of English Studies at the University of Neuchâtel as a doctoral assistant in linguistics in August 2020. He currently teaches the undergraduate course “English Linguistics Workshop” and is pursuing his Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Martin Hilpert. In addition to his teaching and research, Brayan collaborates with the Language Center as a coach in academic writing in English, where he supports doctoral students and researchers in their language needs and writing process.

Brayan’s research interests lie at the intersection of linguistics and psychology. In particular, his research focuses on experimental methods to examine the social and cognitive mechanisms underlying language attitudes, stereotyping, social judgment, and impression formation. His doctoral thesis explores the effects of accent bias and language anxiety on juror decision-making in trials involving witnesses with nonnative accents. This project aims to contribute to the understanding of potential challenges posed by language attitudes and to advocate for the use of linguistics as a tool to combat prejudice within the justice system.

Brayan earned his dual master’s degree in English Linguistics and Social & Cognitive Psychology, with a complementary program in Public Discourse and Communication Analysis, from the University of Lausanne in 2020. After a yearlong teaching internship in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (United States), he wrote his master’s thesis on attitudes toward African American English in the courtroom, conducting an experimental study of the influence of accent and racial bias on mock jurors’ legal decision-making. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and English Language & Literature from the University of Lausanne.

Research interests

Experimental methods; sociolinguistics and social psychology of language; language attitudes and attitude change; language stereotyping and discrimination; accent and racial bias; social cognition, judgment, and impression formation; bilingualism and second-language acquisition; psycholinguistics; forensic linguistics.

Provisional Ph.D. thesis title

Accent Bias and Social Judgment in the Courtroom: Experimental Studies of Attitudes toward Witnesses’ Accents and their Effects on Legal Decision-Making

Publications

Andrey, B. (2020). Accent and Racial Bias in the Courtroom: An Experimental Study of Attitudes toward African American English and their Implications for Sociocognitive Processes in Legal Decision-Making. Master’s Thesis. Dir. Prof. Dr. Patricia Ronan and Prof. Dr. Martin Hilpert. SERVAL: University of Lausanne. https://serval.unil.ch/fr/notice/serval:BIB_S_30298 / Article in progress.

With De Oliveira Santos, M., & Schöpfer, C. (2021). Anonymat et comportement en ligne: Une étude ethnographique des attitudes des utilisateurs de Jodel. Cahiers du Centre de Linguistique et des Sciences du Langage, (64), 69–84. https://www.cahiers-clsl.ch/article/view/1021

Teaching

2020–present: English Linguistics Workshop (University of Neuchâtel)

Internships

2019–2020: Milwaukee French Immersion School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A.