Dr. Beatrijs Wille

I am a postdoctoral researchers at the Brussels Center for Language Studies (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and a guest professor at the Department of Linguistics (Ghent University), specializing in sign language linguistics and multilingualism. My research includes the early communication, language acquisition and literacy in deaf children, and the educational opportunities for deaf pupils.

Previous enrollment

I was granted an FWO Junior postdoc at Ghent University to conduct research on literacy development in deaf primary school children (funded by the Flemish Research Foundation). In 2023,  I was involved in the research project at KU Leuven on the establishment of bilingual education Dutch - Flemish Sign Language (O&O, funded by the Dept. of Education, Flanders). In 2020, the Academia Belgica and the FWO awarded my project on early gestures in deaf children for which I worked in collaboration with prof. Capirci at the Language and Communication Across Modalities laboratory in Rome (LaCAM, ISTC-CNR). In 2019, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Mayberry Laboratory for Multimodal Language Development (UC San Diego, USA). In 2018, I obtained an interdisciplinary PhD in Linguistics and in Health Sciences from Ghent University (supervised by prof. Van Herreweghe and prof. Van Lierde). During which I was a visiting scholar at Gallaudet University's VL2-lab (Washington DC, USA) working in close collaboration with prof. Chen Pichler, prof. Allen and prof. Simms.

Teaching

I serve as the convenor of the course Introduction to Flemish Sign Language (2020–present, Ghent University), which has been complemented by contributions to other teaching assignments at Ghent University, UC San Diego, KU Leuven, and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

Supervising activities

Co-supervision of Tamie Wuytjens' PhD on the nature and extent of (il)legal substance use among members of the Flemish Deaf Community. I also supervise Bachelor's and Master's papers from students enrolled in various departments (e.g. linguistics, logopedics, audiology, education and criminology).

Academic service

I am a member of the Board of Directors of the Flemish Sign Language Center (2020-present) and of the VGT Advisory Committee to the Flemish Government (2021-present).