Theresa Matzinger, Ph.D., is an interdisciplinary researcher working at the crossroads of cognitive science, linguistics, and biology. Her work explores how language evolves, how it is learned and processed in the mind, and how it shapes social behavior. Through her research, she investigates the cognitive and communicative pressures that give rise to similarities and differences between languages, offering insights into both human cognition and social interaction.
She is currently a researcher and lecturer at the University of Vienna, Austria, and has held visiting scholar positions in Poland, Spain, and China. She has presented her work at international conferences around the globe and, as an avid science communicator, brings her research to wider audiences through newspaper articles, radio, television, and public events. She regularly participates in and organizes outreach activities, including the award-winning Pint of Science festival.
Through her research and public engagement, Theresa bridges the gap between academic science and everyday conversations about language, highlighting its role in cognition, culture, and social life. Her work illuminates the remarkable ways in which language shapes and is shaped by human cognition and society.