What degree are you working on? How long have you been studying in this program?
I have been working on my PhD in Linguistics at the University of Illinois since 2024.
What are your research interests and career goals?
My research interests center on bilingualism and second and heritage language acquisition, with a particular focus on Persian heritage speakers in the United States. I am interested in how bilingual experience shapes the acquisition and maintenance of grammatical knowledge across generations, and how factors such as language exposure, proficiency, and literacy contribute to individual differences among heritage speakers. My long-term goal is to remain in academia, where I hope to combine research and teaching and contribute to a better understanding of bilingual and heritage language development.
What are you working on right now?
I am currently working on several projects examining grammatical development in Persian heritage speakers in the United States. My research addresses Differential Object Marking, relative clauses, and adjective placement and Ezafe, allowing me to explore how different areas of Persian grammar develop and are maintained in bilingual speakers. I am currently preparing to present my work at two upcoming conferences, and I also have a co-authored article with Professor Silvina Montrul currently under review.
Alongside my research, I am teaching LING 270: Language Technology and Society, which explores the relationship between language, writing, technology, and society. I am also a committee member for ILLS18, the Illinois Language and Linguistics Society’s annual graduate student conference. Together, these experiences have given me opportunities to contribute to the department through research, teaching, and academic service.
Why should someone study Linguistics at Illinois?
Illinois offers a supportive and intellectually diverse environment where students can grow as both researchers and educators. I especially value the opportunity to work closely with faculty, develop independent research, and learn from scholars across different areas of linguistics within a genuinely collaborative community.
Contact: mrajabi2 AT illinois DOT edu
Published 9/10/2026