CV

STEPHEN PIHLAJA

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EDUCATION

Doctor of Philosophy (2012) The Open University; Milton Keynes, UK; Thesis title: The development of ‘drama’ in YouTube discourse

Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (2014) University of Nottingham; Nottingham, UK

Postgraduate Certificate in Community Leadership (2023) Birmingham Newman University; Birmigham, UK

Master of Research Methods (Education) (2009) The Open University; Milton Keynes, UK; Dissertation title: The Pope of YouTube: A case study of dynamic metaphor use in asynchronous Internet communication

Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics (2007) University of Birmingham; Birmingham, UK; Dissertation title: ‘but sorry about my blabbing’: A case study in blog discourse

Bachelor of Arts (2003); Knox College; Galesburg, IL, USA Major: English–Creative Writing; Minor: Religious Studies; Cum Laude with College Honours

CURRENT EMPLOYMENT

Senior Lecturer in Stylistics (current from Sep 2023) Aston University; Birmingham, UK

I am Deputy Director of Research Degree Programmes (School of Law and Social Sciences) and support school leadership in the recruitment and pastoral care of postgraduate research students and their supervisors. I teach modules in teaching theory and methods, English language, and Sociolinguistics. I also serve as PhD supervisor for three internal students and one external student.

PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT

  • Reader in English Language and Linguistics (Aug 2017-Aug 2023); Previously: Lecturer in Stylistics (Jan 2014-Jul 2014) & Senior Lecturer in Stylistics (Aug 2014-Jul 2017); Newman University; Birmingham, UK 
  • Teaching Fellow; University of Birmingham; Birmingham, UK (Oct 2008-Sep 2023)
  • MA TESOL/Applied Linguistics Dissertation Supervision (Fixed terms, 2016-2021) University of Liverpool; Liverpool, UK; MA TESOL/Applied Linguistics
  • Course Tutor (Sep 2015-Aug 2021); University of Leicester; Leicester, UK 
  • Assistant Professor of Language and Literature (Jan 2013-Dec 2013); University of Nottingham; Semenyih, Malaysia
  • Visiting Lecturer & Module Co-ordinator (Sep 2009–Jan 2013) Middlesex University; London, UK;
  • Visiting Lecturer & Module Co-ordinator (Sep 2012–Jan 2013); The University of Westminster; London, UK

ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

  • Visiting Instructor (Apr 2008–Aug 2008); Keiwa Gakuen College; Shibata City, Japan
  • Assistant Language Teacher (Sep 2005–Mar 2008); Niigata Meikun High School; Niigata City, Japan
  • Assistant Language Teacher (Sep 2004–Aug 2005); Interac Co. Ltd.; Niigata City, Japan
  • English Language Teacher (Oct 2003–Aug 2004); Imajuku English School; Fukuoka City, Japan

PUBLICATIONS

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PRESENTATIONS

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GRANTS

  • Tokyo International Exchange Centre International Symposium Grant Program (International Collaborator) Transformational participatory research: A practical methods workshop (¥5,963,000/£30,411.39) Funding for a one-day symposium on participatory methods. (20 September 2025)
  • British Academy Small Grant (Co-Investigator) Young Women and Body Image: Using linguistic analysis and historical sources to co-create a media literacy toolkit (£9,826) Analyses narratives of how 14-19-year-old girls navigate media content relating to body image, working with The Girls’ Network in Portsmouth, UK to co-create a media literacy toolkit. (2024-2025)
  • AHRC Leadership Fellowship (Principal Investigator) Language and Religion in the Superdiverse City project (AH/V00980X/1, FEC £155,024). Investigates the relationship between language and religious identity in Birmingham, with a focus on community organising in partnership with Citizens UK Birmingham (2021-2022)
  • Saltley Trust Small Grant (Co-Investigator)Support for Birmingham Anglican Schools as Diverse Communities Project (£2,238). Investigated religious diversity in Church of England Schools, looking particularly at how shared values are recognised and articulated (2018-2020)
  • Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Research Collaborator & Consultant); Religion and Danger: An Investigation into how Religious Believers Perceive and Respond to Danger within a Global Context (¥11,000,000/£86,842). Investigated dialogue among Christians and Muslims International students and Hokkaido University in Japan (2017-2018)
  • HEFCE Social Innovation Pilot Project (Principal Investigator)
    Let’s Talk about sex: Equipping student leaders to address sexual violence on campuses (£18,252); Project includes providing leadership and oversight on three research sites across the UK with 15 people working on the project (2016)
  • Small Grant, Middlesex University (Co-Investigator and consultant) 
    Being a young Muslim in England today: a qualitative narrative study (£7,200); Project included providing leadership and oversight at the Birmingham site, leading focus groups, data analysis, and mentorship of young staff on research methods and discourse analysis (2016)
  • Small Travel Grant CREST (Consortium for Research Excellence, Support and Training); For conference attendance (2015 & 2016)
  • Research Network Seed Money, CREST; For organising inter-disciplinary seminar focused on religious talk on social media (2015)
  • Students as Academic Partners Grant, Newman University; Support for student salaries to investigate Muslim student experience (2014–2015)
  • RAaM Small Grant, International Association of Researching and Analysing Metaphor; For research-related travel expenses (2011)

EXTERNAL SERVICE

  • Section Editor: Open Linguistics (from 2024)
  • Treasurer: Citizens UK Birmingham (from 2024)
  • Chair: Poetics and Linguistics Association (from 2022)
  • Chair of the Board of Governors: St Michael’s Primary School, Bartley Green (from 2020)
  • Book Reviews Editor: Journal of Language and Discrimination (2018-2023)
  • Treasurer: Poetics and Linguistics Association (2020-2021)
  • Secretary: University Council of General and Applied Linguistics (2015 to 2019)
  • Membership Secretary: Poetics and Linguistics Association (2013 to 2019)
  • Chair, Local Organising Committee: British Association of Applied Linguistics (BAAL) Annual Conference (September 2026)
  • Member, Local Organising Committee: Poetics and Linguistics Association (PALA) Annual Conference and Summer School (July 2025)
  • Co-Organiser: Poetics and Linguistics Association (PALA) Annual Conference and Summer School (July 2018)
  • Panellist: Athena Swan Equality Charter Award Panel (2017, 2019)
  • Reviewer for:
    • Journal of Religion, Media & Digital Culture
    • Bloomsbury and Routledge Book Proposals
    • John Templeton Foundation Grants
    • Discourse, Media, & Context
    • Metaphor & the Social World
    • Language & Literature
    • Journal of Language & Discrimination
    • Lingua
    • Corpora
    • Critical Discourse Studies

INTERNAL SERVICE

  • Deputy Director of Research Degree Programmes (School of Law and Social Sciences) (2026-current)
  • Programme Director: TESOL, Aston University (2023-2026)
  • Internationalisation Lead (Americas, UK, and Europe): College of Business and Social Sciences, Aston University (2024-2025)
  • Member: Law and Social Sciences School Board of Studies (2024-Current)
  • Chair: Humanities Research Centre, Newman University (2018-2020, 2022-2023)
  • Chair (formerly vice-chair): Minor Amendments Panel, Newman University (2015-2023)
  • Unit of Assessment Lead: UoA27 REF2021, Newman University (2018-2023)
  • Vice-Chair (formerly member): Research Ethics Committee, Newman University (2021-2023)
  • Programme Leader: English Subject Area, Newman University (2020-2023)
  • Member: Learning, Teaching and Academic Quality Committee, Newman University (2021-2023)
  • Convenor: Impact Working Group, Newman University (2018-2023)
  • Events Co-ordinator: Humanities Research Centre, Newman University (2016-2018)

EXTERNAL EXAMINING

  • External Examiner: University of Glasgow, BA Language and Linguistics (current from Jan 2025)
  • External Examiner: University of Glasgow, MSc Applied Linguistics (2019-2024)
  • London South Bank University, English Single Honours Revalidation (May 2016)
  • Critical Reader for Open University, E302 Language and Creativity (Jul 2014)

DOCTORAL SUPERVISION

  • Tayyiba Bruce, A corpus-assisted discourse study of representations of Islam and Catholicism in two right-leaning British news websites (2018) Birmingham Newman University.
  • Kulwant Singh (EdD) Passed, subject to corrections. The role of faith and spirituality in early years: a Sikh perspective (2026) Birmingham Newman University.
  • Celine Quinn, Ongoing. The ethical and sociological implications of true crime content and the sensationalisation of brutal crimes and stories. Aston University.
  • Siya Zheng, Ongoing. Non-native English-speaking defendants’ comprehension of English-medium trials in Chinese Mainland: A Corpus-based Analysis. Aston University.
  • Thúy Nga Nguyễn, Ongoing. Empowering L2 English Learners: A Longitudinal Study of ChatGPT as a Self-Regulated Learning Tool in Academic Writing. Aston University.
  • Sakiru Olalekan, Ongoing. Refugees and ‘Enemy Aliens’ in Britain, 1914–1923: Between Humanitarianism and Internal Security. Aston University.

PHD EXAMINATIONS

  • Wilson Douce, A Corpus-based Variationist Description of Demonstratives in Haitian Creole, Aston University (2023)
  • Cipto Wardoyo, Expressions of Advice in a Corpus of Islamic Sermons Online, University of Coventry (2023)
  • Sarah Bennett, The Rhetoric of Conspiracy Theories, University of Nottingham (2022)

FELLOWSHIPS

  • Senior Fellow: Higher Education Academy (from 2015)
  • Visiting Research Fellow: Linnaeus University Centre for Concurrences in Colonial and Postcolonial Studies in Sweden (2018)
  • Visiting Research Fellow: Heythrop College; London, UK (Sept 2014-Aug 2016)

MODULE LEADERSHIP

  • Communication Techniques; Middlesex University
  • Dissertation and Professional Portfolio; Aston University
  • Empirical Investigation of Language; Middlesex University
  • How Words Work (formerly Introduction to Language); Newman University
  • Introduction to Linguistics; University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
  • Investigating English Language: Stylistics; University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
  • Language and Media; Newman University
  • Language, Society, and Power; Newman University
  • Literary Linguistics; University of Westminster
  • Making Sense of Language (formerly Analysing Text & Talk); Newman University
  • Pedagogic Grammar; Middlesex University
  • Research Methods in TESOL and Applied Linguistics; Middlesex University
  • Research Methods in TESOL; Aston University
  • Style, Literature, and the Everyday Art of Language (formerly Stylistics); Newman University
  • Sociolinguistics (formerly Advanced Topics in Sociolinguistics); Aston University
  • Theory and Practice of English Language Teaching; Aston University
  • Advanced Topics in Sociolinguistics; Aston University

ACADEMIC MEMBERSHIPS

  • British Association of Applied Linguistics
  • Poetics and Linguistics Association

LANGUAGES

  • Japanese Language Proficiency, Second Level; Tokyo, Japan (Dec 2007)
  • Japanese Language Proficiency, Third Level; Tokyo, Japan (Dec 2005)

SCHOLARSHIPS

  • MRes and PhD Studentship, The Open University (UK) (2008)
  • Hermann R. Muelder Scholarship, Social Concerns Scholarship, Creative Writing Scholarship; Knox College, Galesburg, IL (2000)

AWARDS

  • Content Award, Association of Writers and Writing Programs (USA); Awarded to editorial team Catch, Knox College’s literary magazine (2003)
  • Pacemaker Award, Associated Collegiate Press (USA); Awarded to editorial team Catch, Knox College’s literary magazine (2003)
  • Ford Fellowship & Richter Research Grant, Knox College (USA); Awarded to undertake research related to college honours project (2002)

IMPACT ACTIVITIES

  • Social Media and Body Image Workshop with Dream Chaser; Small Heath, Birmingham (7 Feb 2025)
  • Launch Event and Workshop for BA-Funded Social Media Toolkit with The Girls’ Network; Portsmouth (5 Feb 2025)
  • Talk at Community Dinner on ‘How to Talk about Your Faith’; Ark Victoria Academy, Small Heath, Birmingham (14 Feb 2023)
  • Training for Secondary School Teachers on ‘How to Talk about Your Faith’; Ark Victoria Academy, Small Heath, Birmingham (25 Jan 2023)

MEDIA

FAILURES

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