Skip to main content
What types of page to search?

Popular pages: Undergraduate Postgraduate PhD Accommodation Research International students

Alternatively use our A-Z index.

Project team

On this page, you can find details of our Borderscapes project team, their interests, and fields of expertise.

Professor Stefania Tufi

Principle Investigator

Stefania Tufi with a bookcase behind her.

Stefania Tufi is Professor of Italian Studies and Sociolinguistics at the University of Liverpool (UK). Her research is situated at the intersection of language and spatial constructions of identity from multiple perspectives, such as minoritised languages, language and memorialisation, transnational spaces, and border and peripheral areas. Her current project is on Borderscapes, focusing on the border as engendered by language practices and other semiotic processes, and providing a multidisciplinary perspective on the de/construction of borders as an everyday practice.

Dr Jessica Hampton

Postdoctoral Research Assistant

A headshot of a Jessica Hampton

Jessica Hampton is an environmental sociolinguist dedicated to using linguistics as a strategic tool to bring about change. Jessica is a PDRA working on the Borderscapes project at the University of Liverpool. Her work focuses on addressing the climate crisis by promoting new stories-to-live-by and using her academic platform to amplify the voices of marginalised communities.

Wendy O'Neill 

Administrative Assistant

A woman, Wendy O'Neill, smiling on pretending to operate the controls on a tram

Wendy O'Neill is a PhD Researcher and Administrative Assistant for the Borderscapes project. Having spent her career in IT, Wendy came to the University of Liverpool as a mature student, graduating in Italian Studies in 2020 with an Erasmus year in Bari, Southern Italy. She then moved on to complete her MRes which examined the impact of COVID-19 on the Linguistic Landscape of Liverpool in 2022. Her PhD research project proposes to build an innovative, interdisciplinary methodological framework using sociolinguistic analyses to (re-)examine the use of language in archival material and facilitate the emergence of groups that are under-represented in existing research. This research will apply sociolinguistic and ethnographic techniques which examine placemaking to enhance historical analysis and interpretation of places and spaces of transport by examination of the social and cultural influence of the railways on communities in Seaton, Devon through a study of the former branch line and its subsequent life as a heritage tramway. The project therefore highlights the role of language as heritage while contributing to cutting-edge debates about historicity, memorialisation and affect. The project is being undertaken with support from Seaton Tramway and the National Railway Museum. Wendy has also been involved in outreach activities for schools with the Italian Department. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with my family, driving heritage trams and walking.

Emily Kearon-Warrilow

Digital Curator

Headshot of Emily Kearon Warrilow

Emily Kearon-Warrilow is a PhD Researcher and Website Curator for the Borderscapes project. Her PhD research examines the development of early-twentieth century international anti-trafficking laws, with a particular focus on imperialism and the construction of legal categories of childhood. In her spare time, she is learning Hindi.

Priya Lad

Research Assistant 

A headshot of female student with dark hair smiling

I study Politics BA at the University of Liverpool with a specific interest in British Politics and its knock-on effect on rest of the modern world. On the Borderscapes project, I am particularly interested in the societal impact of language barriers and how they influence inter-community relationships. Growing up in a multiethnic household has enabled me to grow and thrive right at the intersection of two contrasting cultures, giving me a unique perspective regarding this project.

Rufus Read

Research Assistant 

Headshot of a young male student wearing a suit against a white wall

I am a second year Politics and Philosophy student with a particular interest in International Political Economy and Global Governance. My contribution to the Borderscapes project has been centred around how language can help us feel a sense of belonging. We have also examined how music from all over the world can help us feel welcome and connect different cultures. This project is especially important for me as I grew up in Singapore and was able to learn Mandarin growing up. This really helped me connect with native speakers once I moved to England. My goal throughout the experience has been to encourage students to pursue learning languages to feel these benefits for themselves.

Isobel Griffiths

Research Assistant 

Headshot of a young female student

I am a student at the University of Liverpool studying BA Classical Studies. On the project I created my own workshop on the theme ‘Citizens of Nature, Citizens of a Borderless World’ and delivered this to schools in the Merseyside area. I am learning Italian, and I rock climb in my spare time.