Marianna Patrick

About me

I am a Research Fellow at the School of Education, Learning and Communication Sciences (SELCS).

Before joining Warwick, I spent close to a decade working on executive education, research & consulting, and international engagement projects in the non-profit and education sectors. I hold a PhD in Intercultural Communication from the University of Warwick (2025), an MA in Global Communication from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (2013) and a BA (Hons) in Politics and International Studies from Warwick University (2012), having also done study exchanges at Sciences Po Paris (2011) and City University of Hong Kong (2010).

My research

I am currently working on research project that explores how individuals use generative AI chatbots for academic writing, with the goal of better understanding the evolving practices, motivations, and experiences of students and academics in the age of AI. This project is funded through the Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grant and is a collaboration between University of Warwick, University of Edinburgh, and Sophia University Tokyo.

Previously, I was part of a collaborative research project supported by the Monash Warwick Alliance to uncover practical strategies that help multicultural cricket teams foster greater inclusivity.

In my doctoral thesis, I explored how people who migrated multiple times use language to construct places in the narratives about their international mobility. My interest in this topic stems from my own experiences of multiple migrations – living, working, and studying in different countries throughout my life. My thesis was supervised by Professor Stephanie Schnurr and Professor Steve Mann.

Publications

Schnurr, S., Patrick, M. (in press) Language, Leadership and Teamwork in Sports Team Contexts. In: Caldwell, D., Mean, L., File, K. (eds) Handbook of Language and Sport. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Kakalic Y., Patrick M., Schnurr S. (2025) Exploring the gendering of professional mobility from the perspective of a non-elite migrant. In: Srivastava A., Maheshwari, D., Krishnan, C. (eds.) Subverting Social Inequalities: Gender as a Social Reality. CRC Press-Taylor and Francis Group.

Conference presentations

2024

• "Placing serial migrants: Rethinking nation-centric approaches to migrant identity construction" at the Migration, Identity, and Translation Network (MITN)Link opens in a new window seminar series.

• "Storytelling and identities: Telling ourselves into existenceLink opens in a new window" at the Pint of Science Festival.
• "Narratives of serial migration: Constructing identities and places" at the “Language and Onward Migration: Bridging Applied Linguistics with Migration Studies” BAAL and Cambridge University Press Seminar.
• "Storytelling and identities": Winner of the People's Choice Prize at the Warwick Research-Out-of-the-Box Postgraduate Research FestivalLink opens in a new window.
• "Exploring narratives of serial migrants" and the Language.Culture.Matters Seminar Series.

2023

• "Constructing 'place' in narratives of serial migration" at the 25th Warwick International Conference in Applied Linguistics.
• "Places and Identities" at the Festival of Doctoral Research. Research out-of-the Box.

I have also contributed to and co-authored a number of practitioner-oriented reports, which can be found hereLink opens in a new window.

Teaching

I have been teaching and delivering interactive workshops at Warwick since 2021.

I am a Senior Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Applied Linguistics. I am also a workshop facilitator for the Intercultural Training ProgrammeLink opens in a new window delivered across the University campus. I have taught on the following modules:

• CS352 Project Management for Computer Scientists (UG Level 3)
• CS133 Professional Skills (UG Level 1)
• CS908 Research Methods (PGT)
• ET914 Globalisation and Diversity in the Workplace (PGT)
• ET9A7 Public Relations Across Cultures (PGT)
• ET9D7 Research Methods (PGT)
• ET910 Exploring Professional Communication (PGT)

I supervise MSc dissertations on the MSc in Intercultural Communication for Business and the Professions. Previous students have focused on identity construction, gender, social media, advertisement, film and TV, and cross-cultural adaptation; employed multimodal and discourse analysis, thematic and content analysis; as well as conducted interviews and surveys.

Enhancing the student experience

Throughout my years at Warwick, I have had the chance to work on projects focused on making the University a welcoming and supportive place for staff and students. My work includes:

• Assistant Director of Student Experience and Progression for the Faculty of Arts (2024 - present).
• Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Research Assistant, Department of Applied Linguistics Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team (SAT) (2022-2023).
• Senior Research Officer, Monash Warwick AllianceLink opens in a new window research project on the internationalisation of the student learning experienceLink opens in a new window.
• Chair (2021-2023) and member (2020-present) of the Applied Linguistics PGR Student-Staff Liason Committee (SSLC).

Research exchange

I feel it is important to build interdisciplinary research communities by creating spaces where scholars from interdisciplinary backgrounds can exchange ideas in an open and friendly setting. Some initiatives where I have worked on this have been:

• Co-founder of the Social Sciences Research Exchange GroupLink opens in a new window (SSREG).
• Project coordinator, Department of Applied Linguistics, Young L2 learners and games conference (2022-2023).
• Chair, 23rd Warwick International Conference in Applied Linguistics (WICAL) (2020-2021).