My research

Identity | Mobility | Migration | Place | Storytelling

My research looks at the international mobility experiences of individuals who migrated multiple times - serial migrants. It explores how serial migrants discursively construct place and mobility in everyday life stories and how this relates to their identity construction. My interest in the topic stems from my own experiences of multiple migrations – living, working, and studying in different countries throughout my life.

My thesis is supervised by Dr Stephanie Schnurr and Dr Steve Mann.

Teaching

I have been a Senior Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Department of Applied Linguistics since 2021. I teach seminars on the MSc in Intercultural Communication for Business and the Professions. Teaching includes:

• ET914 Globalisation and Diversity in the Workplace
• ET9A7 Public Relations Across Cultures
• ET9D7 Research Methods
• ET910 Exploring Professional Communication

I also supervise MSc dissertations. 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.

Other teaching I do at the University of Warwick includes:

• Intercultural Training Workshop Facilitator, World at Warwick
• Senior Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Computer Science

Publications

Kakalic Y., Patrick M., Schnurr S. (in press) 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

• “Language and Onward Migration: Bridging Applied Linguistics with Migration Studies” BAAL and Cambridge University Press Seminar: "Narratives of serial migration: Constructing identities and places"
• Language.Culture.Matters Seminar Series: "Exploring narratives of serial migrants"

2023

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

Other activities

• Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Research Assistant, Department of Applied Linguistics Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team (SAT) (2022-2023)
• Research Assistant, Department of Applied Linguistics, Young L2 learners and games conference

• Senior Research Officer, Monash Warwick Alliance research project on

  internationalisation of the student learning experience 

• Chair, Applied Linguistics PhD Student-Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) (2021-2023)
• Chair, 23rd Warwick International Conference in Applied Linguistics (WICAL) (2020-2021)

About me

I am a Graduate Teaching Assistant and research student at the Department of Applied Linguistics. I hold 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). Before joining the department, I spent close to a decade working on research, executive education, consulting, and international engagement projects in the non-profit and education sectors.

Education

MA Global Communication

Chinese University of Hong Kong (2013)

BA Politics and International Studies

University of Warwick (2012)

• Erasmus year at Sciences Po Paris (2011)
• Semester abroad at City University of Hong Kong (2010)