Mimi Huang

I am a Senior Lecturer at Northumbria University, where I have held multiple roles, including leading BA, MA and PhD programmes in the Humanities Department. Currently, I serve as the PGR Lead and Research Group Lead for English Language and Linguistics.

My research explores the relationship between communication and experience across different contexts and platforms. I focus on how language shapes and reflects our understanding and engagement with health, wellbeing, identity and personhood. My work draws on multidisciplinary approaches, including cognitive linguistics, narrative studies, discourse analysis, corpus linguistics and stylistics. I collaborate with public services, charities and community groups to improve communication and engagement in public health and safety initiatives.

I welcome researchers, practitioners and organisations interested in these areas to connect and discuss potential research projects and public engagement opportunities.

Research interests:

The scope of my research spans cognitive linguistics, language and health, narrative studies, discourse analysis, CDA, stylistics and corpus linguistics. These strands converge under three overarching themes:

Language and health: I am interested in the diverse ways that language shapes our understanding and engagement with health-related matters, ranging from physical health to mental wellbeing, public health communication, health literacy and beyond.

Wellbeing, identity and personhood: This part of my research explores the connections between language and individual identity, examining how we communicate and make sense of our identity, wellbeing and relationships with others within the broader community.

Narratives and stories: My research also investigates the characteristics, functions and significance of narratives across various genres and contexts, including literary and creative works, narratives in workplace and organisational settings, as well as personal and shared stories within social groups and communities.

Public engagement and impact activities:

I work closely with public services, charities, healthcare organisations, community groups, and the broader public to enhance communication and engagement in healthcare, community safety and public health.

PhD supervision:

I am currently accepting PhD students.

With extensive experience as a principal supervisor at Northumbria, I have successfully guided research students to the completion of their PhD degrees, tailoring my approach to each student to help them achieve their full potential. 

I welcome research proposals in cognitive linguistics, health communication, narrative studies, discourse analysis, stylistics, metaphor studies, corpus linguistics, and interdisciplinary projects. I am particularly interested in projects that employ mixed-method and multidisciplinary approaches to explore the intersection of language with health, well-being, identity and personhood, as well as those that explore the cognitive and sociocultural dimensions of narratives and storytelling. If you are passionate about these areas, I would be delighted to discuss your research proposals.