Professor Stefanie Shamila Pillai

Dr. Stefanie Shamila Pillai is a Professor at the Department of English Language, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya (UM). She is currently the Dean of the Social Advancement and Happiness Research Cluster at UM. She was previously Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics and Director of the university’s Centre for Industry and Community Relations. Her main research interests include the phonology of varieties of English, specifically Malaysian English; language use in multilingual contexts; language education; and language documentation. She has worked with community representatives to produce materials to encourage the use of Melaka Portuguese, one of the many endangered languages in Malaysia. With a background in education and linguistics and almost 31 years of teaching experience, Stefanie has been appointed as external assessor for academic programs at other universities. At the national level, Stefanie has evaluated professional development courses for teachers, and contributed to the Roadmap for English Language Education. She is also a member of the taskforce for the national higher institutions’ research centers of excellence program. Her full CV can be viewed at https://umexpert.um.edu.my/stefanie.html