Research Team

David Coniam is Head of Research at LanguageCert. He has been working and researching in English language teaching, education and assessment for almost 50 years. His main publication and research interests are in language assessment, language teaching methodology and academic writing and publishing.

Michael Milanovic, previously CEO of Cambridge Assessment English, has been working extensively with PeopleCert since 2015, and is Chairman of LanguageCert and a member of its Advisory Council. He worked closely with the Council of Europe on its Common European Framework of Reference, and has held a number of key external roles. These include being Senior Advisor to the National Educational Examinations Authority (NEEA) in China as well as a Visiting Professor with CRELLA of the University of Bedfordshire.

Publications

Nigel Pike is highly experienced in assessment, and was Director of Assessment at Cambridge Assessment English, directing the delivery of all Cambridge English examinations. Nigel also has extensive experience with national and local ministries of education around the globe, delivering consultancy, customised examinations and developing language policy for governments.

Publications

Leda Lampropoulou is Research Manager at LanguageCert, with more than 15 years of experience in the fields of second language acquisition and language testing. In her role, she coordinates LanguageCert’s research programme and projects, while contributing to the maintenance of standards and the fitness-for-purpose of the LanguageCert exam portfolio. She holds a BA in English language and Philosophy from the University of London and a MA in Language Testing from Lancaster university. She has published in peer reviewed journals, focusing primarily on test reliability and speaking skills assessment. She is also a member of EALTA, UKALTA, and ILTA.

Yiannis Papargyris is an education management professional with over 20 years’ experience in the fields of English-medium Higher Education, Qualification Development and Language Assessment. At PeopleCert, he holds the position of Assessment Development Director. He has been responsible for the development of the LanguageCert exams portfolio since 2015.

Publications

Catherine Jones is an Assessment Development Specialist at LanguageCert. She has worked in the field of assessment for over twenty years with expertise in developing multi-level language curricula, tests and teaching materials for international organisations and governments. Catherine is particularly interested in the transformative potential of assessment and in examining the impact of high-stakes English language assessment on teaching and learning and student outcomes. She holds a BA in French and History of Art from University College London.

Publications

Irene Stoukou is Research Associate at LanguageCert. She is responsible for the analysis and monitoring of examiner performance, ensuring marking consistency and accuracy. She holds a PhD in English Literature and Culture (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), an MA in Modern and Contemporary Literature, Culture, and Thought (University of Sussex), and a BA in English Language and Literature (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki). She has extensive EFL teaching experience in diverse educational settings. She is a member of IATEFL, UKALTA and is also affiliated with the European Association for the Study of English (ESSE), where she serves as a national correspondent for the Gender Studies Network. She is a Postdoctoral Researcher and Adjunct Lecturer in the School of English Language and Literature at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Publications

Tony Lee is Senior Research Analyst at LanguageCert. He has been involved in language assessment statistical analysis work since 1980 in universities in Hong Kong and Australia. His major language assessment work includes the assessment management of the Australian Federal Government’s migrant English assessment system ACCESS as well as the Hong Kong Government’s HK Workplace Benchmarks and the English Language Ability Calibrated scale.

Publications

Corina Dourda is Assessment Development Manager at LanguageCert. She coordinates the development of the LTE, IESOL Speaking, and Young Learners qualifications, focusing on designing fair, fit-for-purpose, and inclusive assessments. She holds a BA in Linguistics and Language Teaching, an MA in Curriculum Design, and a Trinity Diploma in TESOL. She has over fifteen years of experience in developing teaching and assessment materials across various educational settings and levels. Her main research interests include automated item generation and computer-adaptive testing.

Publications

Angeliki Cheilari is Assessment Development Manager at LanguageCert. She is responsible for the IESOL exam development. She has an educational background in Linguistics and Language Teaching. She is Cambridge Delta qualified (Modules 1, 3). She holds an MSc in Cultural Organisations Management and an MEd in Teaching English as a Foreign/International Language. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Cognitive Systems.

Sylvia Karastathi is a teacher educator and lecturer with over ten years of experience in higher education. She is Head of Teacher Support at LanguageCert, coordinating materials and events to support the teaching communities around LanguageCert certifications. With extensive experience in leading graduate teacher development programmes, as well as pre-service training as programme director in transnational education partnerships, she continues to serve in higher education. Her research interests and publications are in the areas of language education, visual literacy and multimodality.

Publications

Xenia Poupounaki Lappa is a Project Manager at LanguageCert. She coordinates and handles various projects, focusing on the development of new language qualifications. She has an academic background in Linguistics and Language Teaching, as well as an experience in the field of ELT and Educational Assessment. She has contributed extensively to the development of a high-quality multilingual exams portfolio in her capacity as Project Manager.

Publications