Laura Kalin

Bio/Description

Laura Kalin is an associate professor of linguistics in the Council of the Humanities. She has taught at Princeton since 2016. Her research focuses on “the syntax and morphology of understudied and often endangered languages.”

Described by one student as “the most dedicated professor I’ve had at Princeton,” Kalin is known for her passion for her field, her inspiring energy, and her commitment to her students and advisees. 

“What truly sets Professor Kalin apart from the rest is her unparalleled enthusiasm. No matter whether explaining the topic of the day, or exploring an impromptu tangent uncovered by a student’s question, she approached every problem with a vibrant energy that was nothing short of infectious,” one alumnus said. 

A creative instructor, she redesigned the lecture course “Linguistic Universals and Language Diversity” so that each student studied a single endangered language of their choice. Students said the project showed the real-world applications of linguistics research and gave their work greater purpose. “I took this class mainly for its linguistics designation and then discovered how truly awesome it was,” one student said. 

Kalin is also appreciated for her ability to distill the most complex subjects in an engaging and understandable way.

Said an alumnus: “I vividly remember Professor Kalin’s morphology course. Though it covered a notoriously prickly and theoretical subject, Professor Kalin’s class breathed fresh air into what could have been a technical, stuffy course. In my four years at Princeton, I never had a teacher come close to Professor Kalin.” 

Read more about Kalin on the Princeton linguistics website.