Welcome to FACTOR (Forensic Linguistics, Cybersecurity and Technology Research). Based in the Linguistics and English Language (LAEL) department, FACTOR is open to all Lancaster University academics, students, and visiting scholars who are interested in forensic linguistics research. Beyond the research talks, we also have an MSc in Forensic Linguistics & Speech Science, and a range of facilities.
Find below a series of occasionally asked questions:
- What’s the back-story?
- Who runs FACTOR?
- What talks are coming up?
- Can I attend/give a talk at FACTOR?
- How can I get in touch?
- Will you make talks available online/remotely?
What’s the back-story?
FACTOR started out life as FORGE (the Forensic Linguistics Research Group) in 2013 when it was first created by Dr Claire Hardaker, a forensic corpus linguist. Since then it has grown significantly with the arrival of an MSc, PhD students, and research facilities.
Who runs FACTOR?
Academic staff
- Dr Claire Hardaker (co-convenes LING315 Forensic Linguistics, convenes LING429 Forensic Linguistics, and is the Director of Studies for the MSc in Forensic Linguistics & Speech Science)
- Dr George Brown (co-convenes LING315 Forensic Linguistics, and convenes LING489 Forensic Speech Science)
Past FACTOR team members
- William Dance (2018-2021)
- Rebecca Norton (2020-2021)
- Dr Jennifer Hughes (2015 RA)
What talks are coming up?
You can keep up to date with the FACTOR’s upcoming open series of talks and events via:
- this blog
Can I attend/give a talk at FACTOR?
All Lancaster University academic staff, postgraduate students, and visiting scholars are welcome as both guests and potential presenters, whilst undergraduate students are welcome as guests to the open talk series. We also regularly invite speakers from other academic institutions. (If you’re not sure if you’re allowed to attend, or you’d like to propose a talk by yourself or someone else, send Claire Hardaker an email.)
How can I get in touch?
If you’d like to get in touch, e.g. to propose a talk or share an interesting forensic linguistic tidbit, feel free to email Claire directly. Otherwise, you can tweet FACTOR.
Will you make talks available online/remotely?
We’ve always been keen to make the open FACTOR content as widely available as possible, however, some of the talks are strictly closed, and others can involve sensitive or confidential details, so this is not always possible. Where speakers give permission, the necessary equipment is available, and we get good footage, or where speakers have links to their own videos, we are always happy to provide those.