Profile

Shungo SUZUKI, Ph.D.

Affiliation

Research Assistant Professor, Waseda University, Japan
2021 Sep – 2025 Mar
A principal investigator of the Dialogue-based Automated Speaking Skill Assessment project, funded by NEDO

Research Overview

My research interests highlight L2 speech production and its underlying mechanism and processing. More specifically, I’ve mainly conducted research on L2 speaking performance from the following perspectives:
(a) listeners’ perception, such as comprehensibility and perceived fluency (e.g., Saito et al., 2018; Suzuki & Kormos, 2020; Suzuki et al., 2021);
(b) underlying linguistic competence (e.g., Suzuki & Kormos, 2023, 2024);
(c) objective measurements including analysis tools and methods (e.g., Matsuura & Suzuki, 2022; Suzuki & Révész, 2023);
(d) task effects (Kormos et al., 2022; Révész et al., 2024; Suzuki & Kormos, forthcoming); and
(e) individual difference factors, such as L1 speaking style, creativity, personality and motivation (Suzuki & Kormos, 2024; Suzuki et al., 2022, in preparation).

With collaborators from all over the world, I have also investigated other L2 skills, such as Reading (Kremmel et al., 2023), Listening (Eberharter et al., 2023) and Writing (Kormos & Suzuki, under review; Kormos et al., under review), as well as Vocabulary (Eguchi et al., 2022) and Grammar (Zhao et al., 2021). I currently work for the project developing an AI-based interactive speaking test, InteLLA. For more details of my publications and research projects, please see the Publications and Projects pages.

PhD Supervision Interest

I’m interested in receiving PhD students in the following areas:
・Cognitive aspects of L2 oral and written production
・Development of L2 speaking skills
・Assessment of L2 speaking and relevant integrated skills
・Role of individual difference variables in L2 learning
・Development and validation of methodological tools (e.g., automated scoring)
・Integration of AI and NLP into pedagogical tools (e.g., diagnostic assessment)

Education

Ph.D. in Linguistics, Lancaster University, UK
2018 – 2021 *full funding
Thesis: The Multidimensionality of Second Language Oral Fluency: The Interface Between Cognitive, Utterance, and Perceived Fluency *no correction
Supervisor: Prof. Judit Kormos

M.A. in Applied Linguistics and TESOL (Distinction), Lancaster University, UK
2016 – 2017
Thesis: Investigating Linguistic Dimensions of Second Language Comprehensibility and Perceived Fluency in terms of Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency
Supervisor: Prof. Judit Kormos

M.A. in English Language Education, Waseda University, Japan
2015 – 2018
Thesis: Developmental trajectories of second language speech production: The case of English-medium instruction in Japan
Supervisor: Prof. Tetsuo Harada

B.A. in English Language and Literature, Waseda University, Japan
2011 – 2015
Thesis: Description of Speech Production Proficiency of Second Language Learners in terms of Complexity, Accuracy, and Fluency
Supervisor: Prof. Tetsuo Harada

Teaching Activities

Second Language Acquisition & Language Assessment

Lancaster University

  • LING535: Second Language Classroom Research (MA TESOL distance)

Rikkyo University

  • DM602: Pedagogy of English for Communication — Instructed Second Language Acquisition for L2 Speaking Skills / 英語コミュニケーション教育学
  • DM686: Measurement and Evaluation in Language Education / 外国語教育評価論

Language Teaching Experience

  • English for General Communication (Undergraduate students), School of Culture, Media and Society, Waseda University, Japan.
  • Reading Ia (Undergraduate students), Institute of Arts and Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Japan.
  • Japanese teaching intern, Japanese-English immersion program, Yujin Gakuen public primary school, Oregon, US.
  • Japanese language teacher (Advanced-level), Culture Society, Lancaster University Student Unions, Lancaster University, UK.

Teaching Assistant

  • Department of English Language and Literature, Waseda University, Japan. Tutored undergraduate students weekly in upper-content course, Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). Helped students prepare for end-term paper assignments, by offering key references and supporting academic writing.
  • Department of English Language and Literature, Waseda University, Japan. Tutored undergraduate students weekly in upper-content course, Experimental Phonetics: Introduction to Acoustic Phonetics. Helped students prepare for collecting and analyzing speech data via the Praat software for end-term paper assignments.
  • Department of English Language and Literature, Waseda University, Japan. Tutored undergraduate students weekly in upper-content course, Advanced Phonetics: The Sounds of English and Japanese. Helped students prepare for classroom presentations, homework assignments and exams.

Awards & Scholarships

  • 2024: Shortlisted for ILTA Best Article Award for 2022 (Suzuki et al., 2022, TQ)
  • 2021: Bronze Award (Leaning Assessment Category) for InteLLA: Intelligent Language Learning Assistant for Automated Diagnostic Speaking Assessment, the QS-Wharton Reimagine Education Award 2021
  • 2018–2021: FASS scholarship (full funding, including tuition fee waiver and maintenance allowance), Lancaster University, UK
  • 2018–2021: Graduate Scholarship for Degree Seeking Students, Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), Japan
  • 2017–2018: Repayment Exemption for Students with Excellent Grades (Type I scholarship; full exemption), Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), Japan
  • * I had also received the DC1 (Research Fellowship for Young Scientists in Japanese universities) before applying for any PhD programmes, but in order to enter Lancaster University, I had to decline the fellowship.

Service

Editorial Board

  • Guest associate editor for Annual Review of Applied Linguistics (2024–2025)

Ad hoc Journal Reviewer

  • Reviewer for Applied Linguistics Review, De Gruyter. (2024)
  • Reviewer for Applied Psycholinguistics, Cambridge University Press. (2019, 2020, 2021)
  • Reviewer for JALT Journal, The Japan Association for Language Teaching. (2020, 2021)
  • Reviewer for International Journal of Applied Linguistics (ITL), John Benjamins. (2020)
  • Reviewer for International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching (IRAL), DE GRUYTER. (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024)
  • Reviewer for Language Learning, Wiley-Blackwell. (2019, 2021)
  • Reviewer for Language Teaching Research, SAGE. (2019, 2020)
  • Reviewer for Language Testing, SAGE. (2022)
  • Reviewer for Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, Elsevier. (2022, 2023)
  • Reviewer for Studies in Second Language Acquisition, Cambridge University Press. (2020, 2021, 2022)
  • Reviewer for System, Elsevier. (2021)
  • Reviewer for TESL Canada Journal, TESL CANADA. (2019)
  • Reviewer for TESOL Quarterly, Wiley-Blackwell. (2021)

Social Dissemination & Media Press

Research Grants

Individual Grants

  • 2022–2026: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) 日本学術振興会 科学研究費助成事業 若手研究 (¥ 4,680,000) funded by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (22K13181). [HERE]
  • 2017–2018: The EIKEN Research Assistance Program 第30回「英検」研究助成 (¥ 300,000) funded by Eiken Foundation of Japan. [HERE]

Group Grants

  • 2020-2025: Technology Development Project for Next-Generation Artificial Intelligence Evolving with People 人と共に進化する次世代人工知能に関する技術開発事業 (Approx. ¥ 460,000,000) funded by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).
    • Principal Investigator: Yoichi Matsuyama (Waseda University).
    • Co-principal Investigator: Shungo Suzuki (Waseda University)
  • 2016–2017: The EIKEN Research Assistance Program 第29回「英検」研究助成 (¥ 300,000) funded by Eiken Foundation of Japan.
    • Principal Investigator: Toshinori Yasuda (Waseda University)
    • Co-researcher: Shungo Suzuki (Lancaster University) [HERE]

Patent

  • Dynamic Speaking Assessment (in preparation)
  • Diagnostic Speaking Assessment (Japan 2024-050243)
  • Adaptive Speaking Assessment (Japan 2022-049257)

Others

  • 中学校教諭専修免許（外国語[英語]）
  • 高等学校教諭専修免許（外国語[英語]）
  • 弓道参段
  • 居合道初段（無双直伝英信流）