LanguageCert’s dedicated internal research and validation team, made up of experts in the field of language assessment, is committed to investigating the reliability and validity of exam materials, their development, marking and use.
David Coniam
David Coniam is Chief Research Advisor at LANGUAGECERT. He has been working and conducting research in English language teaching, education and assessment for over 50 years. His main publication and research interests are in language assessment, language teaching methodology, and academic writing and publishing.
Michael Milanovic
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.
Nigel Pike
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.
Leda Lampropoulou
Leda Lampropoulou is Head of Research at LANGUAGECERT, with over 15 years of experience in language testing and second language acquisition. In her role, she oversees LANGUAGECERT’s research programme, ensuring that LANGUAGECERT exams are robust, fair, and fit for purpose. She also chairs the LANGUAGECERT Research Committee, contributing to evidence-based practice across the organisation.
Her research focuses on test reliability, speaking assessment, and framework mapping and benchmarking, and she has contributed to projects including the Concordance study between LANGUAGECERT and IELTS, and the mapping of LANGUAGECERT exams to the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB). Leda holds an MA in Language Testing from Lancaster University and a BA in English Language and Philosophy from the University of London. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals, and she is an active member of EALTA, UKALTA, and ILTA.
Yiannis Papargyris
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 & Quality Director. He has been responsible for the development of the LanguageCert exams portfolio since 2015.
Catherine Jones
Cathy Jones is an Assessment Development Specialist at LANGUAGECERT, where she designs innovative language assessments for international contexts. She has created multi-level curricula, high-stakes tests, and pedagogical materials for global organisations and national governments. Her research focuses on the transformative potential of assessment, exploring how high-stakes testing influences teaching, learning, and student outcomes. Committed to human-centred test development grounded in radical kindness, she prioritises learner wellbeing, dignity, and humanity throughout the assessment process. Cathy’s work also highlights the importance of oracy and the role of language learning in employability and lifelong learning, developing assessments that make linguistic competence visible, verifiable, and valued across education and career pathways. She holds a BA in French and History of Art from UCL.
Irene Stoukou
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 Postdoctoral Researcher and Adjunct Lecturer in the School of English Language and Literature at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Tony Lee
Tony Lee is Senior Psychometrician 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.
Anna-Maria Boutzi
Anna-Maria Boutzi is a Research Assistant at LANGUAGECERT, where she supports the implementation of the main research programme as well as additional research projects. She holds a BA in Psychology and an MSc in Social Psychology: Research Methods and Community Applications from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She has experience conducting research across various fields, working with both quantitative and qualitative data. In her current role, she contributes to maintaining high standards in language testing by systematically monitoring the performance of LANGUAGECERT’s assessment tools through statistical analysis.
Corina Dourda
Corina Dourda is Head of Assessment Design & Innovation at LANGUAGECERT, where she leads the design of fit-for-purpose English language assessments across the company’s portfolio and oversees initiatives exploring the role of AI in language testing. With a BA in Linguistics, an MA in Curriculum Design, and a Trinity Diploma in TESOL, she brings over fifteen years of experience in developing assessment materials across diverse educational contexts. Her research focuses on computer-adaptive testing and AI applications in language assessment, from AI-assisted item generation to predictive modelling of learner performance.
Angeliki Cheilari
Angeliki Cheilari is Head of Materials Development at LANGUAGECERT and leads materials development across all LANGUAGECERT qualifications. Her academic background spans Linguistics and Language Teaching, and she is Cambridge Delta qualified (Modules 1 and 3). Angeliki holds an MEd in Teaching English as a Foreign/International Language, an MSc in Cultural Organisations Management, and an MSc in Cognitive Systems (Cognitive Psychology and Artificial Intelligence).
Sylvia Karastathi
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.