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 Head of Assessment at LanguageCert, with a focus on the research and validation of speaking exams. In her role, she coordinates the development of speaking tests, ensuring they are fit-for-purpose. She holds a BA in English with Philosophy from London University and an MA in Language Testing from Lancaster University. She is also CELTA qualified and a member of UKALTA.

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 and is responsible for the development of the LanguageCert exams portfolio.

Publications

Cathy Jones is an Academic Associate at LanguageCert, working on qualification development. She has worked in qualification development for almost twenty years with particular expertise in developing multi-level language curricula, tests and teaching materials. She holds a BA in French and History of Art from University College London.

Publications

Irene Stoukou is Chief Examiner Team Leader at LanguageCert. She is responsible for the implementation of fit-for-purpose marking and assessment processes, as well as the training and continuous monitoring of examiners. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and an MA in Modern and Contemporary Literature, Culture and Thought from Sussex University. She received her PhD from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2023.

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 an Academic Associate at LanguageCert. She is a Trinity-certified ELT professional with a BA in English and MA in Education (Curriculum Design). She has considerable experience in the field of educational assessment through the development of assessment materials in a wide range of settings and across different levels of education. Her main research interests involve computer-adaptive testing, assessment design and statistical evaluation of assessment data.

Publications

Angeliki Cheilari is Head of Assessment 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