About
Professor Nuria Lorenzo-Dus joined Swansea University in 2001. She was awarded in 2011 a Personal Chair in the Department of Applied Linguistics and has served since 2017 as the University’s Dean of Postgraduate Research.
In 2010 Nuria founded Swansea University’s Language Research Centre, which she directed until 2015. During that time, she also served as Chair of the International Association for the Study of Spanish in Society. In addition, Nuria is centrally involved in Swansea University’s Cyber Threats Research Centre and serves on the management board of the University’s Digital Humanities Centre. She has held visiting research positions in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Spain and the USA, and regularly delivers public engagement sessions and media communications on aspects linked to her research expertise.
Nuria uses Discourse Analysis to examine interpersonal and intergroup interaction in broadcast (initially) and digital (since approximately 2010) media contexts. Her research has greatly benefitted from substantial research funding over the years, including from the United Kingdom Research Councils (e.g. AHRC and EPSRC) and charities (e.g. The Leverhulme Trust) as well as from collaboration with teams in Spain and Latin America. She is the author of several books and numerous journal articles and book chapters (see Publications tab for details). Nuria is a member of the Editorial Board for the journals Memory Studies, Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict, Internet Pragmatics, Cadernos de Linguagem e Sociedade, and Estudios de Lingüística Inglesa Aplicada.
Of particular note within Professor Nuria Lorenzo-Dus’ work on digital manipulation is her 2021-2022 project DRAGON-S (Developing Resistance Against Grooming Online – Spot and Shield). Swansea University gratefully acknowledges financial support provided for this Programme by the End Violence Fund. This project will offer tools based on integrating Artificial Intelligence/Linguistics to keep children safe online.
About
Keighley is a Researcher within the School of Culture and Communication at Swansea University, where she works as part of the DRAGON programme.
Keighley’s research interests include the radical right, extremist discourse, political identity, digital influence and manipulation, and online harms. Her work examines how language, imagery and digital interaction shape identities, influence audiences, and make exclusionary or extremist ideas appear more ordinary, reasonable or legitimate. Drawing on discourse analysis and multimodal approaches, she explores the relationship between language, power and identity in digital contexts, with a particular focus on how online communities communicate, persuade, affiliate and mobilise.
Within DRAGON, Keighley conducts linguistic analysis of online grooming, manipulation and digital discourse. She is particularly interested in how linguistic choices build trust and exert influence in online interactions. Alongside her analytical work, she contributes to the co-creation and evaluation of research-informed resources, working with practitioners, stakeholders and lived-experience groups to ensure that DRAGON's outputs are accessible, useful and grounded in real-world professional contexts.
Keighley also leads on communications and engagement across the programme, combining her expertise in digital media with her commitment to research impact. This includes translating complex academic research into clear, engaging and accessible public-facing content for professional, policy and wider audiences. She is especially interested in how academic work can inform practice and contribute to public understanding of online harms.
Keighley is committed to co-creation, collaborative research and real-world impact. She works with stakeholders, practitioners and interest groups to ensure that research-informed resources are accessible, useful and responsive to professional and public needs. Her work is driven by a commitment to translating academic research beyond the university, including through policy engagement, public communication, professional training and media collaboration.
