Alex Ross
PhD Student
she / her / hers
TESL
Digital Literacies
Discourse Analysis
Generative Artificial Intelligence
TESL – Teaching English as a Second Language
Biography
Alex Ross (she/her) is a PhD candidate and a sessional instructor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education. Her dissertation work draws on nexus analysis to explore the knowledge, beliefs, and experiences that undergraduate English as an additional language (EAL) students bring to their interactions with GenAI. Prior to coming to UBC, Alex completed her MA in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies at Carleton University. From 2019 until 2026, she served as the Managing Editor of the Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics. She also served as a member of UBC’s AAAL 2024 Conference Planning Team. In addition to her service work, Alex has over a decade of experience teaching EAL in South Korea, Mexico, and Canada. Beyond teaching, she has consulted on various EAL initiatives as a project coordinator, independent researcher, and curriculum developer.
Awards & Honours
2023 – 2027: Four Year Doctoral Fellowship, UBC ($18,200 plus tuition stipend)
2023 – 2026: SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship, Doctoral ($115,000)
Projects
Ross, A. (2026). Who is responsible? Analyzing the discursive construction of “responsibility” and “ethical use” in institutional GenAI policies. [Individual paper]. Sociolinguistics and AI: International conference, Copenhagen, DK.
David, R.D. & Ross, A. (2026). Reimagining research ethics in applied linguistics: A disability rights-based, emancipatory framework. [Individual paper]. American Association of Applied Linguistics Annual Conference, Chicago, IL.
Kowkabi, N., Ross, A., Zhuravleva, A., Lin, Z. (2025). Lessons taught, lessons learned: Reflections on how GenAI is (re)shaping teaching for L2 writing. [Roundtable presentation]. Language and Literacy Researchers of Canada Pre-Conference, Toronto, ON.
Ross, A. & David, R.D. (2024). Inclusion or exclusion? A critical discourse analysis of DEI documents in higher education contexts. [Individual paper]. American Association of Applied Linguistics Annual Conference, Houston, TX.
Ross, A. (2023). Raising LINC students’ awareness of digital literacy practices: A pedagogical approach. [Individual paper]. BC TEAL Annual Conference, Vancouver, BC.
Selected Publications
David, R.D. & Ross, A. (2026). Reimagining research ethics in SLA: An emancipatory, disability rights-based framework. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 48(1), 224–241. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263125101356
Ross, A., David, R.D., Weber, E.L., Bernaldez, B., & Brown, K. (2026). Using technology to reconfigure our teaching praxis and build equity into ELT. In G.M. Mendoza Chirinos & L.A. Salas Serrano (Eds.), ELT women in technology: CALL, STEM, STEAM, AI (pp. 83–94). Regional English Language Office. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UzmD1ySZ-FQE87ABdF_Q0j-mlDhbkrpY/view?usp=sharing
Ross, A. (2024). Review of “Reconsidering context in language assessment: Transdisciplinary perspectives, social theories, and validity” by Janna Fox and Natasha Artemeva. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 34(1), 416–418. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12531