Dr Nayia Cominos

Biography/ Background

Nayia has had several career strands including Merchant Banking in Australia for 7 years, Marketing and Management for 15 years, ESL examining and instruction at Tertiary level and for industry in Australia and Europe for over 12 years. She has been working in academic research and teaching at the University of Adelaide in Linguistics since 2006.

Current Faculty Position:

• Associate Lecturer in Linguistics since 2008, Undergraduate and Masters by Coursework programmes.
• Associate Researcher and Executive Officer of SA Management Committee in Effective Communication in Clinical Handover (ECCHo) national project.
  
• Supervisor and Examiner for Postgraduate Dissertations in Linguistics, since 2007.
• Key Researcher (HMSS) in 21st Century Workforce and Rural and Remote Community Development Frameworks.
  
• Postgraduate Research Assistant in Linguistics, since 2007.
  

Other Professional Activities:

• Member of Australian Systemic Functional Linguistics Association (ASFLA).
  
• Member of International Association of Forensic Linguists (IAFL).
• Member of Australian Linguistics Society (ALS).
  
• Panel Member, Learning and Assessment Plans for English as a Second Language, South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE), Government of South Australia, since 2010.
• Tertiary Advisor, Examination Vetter, for English as a Second Language, South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE), Government of South Australia, since 2010.
• Sessional tutoring in PEP and GEAP programes with Professional and Continuing Education, University of Adelaide, since 2006.
  

Key Non-Academic Professional Positions Held:

• Centre Manager, Vocational Language Learning Centre, Adelaide, SA (2006-2007).
• Marketing Manager, Pedagogical Advisor and ESL Consultant, Vocational Language Learning Centre, Adelaide, SA (2004-2006).
• Member of CEL National Working Parties for the European Year of Languages, the development of the European Grill of Linguistic Competence and the European Language Passport. CEL Regional Representative Burgundy, France (2001-2004).
• Language School Manager and Pedagogocial Director, Centre d'Etude des Langues (member of National CEL network for the Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI), France), CCI 71, Macon, France (1998-2004).
• Undergraduate and Postgraduate ESL Lecturer and Programme Manager, Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Macon and Chalon-sur-Saone, France and Pedagogical Consultant, UIVB (Beaujolais Inter-professional Winemaker's Union), Villefranche, France (1990-1998).
• Senior Manager Treasury, ANZCAP/McCaughan Dyson Limited, Adelaide (1986-1989).
• Co-Proprietor,  Clos de Haute-Combe Winery, Julienas, France (1991-2003).

 

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy (University of Adelaide).
  
• Master of Arts - Applied Linguistics (University of Adelaide).
• Bachelor of Arts (University of Adelaide).
• Accredited Examiner for the European Certificates in French and English in France.
• Accredited Examiner for the DESS Tourism, University of Burgundy, France.
• Accredited Examiner for Final Year Wine-Making, CFPPA-DAVAYE, Davaye.
• One Year Module: Optimising Your Commercial Strategy, AGERCEL Network Consultants, Paris, France.
• Module: Cross-cultural Differences and NLP, facilitated by Fiona Scott-Barrett, Oxford University Press.

 

Awards & Achievements

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Divisional Scholarship

Teaching Interests

University of Adelaide:

 

• Systemic Functional Linguistics
• Appraisal Theory
• Genre Theory
• Discourse analysis
• Foundations of Linguistics
• Language and Ethnography of Communication
• Language, Communication and Society
• Engineering Communication EAL
• Language and Learning
  
• General English for Academic Purposes
• English for Academic Purposes
• Forensic Linguistics
  

Kephi Consulting:

• Workplace re- insertion language and skills training programs and for Work Cover
• Language for specific purposes - professional and academic.
  
• Relocation assistance and language support for international executives and their families
  
• Marketing Planning and Development
• Management Strategies for Middle and Senior Managers
• Workplace Strategies for Increasing Motivation and Productivity
• Career Counselling
• Whole of School language learning and teaching reviews (Independent Schools)
  

 

Research Interests

• Academic Literacies
• Cross-Cultural Communication
• Appraisal Theory
• Systemic Function Linguistics
• Medical Discourse
  
• Language and Learning
• Language revitalization and planning
• Genre Theory

 

Publications

Conference Proceedings:

Cominos, N. (2010) "It is widely noted"- dialogic features of undergraduate students' writing in Linguistics, 2009 ASFLA Conference, Brisbane. http://www.asfla.org.au/category/asfla2009/2009uncategorised/

Cominos, N., Mickan, P. and Bruening, M. (2008) "You've got to use street talk": Australian Medical Practice and International Medical Graduates,  Long research paper, ANZAME 2008 Conference: Practice, scholarship & research in health professional education, University of New South Wales, Sydney. http://www.anzame.unsw.edu.au/PDF/ANZAME%20conference%20program%20Sydney%202008.pdf

 

Referreed Conference Papers: 

2007 Discourses and Cultural Practices, University of Technology Sydney. Presented joint paper with Peter Mickan: The Australian way of medicine - its representation in the tutor's discourse in an exam preparation course for International Medical Graduates.

2009 ASFLA Conference, Brisbane. Refereed paper: "It is widely noted"- dialogic features of undergraduate students' writing in Linguistics.

2009 Free Linguistics Conference, Sydney. Refereed joint paper with Peter Mickan: Work or Play? Sports training discourse and the transmission of values.

2009 Linguistic Research Forum, Adelaide.  Writing the 'completely obvious'.

2011 ASFLA Conference, University of New England, two refereed papers:

Function versus Form: an analysis of referencing and citation in undergraduate writing as a mode of dialogic engagement;

Managing the subjective: exploring communicative purpose, staging and argumentation in undergraduate essays using an adapted Discourse Semantics methodology.

 

Conference panels and other participation:

2007 ELSE Conference, Adelaide. Workshop panel presenter: Studying Communities in Practice.

2011 AALL Conference, Hawke Centre, UniSA, member of roundtable: Social Semiotics: understanding disciplinary literacies.

2012 ANZCA conference, Hawke Centre, UniSA. Health Communication symposium presenting initial findings of National ECCHo project.  Presentation with John Walsh: Clinical Handover in the context of Mental Health in South Australia.

 

Upcoming Conference Presentations:

ASFLA 2013

ISFLA 2013

ANZAME 2013

 

 

Community Engagement

• Friend of the State Opera of South Australia.
• Alumnus of the Cornell Chapter.
• Friend and donor of the Barr-Smith Library.
• Donor Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship fund (University of Adelaide)
• Board Member and Patron Soundstream Adelaide New Music Festival Board.
• Supporting Member of Adelaide Youth Orchestras.
  

 

Entry last updated: Thursday, 17 Jan 2013