People Biography

Dr. Sara Hillman is an associate professor of Applied Linguistics and English at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. She holds a PhD in Second Language Studies from Michigan State University, where her research centered on identity formation and community building in an Arabic heritage language classroom. Before joining HBKU, Dr. Hillman taught for nine years at Texas A&M University in Qatar and served as the foundation English program coordinator. At TAMUQ, Dr. Hillman was recognized for her teaching excellence with the Dean’s Faculty Teaching Excellence Award in 2023 and the Liberal Arts Faculty of the Year Award from the Department of Student Affairs in 2022.

Dr. Hillman’s research examines the intersections of language, identity, and communication in educational and multilingual contexts, with a focus on Qatar. Her work has been published in top-tier academic journals, including TESOL Quarterly, System, Linguistics and Education, International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, Language Learning Journal, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, and many others. She has also contributed numerous chapters to edited volumes focused on language, identity, and higher education in the Gulf and Arab world.