Dr. Anna Kristina Hultgren (DPhil Oxon, MA Copenhagen, Cert LSE, SFHEA) is UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and Professor at The Open University. Born in Sweden, Kristina is a Professor of Sociolinguistics and Applied Linguistics who, following her MA in English and French linguistics, made a brief detour into the international speech and language technology industry, before gaining her DPhil in English Language and Sociolinguistics from the University of Oxford in 2009. A linguist by training, Kristina also holds a certificate in public policy analysis from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She undertook two externally funded Postdoctoral Fellowships at the University of Copenhagen before being appointed as Lecturer in English Language and Applied Linguistics at The Open University in 2013, and promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2017. In 2021, she was awarded a Personal Chair in recognition of her contributions to research and academic leadership.