Ann Veismann elected as head of the Institute of Estonian and General Linguistics

At its meeting on 2 December, the council of the University of Tartu Institute of Estonian and General Linguistics elected Associate Professor of General Linguistics Ann Veismann as the new head of the institute.

Ann Veismann has worked at the university as a research fellow, lecturer, associate professor, and director of the doctoral programme in Estonian and Fenno-Ugric Linguistics. She was also the project manager of the graduate school in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities from 2018 to 2022, and the head of the Centre for Estonian Orthography and Composition from 2024 to 2025.

Ann Veismann earned her doctoral degree in general linguistics at the University of Tartu in 2009. Her research focuses on semantics, temporal and spatial expressions, and conceptual metaphors in language. Since 2024, Veismann has been leading the research project “Conceptual metaphors: social relevance and Estonian database”.

Ann Veismann says she plans to continue ongoing processes, such as modernising bachelor’s and teacher education curricula. What she considers essential is, firstly, a good, friendly, and motivating working environment, and secondly, cooperation between units in the institute, the faculty, and the entire university.

The new head of the institute also emphasises the importance of maintaining research quality, contributing to the quality of teaching, and finding a reasonable balance between research and teaching for each employee. “Humanities researchers are strongly affected by the development of artificial intelligence – I believe we need to be aware and critical about this topic,” she added.

The three-year term of office of Ann Veismann begins on 1 January 2026. She will be supported by current deputy heads Professor Virve-Anneli Vihman (research and international relations) and Associate Professor Eva Liina Asu-Garcia (academic affairs).