A current trend in Syntax is to use data from minority languages to re-examine and refine syntactic theories. Researchers in the School have particular interests in the syntax and morphology of understudied languages, in particular Austronesian languages and contact languages (for example, creole languages).

Victoria Chen is interested in working with thesis students who are willing to conduct primary fieldwork on understudied languages, and particularly with students who are native or heritage speakers of those languages.