Dr Niki-Maria Christofi is a Special Scientist at the Language Centre of the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), specialising in English language teaching. She holds a PhD in Linguistics from Lancaster University (UK), which is recognised internationally among the leading universities in the field of Linguistics. In her doctoral research, she investigated the Foreign Language Effect (FLE), examining how the use of a foreign language affects cognitive and emotional processes, such as moral reasoning and decision-making. She also holds an MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL from Newcastle University, where her dissertation on language emotionality in bilingual speakers was awarded a distinction. She further holds a BA in English Studies and in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, as well as the CELTA qualification (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Cambridge University.
She has extensive experience in teaching English as a second language in higher 
education, with a specialisation in English for Academic and Specific Purposes 
(EAP/LSP). She teaches modules including academic writing, communication skills, business English and public speaking, and she has also taught pre-sessional English language courses to international students at Newcastle University in the UK. Within the framework of the Erasmus+ EuPROSkillS project, she trained academics from across Europe in teaching their subject courses in English. Her academic work combines theoretical research with practical application, focusing on the relationship between language and cognitive processes.