My research interests are in minority sign language contact, and deaf people working as sign language translators and interpreters. 

Current Position

Robert Adam is Associate Professor of Languages and Intercultural Communication and Programme Director of British Sign Language in the School of Social Sciences at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. Born into a Deaf family in Melbourne, Australia, he brings a native BSL/Auslan bilingual and bicultural perspective to his research and teaching in sign language linguistics, bilingualism, and language contact. His PhD studies at University College London examined unimodal bilingualism in the Deaf community and contact between dialects of BSL and ISL in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Academic Appointments

He holds current Visiting Professor and Honorary Lecturer appointments at Trinity College Dublin (Centre for Deaf Studies), University College London (Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre) and Deakin University, Australia, and has previously held visiting professorships at Gallaudet University.

Interpreting and Translation Credentials

Robert is a qualified and registered sign language interpreter and translator, holding NRCPD registration as a BSL/English interpreter and translator and WFD-WASLI accreditation as an International Sign interpreter; he is a Fellow of the Association of Sign Language Interpreters (UK).

Leadership and Governance

He is Chair of the British Deaf Association board and Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of the Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children, and serves as Coordinator of the World Federation of the Deaf's Expert Group on Sign Language and Deaf Studies.

Awards

In recognition of his international contribution to the Deaf community, he was awarded the World Federation of the Deaf's First Class International Solidarity Merit Award in 2019.