Prof. Ass. Dr. Uranela DEMAJ was born on June 26, 1989, in Mitrovica, Kosovo, and lived in Belgium from 1990 until 2014. She completed the full cycle of university and postgraduate studies at Ghent University in Belgium, where in 2019 she was awarded the title of Doctor of Science in Linguistics. Her dissertation, titled “What color is your flag when it burns? Language, ethnic identity and conflict in the historical urban linguistic landscapes of Pristina, Kosovo” (UGent Library Link), presents an in-depth investigation into the intersection of language, identity, and ethnic issues in the post-war context of Kosovo.
Her professional career began immediately after her return to Kosovo as a lecturer at AAB College, where she later held senior leadership roles, including Vice Dean for Academic Affairs (2018–2021), and subsequently Vice Rector for Science and Research (2021–2023). She currently serves as a professor of sociolinguistics at the same institution.
Her professional engagement is characterized by an interdisciplinary profile and an active link between academia and institutions that address human rights and language policy in Kosovo. She has collaborated with national and international organizations such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Office of the Language Commissioner within the Office of the Prime Minister, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, where she has contributed to the development of research methodologies and policies related to language rights, discrimination, and social exclusion.
Her field of expertise includes topics such as sociolinguistics, linguistic and ethnic identity, linguistic landscapes, nationalism, and human rights. She is the author of numerous scholarly works published in prestigious journals such as Nationalities Papers, National Identities, Ethnicities, Social Semiotics, and Springer.
In addition to her academic work, Demaj is also a mentor for master’s and doctoral students, contributing to the development of research capacities among the new generation of scholars. Since 2023, she has been co-supervisor of the doctoral dissertation of Aida Thaqi at the University of Antwerp, focusing on women’s rights and language in Kosovo.
As a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright fellowship for the 2025–2026 academic year, she will be based at the Sociolinguistics Lab at New York University, where she will continue her research on linguistic identity and belonging among the Albanian diaspora in the United States.