Dr Zeynep Duran Karaoz, Data Scientist for Language Assessment & Researcher AI

Zeynep is a Data Scientist for Language Assessment and Researcher in AI with the British Council. She works across a range of projects which have an AI and data science focus. Her main responsibilities involve designing and developing  an analysis system for APTIS Data Analysis using data science and analytics techniques, and producing test and item statistics for Annual Operational Reports. She is also involved in the development of an AI-scored language test for young learners, working with internal and external teams and bringing AI expertise to the development process. 

Her background involves a combination of linguistic and technical expertise. Before joining the British Council in 2022, she worked in both the UK and Turkey as an EFL instructor, a researcher and a data scientist. 

Areas of expertise

  • Analysis of Language Test Data
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Natural Language Processing

Publications

Duran-Karaoz, Z., & Tavakoli, P. (2020). Predicting L2 fluency from L1 fluency behaviour: The case of L1 Turkish and L2 English speakers. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 42(4), 671-695.

Mart, M., Karaoz, I., & Duran-Karaoz, Z. (2016). Preschool teachers’ perceptions of teaching English as a foreign language in early years' settings. In T. Petrovic-Trifunovic, G. Pudar Drasko, & P. Krstic (Eds.), Why still education? (pp. 93-102). Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 

Education

MSc, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Liverpool, 2021

PhD, Applied Linguistics, University of Reading, 2020

MA, English Language Teaching, University of Reading, 2015

BA, English Language Teaching, Uludag University, 2010