Professor Gabriella Rundblad

We are deeply saddened to share news of the death of our esteemed colleague, Professor Gabriella Rundblad. 

Gabriella, Professor of Language and Cognition in the School of Education, Communication & Society, made a profound impact. She will be remembered as a pioneer in research, a passionate teacher, a warm-hearted colleague and an outstanding mentor.  

Founding member  

Gabriella was a founding member of the UK Cognitive Linguistics Assocation. As a cognitive linguist she specialised in semantics and pragmatics, especially figurative language. Gabriella's expertise in her field is widely acknowledged with her contributions to making water safety information in the UK and US accessible remaining influential and frequently referenced by experts.  

Throughout her time at King's, Gabriella had many roles. Her promotions to Reader in 2016 and Professor in 2020 are reflective of her dedication to the School. Over the years, she served in key positions as the Deputy Education Lead (2010-16), a member of the School Executive Committee (2016-21), School Education Lead (2016-17) and School Research Lead (2018-21). 

A commitment to inclusivity 

Gabriella always went above and beyond. From 2018-22, she took charge as Research Excellence Framework (REF) Unit of Assessment Lead, overseeing King's Education's submission to REF 2021. Her approach was marked by fairness and a commitment to inclusivity. Her efforts were recognised when her work was documented as one of King's Impact case studies for REF 2021.  

During the COVID pandemic, her projects producing linguistically and culturally tailored advice for minority groups with an oral language tradition received the inaugural Impact Prize Award from the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy. 

Integral part of our School 

'Gabriella was an integral part of our School, both in terms of driving its governance with fairness and inclusivity and instilling a strong community spirit. Our thoughts and sympathies are with Gabriella's family and those close to her, including many of us across the King's community.' says Professor Liviu Matei, Head of the School of Education, Communication and Society.

Gabriella will be greatly missed by everyone in the School, the cognitive linguistics community, and her interdisciplinary collaborators and friends. 

Details of this obituary have been taken from the King's website.