Dakota Wing
PhD Candidate, Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, York University
Eradicate Hate:
2026
2026
I am a PhD candidate at York University (Toronto, Canada) in linguistics and applied linguistics. I consult as a senior language analyst (forensic linguist) at Robert Leonard Associates.
I received an MA in linguistics: forensic linguistics from Hofstra University (’17) and an Adv. BA from the University of Manitoba (’13) with a major in linguistics, a minor in psychology, and substantial coursework in criminology.
My experience in forensic linguistics includes working with the Forensic Linguistics Capital Case Innocence Project (now the Forensic Linguistics Justice Project), the Institute for Forensic Linguistics, Threat Assessment, and Strategic Analysis, and Robert Leonard Associates. I have consulted on over 200 criminal, civil, and investigative matters involving languge evidence. I am a member of various (national and international) academic and practitioner associations and an international threat assessment think tank.
My current research focuses on police discourse, and I have applied discourse analysis methodologies to the writings of school shooters, extremist propaganda and online radicalized communities, police interviews, confessions and police statements, wanted lists, political discourse, and online discourse of sports media commentary.
I also co-maintain ForensicLing.com, a website dedicated to making forensic linguistic data available to researchers and furthering the scientific inquiry, transparency, and replicability of forensic linguistic research.
The inaugural Eradicate Hate Summit was a truly impressive gathering of leaders dedicated to finding lasting and effective solutions to violent extremism. I was particularly moved by the prominence given to survivors and family members of victims of hate and violence throughout the event. Their stories and those of so many others must be at the center of what we do and why we do it.
Vidhya Ramalingam Founder & CEO, Moonshot