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Jo Baumber

Jo Baumber

  • Position: Lecturer in English for Academic Purposes
  • Areas of expertise: EAP; EFL; Chinese Education: Policy and Practice; English Language Testing (IELTS); Applied Linguistics; Critical Discourse Analysis; TESOL Methodology; World History: (Empires) 1492-1975.
  • Email: J.Baumber@leeds.ac.uk
  • Location: 221a Parkinson Building
  • Website: LinkedIn | ORCID

Profile

I joined the University of Leeds in 2024 as a Lecturer in English for Academic Purposes, having spent the previous decade working in China. My role involves working at both Leeds and Southwest Jiaotong University in Chengdu, China, as a member of the Joint School.

I completed a PhD in Applied Linguistics with the University of York. I obtained a master’s in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second or Other Language) from the University of Dundee, and I’m also an aluma of the Open University, where I obtained a BA Hons in English Language and World History.

Research interests

My research interests centre on the relationship between language, power, and education. I explore the effects of education policy on the wider community, socio-political factors on educational opportunities and outcomes, and phenomenological differences between teachers in varying contexts. I am also interested in pedagogical ideologies, specifically those of the East and West, and how these differences affect student experiences in learning.


A connecting thread across these interests is Critical Discourse Analysis, the study of how language constructs, sustains, and occasionally challenges relations of power in institutional and political contexts. This lens informs both my pedagogical research and my broader interest in how dominant discourses operate across scales, from the language classroom and education policy to the political and media framing of international events.


These areas connect to my PhD in Applied Linguistics, my role as an English for Academic Purposes instructor, and my work in transnational education contexts

PUBLICATIONS

Baumber, J. (2025). Investigating the perceived language and teaching proficiency of English language teachers at compulsory education level in China: implications for learners. The Language Scholar.

Professional memberships

  • BALEAP
  • BAAL
  • BERA
  • IATEFL
  • TESOL International

Student education

I teach undergraduate engineering students English for Academic Purposes in China, and post-graduate pre-sessional EAP for international students in Leeds.

Research groups and institutes

  • Language Centre