Generate a tailored SOP for Dr. Rebecca Van Herck. Improve your application with a focused, well-structured draft.
Rebecca Van Herck is an Assistant Professor at Radboud University, specializing in Linguistics. She obtained her PhD from Ghent University in Belgium in 2021, focusing on discourse moves and the discursive legitimation processes involved in customer communication. Her research particularly examines how customer service employees utilize specific communication strategies to address customer complaints via email and the resulting effects on customer outcomes and brand trust. Currently, she investigates language use in webcare and digital tourism discourse, concentrating on the impact of communication practices, such as managerial responses to negative reviews on platforms like Tripadvisor and Booking.com. Utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research methods, including discourse analysis and experimental designs, she also incorporates a cross-linguistic dimension by comparing authentic discursive strategies across different linguacultures, such as English and German. As part of her contributions to the academic community, she has been recognized with the Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award from the Association for Business Communication.
Applies to Research Master's in Linguistics and Communication Sciences (Centre for Language Studies/Department of Language and Communication).