PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Katarzyna Jaszczolt

Also known as Kasia Jaszczolt, Katarzyna Malgorzata Jaszczolt

Katarzyna Jaszczolt is a linguist and philosopher of language whose Default Semantics account models how context and pragmatic inference shape meaning in discourse. She tutored at Oxford and held research posts at Sussex and Brighton before joining Cambridge in 1995. She became Professor of Linguistics and Philosophy of Language in 2010 and was elected to Academia Europaea in 2012. She published Meaning in Linguistic Interaction in 2016 and Semantics, Pragmatics, Philosophy: A Journey through Meaning in 2023, and in 2026 supervised Cambridge PhD research that used BERT-based semantic modelling to study word meaning. In August 2026, the University of Łódź awarded her an honorary doctorate; she is Professor of Linguistics and Philosophy of Language at Cambridge and a Professorial Fellow and Director of Studies in Linguistics at Newnham.

Born
1963
Badges

Years link to their sources.

Timeline

  1. 1987–1992

    Degrees in Łódź and Oxford

    She earns master’s degrees in English and Linguistics in 1987 and Philosophy in 1988 at the University of Łódź. In 1992, she completes a D.Phil. in Linguistics and Philosophy at Oxford, after studying as a Soros Scholar at Somerville College and a Rawnsley Scholar at St Hugh’s College.

  2. 1991–1995

    Research roles in Sussex and Brighton

    She tutors Linguistics at the University of Oxford from 1991 to 1994. From 1992 to 1993, she is a Research Fellow and Tutor in Linguistics at the University of Sussex; from 1993 to 1995, she is a Research Fellow at the University of Brighton.

  3. 1995–2010

    Default Semantics at Cambridge

    A linguist and philosopher of language, she joins the University of Cambridge in 1995 as a University Assistant Lecturer and Newnham College as a College Fellow and Tutor. In 2010 she becomes University Professor of Linguistics and Philosophy of Language. In 2005 she publishes Default Semantics, a book on her theory of discourse interpretation, which models how pragmatic and contextual information contributes to communicated meaning.

  4. 2012

    Elected to Academia Europaea

    In 2012, she is elected Member of Academia Europaea.

  5. 2016–2023

    Research on meaning and time

    In 2016, she publishes Meaning in Linguistic Interaction. In 2023, she publishes Semantics, Pragmatics, Philosophy: A Journey through Meaning and edits Understanding Human Time.

  6. 2026

    Advising BERT-based research

    In 2026, she supervises Nina Haket’s Cambridge PhD on conceptual engineering. The thesis uses BERT-based distributional semantic modelling on the spoken component of the British National Corpus 2014 to study how meanings emerge from word use and context.

  7. August 2026

    Honorary doctorate from Łódź

    In August 2026, the University of Łódź awards her an honorary doctorate for her contributions to linguistics and philosophy of language.

  8. As of October 2026

    Professor at Cambridge and Newnham

    She is Professor of Linguistics and Philosophy of Language at Cambridge and a Professorial Fellow and Director of Studies in Linguistics at Newnham College.

Career

  1. Since 1995University of CambridgeUniversity Assistant Lecturer, College Fellow and Tutor
  2. 1993–1995University of BrightonResearch Fellow
  3. 1992–1993University of SussexResearch Fellow and Tutor in Linguistics
  4. 1991–1994University of OxfordTutor in Linguistics

Education

  1. 1992University of OxfordD.Phil.
  2. 1988University of ŁódźMaster’s degrees

From the biography.

  1. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes University of Cambridge. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  2. The median h-index is 48 at universities and 14 at frontier AI labsIncludes University of Cambridge. The median h-index is 48 at universities and 14 at frontier AI labs. We compare publishing careers, recent citations, dual appointments and job moves across 2,420 university researchers and 308 frontier-lab researchers.
  3. Companies supply the most prior-work hires at 7 of the 9 frontier AI labsIncludes University of Cambridge. Our estimates of the organizations where 550 people worked directly before joining 9 frontier AI labs across 620 career transitions, comparing the main feeder organizations per lab.
  4. 84% of people shaping AI with recorded undergraduate and doctoral schools changed institutions for their doctorateIncludes University of Cambridge. 84% of people shaping AI with recorded undergraduate and doctoral schools changed institutions for their doctorate. Across 2,116 people with both an undergraduate degree and a doctorate recorded, we trace which undergraduate schools feed which doctoral programs, how often students stay at the same school, and how paths differ by birth-country region.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. Kasia Jaszczolt | Newnham College newn.cam.ac.uk. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. Academy of Europe: Jaszczolt Katarzyna Malgorzata ae-info.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Kasia Jaszczolt | Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics mmll.cam.ac.uk. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. Professor Kasia M. Jaszczolt | Cambridge Language Sciences languagesciences.cam.ac.uk. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. Nina Haket ninahaket.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. Navigating Meaning Spaces; A Contextualist Perspective on Conceptual Engineering | Nina Haket ninahaket.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  7. Professor Kasia Jaszczolt awarded honorary doctorate by the University of Łódź | Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics mmll.cam.ac.uk. Checked 20 October 2026.
  8. Teaching by subject | Newnham College newn.cam.ac.uk. Checked 20 October 2026.