William Merrix , Summer 2026 Travel Placement

William Merrix is a rising senior at Florida State University pursuing dual degrees in Computer Science and General Linguistics, with minors in Mathematics and Political Philosophy. His academic interests center on the intersection of technology, language, and human rights, particularly how language shapes political identity and the expression of rights in multilingual societies. He has previously conducted fieldwork in Paris examining the political language use of Ivorian immigrants and will continue this research in Abidjan through a collaboration with Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny. William aspires to pursue a joint J.D./Ph.D. and build a career as a professor researching and teaching at the intersection of sociolinguistics, technology, and human rights.