Successful Onboarding of New Board Members
We are delighted to introduce the newly elected board of directors for the International Council of Onomastic Sciences (ICOS), a distinguished group of scholars and experts leading the field of onomastics worldwide. This leadership team, comprising both seasoned professionals and emerging voices, is committed to advancing research in name studies and promoting global collaboration across diverse linguistic traditions.
President: Staffan Nyström
Staffan Nyström, a Professor at the Department of Scandinavian Languages, Uppsala University, Sweden, takes on the role of President. With a broad interest in names in all their forms, Professor Nyström’s research primarily focuses on Swedish place names. His work encompasses cultural-historical studies that explore and document local name inventories, such as natural and land-use names.
Vice-President: Peter Jordan
Dr. Peter Jordan, associated with the Austrian Academy of Sciences since 2007, brings his expertise in cultural and political geography, especially of Eastern Europe, and toponomastics. His extensive publication record includes over 430 scientific works, and he continues to teach at the University of Klagenfurt.
Vice-President: Yolanda Guillermina Lopez Franco
Dr. Lopez Franco, a full-time professor at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, specializes in socio-anthroponymy, lexicology, and sociolinguistics. Her dedication to the didactics of creative and academic writing underpins her contributions to onomastic studies in the Spanish-speaking world.
Treasurer: Johanna Othén
Johanna Othén serves as an expert in place name research at Lantmäteriet, Sweden’s mapping, cadastral, and land registration authority. Her focus on Swedish toponymy ensures the financial management of ICOS is in capable hands.
Vice-Treasurer: Daniel Solling
Daniel Solling, a research archivist at the Institute for Dialectology, Onomastics, and Folklore Research in Uppsala, supports the team with his expertise in archival research and his commitment to the study of names in Swedish culture.
Secretary: Tiina Laansalu
Tiina Laansalu, Head of the Department of Language History, Dialects, and Finno-Ugric Languages at the Institute of the Estonian Language, takes on the role of Secretary. Her leadership in Estonian language research brings valuable perspectives on Finno-Ugric linguistics and name studies.
Webmaster and Information Officer: Žaneta Dvořáková
Dr. Dvořáková, who completed her PhD in literary onomastics, brings a wealth of experience to her role as Webmaster and Information Officer. Her research into minor place names and Czech surname etymology is complemented by her work as executive editor of Acta onomastica and her popular radio broadcasts on Czech surnames.
Postgraduate Representative: Milla Juhonen
Milla Juhonen, a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Helsinki, represents the next generation of onomastic scholars. Her work, supported by grants, spans Finnish, Finno-Ugrian, and Scandinavian studies, ensuring the voices of young researchers are heard within ICOS.
Non-Executive Members:
The non-executive members further enrich the board with global expertise:
Fatemeh Akbari (Vienna, Austria) specializes in Persian terminology and language projects.
Erzsébet Győrffy (University of Debrecen, Hungary) brings insights from Hungarian linguistics.
Chrismi-Rinda Loth (University of the Free State, South Africa) contributes research in linguistic landscapes and toponymy in Africa.
Márcia Sipavicius Seide (Unioeste, Brazil) offers a deep understanding of Portuguese linguistics and onomastics.
Together, this distinguished board is poised to guide ICOS toward continued excellence in onomastic research and knowledge-sharing across linguistic and cultural borders. We look forward to the innovative projects and scholarly collaborations that will emerge under their leadership.
