About me

I am a fifth-year graduate student in the Department of Linguistics at Harvard University, specializing in experimental syntax and semantics. My research focuses on the intersection of the two, particularly the semantics of bare nouns in Russian and its relationship with DP-level syntax. I conduct my experimental work in the Meaning & Modality Laboratory, with a special interest in the methodologies that underpin human-centered experimental research.

Coming from a fieldwork background, I have previously worked with Uralic and Turkic languages spoken in Russia, including Moksha, Erzya Mordvin, Hill Mari, Northern Khanty, and Chuvash. My fieldwork has covered topics such as differential subject marking, the syntax and semantics of non-finite embedded clauses, and agreement systems. I am also an Associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University.

Before going to Harvard, I received a BA from the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at Moscow State University and an MA in Linguistic Theory and Language Description from Higher School of Economics (Moscow).

My name is pronounced as [‘darʲjə ‘bʲikʲɪnə]. However, most Russians have full names used in “official” situations and nicknames used elsewhere, so I also go by Dasha. My pronouns are she/her.

You can reach me at dbikina at g dot harvard dot edu. Some of my work can also be found on my Github.