Research interests: Social, cultural, and linguistic aspects of language learning across bilingual and multilingual settings; academic discourse socialization; qualitative research methods in applied linguistics; issues in the teaching, learning, and use of English, Mandarin, and other international languages in transnational contexts, as well as heritage/indigenous languages in Canada and other countries; the integration of second-language learners in schools, universities, and society;  multilingualism and work.

Dr. Patricia Duff is Professor, Distinguished University Scholar, and Deputy Head in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia. Prof.
Prof. Duff's  books include:
1. Teaching and Learning English Grammar: Research Findings and Future Directions (co-edited with M. Christison, D. Christian, & N. Spada, Routledge, 2015);
2. Learning Chinese: Linguistic, Sociocultural, and Narrative Perspectives (with co-investigators/authors Anderson, Ilnyckyj, Lester, Wang, & Yates; De Gruyter, 2013);
3. Language Socialization (in the 10-volume series, Encyclopedia of Language and Education, co-edited with N. Hornberger, Springer, 2008, and co-edited in the 3rd edition with S. May in 2017);
4. Case Study Research in Applied Linguistics (Lawrence Erlbaum/Taylor & Francis, 2008; and Chinese version in 2010 published by Beijing’s FLTRP);
5. Inference and Generalizability in Applied Linguistics (co-edited with M. Chalhoub-Deville & C. Chapelle; John Benjamins, 2006).
She has also co-edited two special issues of the Canadian Modern Language Review and produced a volume entitled Issues in Chinese Language Education and Teacher Development (with P. Lester, 2008, UBC). Her articles and chapters have also appeared in many top journals and books in applied linguistics and second language education. In 2017, she was awarded the American Association for Applied Linguistics Distinguished Scholarship and Service Award. Her research has been supported by many major grants/fellowships from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Spencer Foundation/USA National Academy of Education, and the UBC Hampton Fund.