In the context of the DFG research unit SILPAC, Lena Kaltenbach focuses on the development of psychohistorical methods and transferring psycholinguistic methods to investigate priming to historical contexts with a focus on argument structure. She also works on compiling a parallel corpus of Middle English translations from Old French with the aim of investigating contact-induced variation in written historical data. An additional focus is on Middle English motion verbs under contact-influence from French.

Lena Kaltenbach has completed her Bachelor of Arts in “Anglistics” (2013–2017) and her Master of Arts in “Language and Communication” (2017–2020) at the University of Mannheim.  From April 2015 until January 2020, she worked as a student research assistant at the Anglistik IV chair  in the context of the DFG BASICS project.

Since February 2020, she has worked as a doctoral student and research assistant for the chair Anglistik IV, teaching courses and supporting the grant proposal for the DFG SILPAC project.

She is co-editor of MAPMAC.

Her teaching focus is on blended learning, flipped classroom, and e-learning formats.

She was in charge of the seminar “Introduction to Diachronic Linguistics” for students of the Bachelor of Education during the spring semester of 2020 and 2021. In the fall semester of 2020, she carried out the seminar “Linguistics: Variation & Change” for students of the Bachelor CELLS and the seminar “Research Skills” for students of the Master of “Language and Communication”.

In the spring semester 2020, she redesigned the “Introduction to Diachronic Lingusitics” as a flipped classroom together with her colleague W. Juliane Elter and, in fall semester of 2021, she redesigned “Linguistics: Variation & Change” as a flipped classroom format as well.

Since April 2021, she has participated in didactical training provided by the Center for Higher Education Didactics (HDZ) Baden-Württemberg to obtain the Higher Education Didactic Certificate, including the „Fit-for-Teaching“ workshop series.

An important teaching product used at our chair is the Anglistik IV Toolbox.