Crystal Kusey, Ph.D.

Crystal Kusey specializes in ESL academic communication, with a primary focus on helping international teaching assistants (ITAs) and other multilingual students communicate effectively in English-medium academic settings across cultural and disciplinary contexts. At The University of Texas at Austin, she primarily works with ITAs and international graduate students while also teaching academic ESL courses and special programs for multilingual learners and contributing to teacher-training programs for in-service English teachers from around the world. Crystal earned her Ph.D. in Foreign Language Education from UT in 2016, after completing an M.A. in Foreign Language Education and a B.A. in English literature and Spanish. Her teaching and scholarly interests include second language interaction, intercultural communication, second language motivation and English pronunciation, and her published work has examined pronunciation learning, learner attitudes and motivation. Her international experiences studying in Seville, Spain, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, and teaching English in South Korea continue to shape her approach to multilingual academic communication. Across her work, she is committed to helping multilingual students develop the confidence, clarity and rhetorical flexibility they need to participate more fully in academic communities. Outside the classroom, Crystal enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, gardening, Pilates and spending time with friends and family.