Cieri, Christopher

Chris Cieri was a proud native Philadelphian with a lifelong affinity for his Italian heritage. His PhD examined phonological variation in L'Aquila, Italy. As LDC Executive Director from 1998-2023, he pursued his dual research interests in linguistics (variation, phonetics, phonology, morphology, dialectology) and language-related technologies (databases, annotation, computer-assisted analysis). As it evolved from a data repository and research hub to a prominent global data center, Chris developed the LDC's reputation for tackling complex research and developing high-quality resources. His goal was to provide tools for the development and dissemination of cross-linguistic data to be shared by sociolinguists around the world.