A founding member of the UK Cognitive Linguistics Association, Prof Rundblad was a cognitive linguist who specialised in semantics and pragmatics, especially figurative language. Her main areas of research were the development of language and cognition in mono-/bilingual neurotypical and neurodiverse populations, and language and cognition in health, risk and disaster communication, including vulnerable populations such as ethnic minorities and neurodiverse individuals.
As noted by a fellow cognitive linguist, “she brought together the relationship between language and the mind on the one hand and the relationship between language and society on the other.” Another colleague remembers her passion for instilling this perspective in her work with her students. Her care for the student experience on a module in which students designed and conducted experiments in cognitive linguistics was “so evident in the way she guided groups in their setup of materials, analysis of the data and interpretation of findings.”
Her approach to research was courageous, often incorporating methods and frameworks that were untested and innovative in their application. This work involved building bridges across disciplines, with an outlook colleagues describe as “inspiring”. Interdisciplinary collaborators note how her capacity to listen, understand and migrate her expertise has meant “we are better at what we do because she was so good at what she did.”
Her work with the UK and US water industry continues to be cited and drawn upon by experts in making the complex subject of water quality risks accessible and relatable to diverse audiences and was documented as one of King’s Impact Case Studies for REF2021.
During the COVID pandemic, her projects producing linguistically and culturally tailored advice for minority groups with an oral language tradition received the inaugural Impact Prize Award from the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy. One of the GPs and community mediators collaborating on these projects notes that through her work, “she has impacted the lives of so many people, probably more than she could ever know of.”
Gabriella was well known in the School of Education, Communication & Society for her mentorship and support of her research students and early career researchers. A colleague recollects Gabriella saying that what excited her about being part of the School was “being able to support people become what they wish to be.” A number of current faculty members can attest to this. One recalls, “no-one was as passionate as Gabriella about showcasing new talent and creating opportunities for researchers at the start of their careers.”
Most recently, Gabriella invited colleagues to join an online working group to create a space to discuss ongoing and future research, mentor PhD students and early career researchers, and to plan ways of developing teaching programmes aligned with our research interests. This small group has become Cognition and Learning Communities, which all members hope to carry on even now that Gabriella is not with us.
The first in her family to achieve A-levels, Gabriella decided to study English, German and Linguistics at Stockholm University. While working as an upper-secondary school teacher, she completed her PGCE and PhD, for which she was awarded a Young Researcher award from the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation (1998).
Gabriella was promoted to Reader in 2016 and Professor in 2020. Always dedicated to contributing to the School, she served as Deputy Education Lead (2010-2016), Member of School Executive Committee (2016-2021), School Education Lead (2016-2017) and School Research Lead (2018-2021). As REF Unit of Assessment Lead (2018-2022), Gabriella also led the complex task of overseeing King’s Education submission to REF 2021 with her characteristic fairness and concern for inclusivity.
Her achievements also come alongside living for many years with multiple complex disabilities. This background speaks to her strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. Colleagues note “her sound and caring values and principles,” her “kindness” and her constant desire to listen to less senior colleagues in her senior roles in the school.