Awni Etaywe

Dr Awni Etaywe is a Senior Lecturer in linguistics and a researcher in digital activist discourse and forensic linguistics, with particular expertise in terrorism, incitement, and threatening communication. He teaches 'Language in Society' and 'Forensic Linguistics' at CDU. He is deeply committed to UN SDG 16, Promote Peaceful and Inclusive Societies for Sustainable Development, through his counterterrorism investigations and exploration of the semiotics of peace and compassion in digital discourse. He leverages discourse and corpus analytic techniques, as well as AI and NLP tools, with skills honed through intensive training at University College London and the University of Birmingham. He is currently leading an interdisciplinary team pioneering the national CVE research project "From Discourse to Violence: Disinformation, Polarised Grievances, and AI and Forensic Linguistics for CVE" which is funded by the Department of Home Affairs, Australia.

Dr Etaywe’s unwavering commitment to countering violence and advancing peace and systemic compassion positions him as a leading voice in transforming how we understand and enact empathy and compassion in today’s interconnected world. He is the Research Communication Coordinator and a co-founder of the Australian Semiotics of Peace, Compassion and Empathy (SPCE) Special Interest Group—part of the Australian Systemic Functional Linguistics Association (ASFLA Inc.)—where he co-leads groundbreaking initiatives to explore how language fosters solidarity, social cohesion, and positive change. Through co-editing a seminal journal issue on Moving Towards Peace, Compassion and Empathy through Semiotic Enquiry and convening engaging webinars, Dr Etaywe has co-built a vibrant global community dedicated to advancing these critical conversations. He is the Northern Territory representative for ASFLA Inc. and an active peer reviewer and editorial board member of leading journals in linguistics and Australian conferences.

Dr Etaywe also specialises in 'Language as Evidence' within the field of forensic linguistics, with a focus on terrorist threatening communications, incitement to hatred and violence (including radical acts and genocide), and digital deviance at Charles Darwin University. He is a research-theme leader at the CDU NT Academic Centre for Cyber Security and Innovation (ACCI CDU), where his disruptive analytical methods significantly advance our comprehension of the language of violent extremism, language-related cyberterrorism, and social cybersecurity. Committed to nurturing young scholars, he supervises students' interdisciplinary projects researching the language of cyberterrorism, exemplifying his dedication to academic excellence and community-building. His expertise maximises intelligence yield, furnishing actionable insights.

With a Doctor of Philosophy from UNSW Sydney—where he received the prestigious RTP Commonwealth Scholarship, the Outstanding Research Student Award, a Research Output Award, and the ADA Faculty Student Experience Prize—and having taught digital media, mobile cultures, and communication strategies, Dr Etaywe brings a unique blend of knowledge to his research. His forensic linguistics interests span threatening communications, hate speech, cyber incitement to hatred, discrimination and violence, authorship identification, profiling, language crimes, disinformation campaigns, and open-source intelligence. Recognised as a leading expert in cyber-terrorist communication, Dr Etaywe’s pioneering research on the role of linguistics and communication in jihadist and far-right online threats is underscored by his research excellence, numerous research output awards, and global recognition. His work has been featured in various media outlets across Australia (e.g., ABC, Australian Quarterly, The National Tribune, Mirage News), New Zealand (e.g., RNZ, Line of Defence Magazine), and the United States. He is a published author whose research garners international acclaim through publications in top journals such as Discourse & Society and Language in Society (Cambridge), plenary talks at top 20 universities, and co-editing a special issue on the semiotics of peace, compassion, and empathy.