Previously assistant at the Department of French and Romance Languages and Literatures (2000-2007) then post-doctoral researcher for the F.R.S.-FNRS (2007-2011), Laurence Meurant has been Research Fellow for the F.R.S.-FNRS at the University of Namur since 2011. Her research concerns the linguistic description of the French Belgian Sign Language (LSFB) and contrastive linguistics between LSFB and French. Since 2004, she has been the scientific expert of the bilingual (French - LSFB) and inclusive teaching setting implemented at the school Sainte-Marie in Namur (http://www.ecoleetsurdite.be/).

In charge of the Scientific Impulse Mandate "Corpus LSFB" (MIS F.4505.12, 2012-2015), she is developing the first discourse studies based on a corpus representative of the current use of the LSFB.

She heads the French Belgian Sign Language Laboratory – LSFB-Lab, where she is currently leading the work of a team of 11 people involved in the linguistic description of the LSFB, in the comparative study of the LSFB and French, and in computer developments for the creation of a parallel signed vs. written language corpus and the automatic recognition of LSFB.

General linguistics

Sign language linguistics (French Belgian Sign Language – LSFB)

Contrastive linguistics (French – LSFB)

2004: Van Goethem-Brichant Foundation Prize. The Van Goethem-Brichant Foundation aims to contribute to the development of young university graduates with a view to improving the lot of people with disabilities.

2006: Beloeil Clinic Prize. The Beloeil Clinic Prize rewards a work or an action developed which allows better access to studies, communication or the integration of sign language in an educational process for deaf and hearing-impaired children.

2012 : Namur-citizen of the year (science category)

French belgian sign language (LSFB), Contrastive linguistics: French - French belgian sign language, Corpus linguistics, Reformulation, Repetition, Bilingual education for the deaf