Johanna Mechler studied English and Biology at Leipzig University, Germany, from which she obtained her First State Examinations (teaching degree for secondary schools) and MA in Anglophone Studies in 2018. In her graduation thesis she focused on language variation and change, mainly investigating the (in)stability of (ing) across the lifespan of six individuals from the Tyneside area. She then proceeded with her “Referendariat” (18 months teaching practice), receiving her Second State Examinations in 2019.

In 2020, Johanna joined the Sociolinguistics Lab at the University of Duisburg-Essen, where she is currently pursuing her PhD on age effects on language perception under the supervision of Prof. Isabelle Buchstaller (University Duisburg-Essen). In 2022, she spent six months at the Ohio State University as a Fulbright visiting researcher (advisor: Prof. Kathryn Campbell-Kibler).