Richard Wright is the interim Divisional Dean of Humanities for the UW College of Arts & Sciences, as of July 1, 2026. Prior to taking that role, he served as Chair of the Department of Linguistics. His research is focused on understanding sources of systematic variation in the production and perception of language, and how these relate to universal patterns in language and to language structure, prosody, and discourse. He is interested in describing the phonetics of endangered and under-described languages. He emphasizes readings and resources from underrepresented populations, genders, and languages to help teach students about the diversity of human language.

Wright is a member of the Simpson Center Executive Board beginning in Autumn 2026.