I believe education is one of the pillars of society and has the power to transform, advance and enlighten individuals. My research interests are in the field of Applied Linguistics and Spanish and its intersections with education, specifically with language education, intercultural studies and Computer Assisted Language Learning. My international profile is based on my expertise in Digital Global Citizenship and Intercultural Communication, especially in the critical role that they play in language education and their impact on learners, digital citizens and diverse communities in society. I have explored different teaching and learning methodologies such as virtual exchanges and how they enhance the development of intercultural, digital and language competencies. Equally, I investigate the impact that the use of technology and computer mediated communication have on language learning, and the development of intercultural competences of the future global citizens. More recently, following the disruption that Generative Artificial Intelligence had in education, I started to investigate pedAIgogies and how to integrate AI in language learning and develop learner AI literacy.

Cross-section areas of interest : 

Communication across Cultures

Language and Technology

Spanish Linguistics 

Teaching Interests in Spanish Language:

I coordinate first year Spanish Beginners and I also teach Spanish Oral Language Skills across all years based on my expertise in Spanish Pronunciation.

Postgraduate teaching:

Language and culture in the classroom 1 (Professional Masters on Education) and LP6025 Language Pedagogy (Professional Masters on Education)

LI6092 Digital Cultures, Citizenship and communication (MA Applied Linguistics International) and LI6002 ICT and Language Studies (MA TESOL and MA Applied Linguistics International)

Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics and Spanish at University of Limerick. Course Director MA Applied Linguistics International.

Before my position at University of Limerick I worked in other universities in Ireland (University of Maynooth, University of Galway and St Patrick's College-Dublin City University) and previous to my academic career in Higher Education, I held a permanent position as teaching staff at Instituto Cervantes (Leeds, Brasil, Dublin). 

In 2007 I was awarded with first prize in the II Premio Cristobal de Villalón for Pedagogic Innovation at Universidad de Valladolid, Spain. Since then, I have engaged in several European projects. Between 2017-2021 I was a national representative for the Cost Action EnetCollect (European Network for Combining Language Learning with Crowdsourcing Techniques) https://enetcollect.eurac.edu/; and from 2021-2023 I was a full member of the consortium FRAMES an European Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness 2020-1-IT02-KA226-HE-095196. I was also a member of the consortium Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership 2020-1-DE01-KA203-005712 DiCE.Lang (Digital Citizenship Education and Foreign Language Learning) from 2020-2023. Currently, I am a member of the project AI Write and I am co-leading with Dr Maria Reider and Dr Anita Barmettler the Limerick community based project Tell your own story www.tyos.ie.