I earned my PhD in Spanish (Hispanic Linguistics) at The Ohio State University (USA) in 2009. In Spain, I obtained a licenciatura (B.A.) in Hispanic Philology (Spanish language and literature) and a Diploma de Estudios Avanzados (equivalent to M.A.) with concentration in Spanish language at the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (Ciudad Real campus). I also attended the Instituto Universitario Ortega y Gasset in Madrid, where I studied formal syntax.

My research revolves around the historical evolution of the Spanish language, with a focus on grammar. I have also carried out research on pronunciation teaching and learning. Both these areas have been key in my research-led teaching.

I have published articles in leading journals, including in special issues, two monographs, including a co-authored one in the Oxford Studies in Diachronic & Historical Linguistics series by Oxford University Press, and chapters in volumes edited by world-renowned experts in the field. I have been invited speaker at different universities, most recently at the Seminario de Lingüística Histórica at the UNAM, Mexico, in April 2024. 

I am interested in the grammatical features of other languages of the Iberian peninsula, including some traditionally minoritised languages such as Galician. In line with this, I am also working on the value of typically marginalised structures and how they add to our theoretical knowledge (please see Current research projects below). 

At ANU my teaching experience includes teaching all levels of Spanish, with a focus on fostering engagement, research-informed assessment development and attention to diversity. I have developed and taught thematic subjects on the history of the Spanish language and the pronunciation of Spanish. In addition, I have created and taught LANG3007 Romance Linguistics, a cross-linguistic subject bringing together students from Spanish, French, Italian, Latin and Linguistics. I have also taught subjects for the Linguistics program in line with my expertise. 

I was a recipient, along with my colleagues, of the Office for Learning and Teaching Award for Programs that Enhance Learning – The Spanish Program (2012). 

Editorial board/scientific committee memberships 

-Editorial board member of Isogloss. Open journal of Romance Linguistics 

-Scientific committee member of Cumieira das letras (Universidade de Vigo, Galicia, Spain).

-Member of the executive (membership secretary) of AILASA (Association of Iberian and Latin American Studies of Australasia). 

Current research projects

-Diachronic Divergences in West Iberian Languages. Co-edited volume with Fernando Tejedo Herrero (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and Patrícia Amaral (Indiana University). In progress. Under contract with De Gruyter. 

-Marginal Structures: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives. Co-edited volume with Zhengdao Ye (ANU). In progress. Under contract with Oxford University Press. 

-Special issue "Romance Historical Syntax. Special issue on Syntactic Analyzability in Diachrony", Languages (Q1, Scimago). Guest co-editor with Josep Alba Salas (College of the Holy Cross, MA, US). 

-Chapter on nominal elipsis in Galician (syntax). In progress. With M. Carmen Parafita Couto (Leiden University, The Netherlands). 

-Paper on the evolution of a marginal grammatical structure (en/de commo) in the history of Spanish. 

Supervision at ANU

PhD
-Turki Alharbi. Improving the Speech Intelligibility of Segmental and Suprasegmental Patterns in the Saudi EFL Context. Chair of panel. Completed 2021.

-Charbel El-Khaissi.  A Corpus Linguistic Study in Syriac Definiteness and Change in the Noun Phrase. Chair of panel. Completed 2025. 

-Yuejiao Zhu. Positive Form, Negative Intepretation. An Analysis of Implicit Negative Imperatives in Modern Chinese. Chair of panel. In progress. 2022-

MA
-Song Jing. A Syntactic Analysis of Xie in Southwestern Mandarin. Master of General and Applied Linguistics (Advanced). Completed. 2018.

-Charbel El-Khaissi. The Syntax of Genitive Constructions in Syriac. Master of General and Applied Linguistics (Advanced). Completed. 2018.

Honours
-Jessica Bottomley. Exploring Phonological Awareness and Awareness of Grapheme-phoneme Correspondences in Australian Tertiary Students of Spanish. Co-supervised with Dr William Steed. Completed 2016.

-Kelsey O’Leary. The Syntax of Clausal Nominalisation in Spanish and Portuguese. Completed 2019.

-Isabelle Arnaud. The Prepositional Gerund in the History of Romance Languages. A Comparative Study of French, Italian and Spanish. In progress. 2025. 

PhD (Ohio State University); Licenciatura en Filología Hispánica & DEA in Spanish (UCLM, Spain)

Spanish syntax, formal syntax, historical linguistics, historical syntax, Spanish historical syntax, language change and variation, dialect syntax, Romance linguistics, marginal grammatical structures