Bio

Academic Positions:

2023- University of the Virgin Islands

Associate Professor of English

2016-23 Middle East Technical University, Northern Cyprus Campus

Associate Professor, Department of Teaching English as a Foreign Language

2009-15 Middle East Technical University, Northern Cyprus Campus

Assistant Professor, Department of Teaching English as a Foreign Language

2009-7 Northwestern University

Mellon Fellow, Department of Linguistics

Visiting Positions:

2017 University of Cambridge

Lecturer and Visiting Scholar, Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics

2013 Plovdiv University Paisii Hilendarski

Fulbright Senior Scholar, Department of English Studies

2009 Invited instructor, Eastern European Summer School in Generative Grammar (EGG)

2004 Invited instructor, South American Summer School in Formal Linguistics (EVELIN)

Education:

2007 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Ph.D. in Linguistics

Certificates in Phonetics and Psycholinguistics

Advisor: Professor Donca Steriade

2000 Harvard University

B.A., M.A. Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations & Linguistics

Thesis title: Pharyngealization in Dialects of Arabic

Advisor: Bert Vaux

Summa cum laude

1996 Uvalde High School

Valedictorian

Fellowships, honors and awards:

2008 National Science Foundation travel grant

2004 Outstanding Young Investigator, International Conference on Biomagnetism

2002-5 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

2001-2 Andrew W. Mellon Graduate Fellowship

2000-1 Fulbright Graduate Research Fellow (Yemen)

American Institute for Yemeni Studies Fellow

Flora M. Burt Travel and Research Fellowship (Yemen)

1998 Phi Beta Kappa, Harvard University

Non-academic:

2000 Acting Political Officer, US Embassy, Yemen (US State Department internship program)

1998 Publications Intern, Middle East Institute / Middle East Journal, Washington DC

1998-9 Research Assistant, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University

1998-9 Cataloguing Assistant, Arabic Language, Widener Memorial Library, Harvard University

1997-9 Tour Guide, Harvard University Art Museums

1996-9 Trumpet, Harvard & Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Players and various campus pit orchestras

1996-7 Undergraduate Admissions Council, Harvard University

1996-7 Research Assistant, Projects in Language Development, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University

1994-6 Medical Records Clerk, Uvalde Family Practice