I am a CAPES postdoctoral fellow at the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPEL-Brazil), where I study how bilinguals process meaning in a second or foreign language and how their first language shapes conceptualization during language use. My current research focuses on how Portuguese-English bilinguals interpret motion events in English during reading, using experimental methods to uncover how conceptual representations are reorganized through bilingual experience.

My primary research interests center on bilingual cognition, with a particular focus on how language influences thought and how conceptual structures adapt during second language acquisition. I also engage in related work on naturalistic reading and the cognitive effects of AI-mediated language input, as these domains offer new perspectives on how linguistic experience shapes comprehension and processing.

In addition to my research, I teach courses in psycholinguistics, bilingualism, and quantitative methods, and I am also a trained ESL instructor. This combined experience allows me to bridge experimental research with language pedagogy and to explore how theoretical insights can inform real-world language learning and teaching practices.

Ultimately, my work seeks to shed light on how bilinguals adapt cognitively when navigating more than one linguistic system — and what this reveals about the relationship between language, thought, and learning.