The Department of Romance Languages is welcoming five faculty members to the University of Georgia in Fall 2026. Together, their diverse research expertise and innovative courses offer exciting new opportunities for students of languages and world cultures. Each brings new perspectives to our Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian programs. 

María José Gutiérrez Jiménez joins us as Assistant Professor of Spanish and Latinx Studies. Her research brings together Latin American and Latinx studies, migration studies, and affect theory, with a focus on undocumented migration from the Andes to the United States.

Assistant Professor of Portuguese Cris Lira specializes in contemporary Brazilian and Latin American literature, examining women’s writing, memory studies and representations of violence, gender, exile, and post-dictatorship culture. 

Juan Berríos joins our Spanish program as Assistant Professor of Hispanic Linguistics, specializing in language acquisition, linguistic variation in Spanish, and bilingualism, including written code-switching among Spanish-English bilinguals.

Assistant Professor of Italian Giampaolo Molisina focuses on contemporary Italian cinema and literature, with research spanning poetry in cinematic expression, urban and visual culture, and the connections between Italy and Latin America. 

Clinical Assistant Professor Patricia Catoira connects Spanish language learning to real-world experiences and professional contexts, helping students develop practical language skills they can apply in their future careers in health professions and business.