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I am an assistant professor of linguistics at the University of Oklahoma in the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. I am interested in syntax and its connections to the semantics and morphology interfaces. The empirical basis for my work comes from my original fieldwork with under-studied languages, primarily Ch'ol (Mayan, Mexico). I have a PhD in linguistics from Cornell University with graduate minors in American Indian and Indigenous Studies and Cognitive Science.
Beginning January 2025, I will be a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley for the spring 2025 semester.
Working with poet and author Charlotte Friedman, we have translated two collections of Juana Peñate's from Ch'ol to English and have published poems from them in literary journals such as World Literature Today, The Arkansas International and Exchanges. For a list and links to our Ch'ol poetry translations click here.
I am a professionally qualified Ch'ol intepreter (sometimes spelled Chol) and have worked in US state superior courts and federal courts. In the summer of 2024, I interpreted a five weeklong criminal jury trial into Ch'ol.
For inquiries about Ch'ol interpreting and translation email me
here.