Victoria Mateu

Victoria Mateu is an Associate Professor of Hispanic Linguistics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Department of Spanish and Portuguese, where she joined in 2019 after completing her Ph.D. in Linguistics at UCLA and serving as Lecturer in Linguistics and Lab Manager of the UCLA Language Lab.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Linguistics, University of California Los Angeles (2016)
• M.A. in Linguistics, University of California Los Angeles (2013)
• B.A. in English Philology, Universidad de Granada, Spain (2011)

Dr. Mateu's research employs experimental methodologies to investigate language representation across populations, with core focus on Spanish acquisition in children and adults. Her work examines morphosyntactic constraints, crosslinguistic differences between Spanish/English, language processing mechanisms, and word segmentation in monolingual/bilingual infants. She explores how developmental paths reveal underlying grammatical structures through both naturalistic and experimental paradigms.

Recent publications demonstrate strong trends in intervention effects across syntactic domains (passives, sluicing, wh-questions) with expanding cross-linguistic scope (Mandarin, Italian) and methodological innovation through large-scale collaborations. Her work bridges theoretical syntax with developmental psycholinguistics, emphasizing experimental rigor in child language research.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• UCLA Social Impact Collaborative Seed Grant ($50,000) for ‘A community-centered approach to supporting dual language learning’

Dr. Mateu actively mentors graduate students as evidenced by co-authored publications with emerging scholars. Her current grant-funded project with Megha Sundara and Laurel Perkins develops community-centered approaches to dual language support, reflecting commitment to applied linguistic research. She serves as course instructor for advanced syntax and language acquisition seminars.

As former Lab Manager of the UCLA Language Lab and current contributor to the international ManyBabies Consortium, she participates in large-scale initiatives addressing methodological challenges in infant research through multi-lab collaborations.