Vania Castro

Vania Castro is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She specializes in leveraging technology to address educational challenges, particularly in underserved regions of Brazil.

Education and Academic Journey:

• Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil (May 2021)
• Visiting Scholar at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2019-2020) under CAPES/PrInt program
• Fulbright Scholar at Florida State University (2015-2016)

Research Focus:
Vania's research explores the integration of mobile learning and artificial intelligence in education, with a particular emphasis on multiliteracies and teacher training. Her work includes developing frameworks for implementing curriculum standards in Brazil and supporting educators through technology in resource-constrained environments.

Prior Academic Roles:
She held the Werner Baer Post-Doctoral Position at the Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies (2022-2023) and has been actively involved in cross-institutional collaborations between Brazil and the United States.