I am a university professor of bilingualism at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. I teach and conduct research on topics such as: who is bilingual, when is the best time to learn a new language, and what makes us successful at sharing ideas in any language. Over the course of my academic career, I have published dozens of academic papers and regularly present at both academic and professional conferences. I have given interviews to various media news outlets (e.g., CBC/Radio Canada and Global News BC) and podcasts (e.g., SLP Corner and Small Talk).

I was born and raised in Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria. As a native speaker of an obscure language (Bulgarian), I realized fairly early on that I needed to learn at least one additional language. Ever since, I have been collecting languages like prized possessions. Except, with time, the value of the possessions may increase or decrease, while adding new languages only enriches their possessors — guaranteed! I am now dedicated to turning dry and terminology-loaded scientific prose into engaging and educational information that is accessible to anyone.

During a time of fear and isolation, I successfully managed to convert the angst of my pandemic-tainted realty into the creation of fiction.  I wrote my first novel!

I have a degree in Developmental Psychology from York University in Toronto. I received my doctorate in Second Language Acquisition at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

And my uncle was a poet. . .