Elia Lorena López
Lecturer in Spanish

Profile

Biography

Lorena is a Lecturer in Spanish in the Department of Language and Linguistic Science and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). She joined the Department in October 2012 as an Associate Lecturer after completing a PhD in Education at the University of York. She currently teaches across both the Modern Languages programme and the Institution-Wide Language Programme (IWLP).

Earlier in her career at the University of York, she worked in various areas across the University of York, including as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) in the Department of Education, as IT Services Tutor, and with the Languages for All (LFA) programme. In addition, she served as a College Welfare Tutor for over three years for both Halifax and Langwith Colleges (2008-2011). This experience in student support has been instrumental in shaping her approach to providing effective pastoral care to students.

Prior to coming to the UK, Lorena worked as a programme developer and trainer on gender equality for a government agency in Mexico focused on gender equality and human rights. Her earlier experience also includes teaching Management and Information Technology modules in higher education.

Former roles

• Coordinator of the Languages for All (LFA) Spanish Programme (2012-2017)
• Coordinator of the Spanish Degree Programme (2017-2019)
• Coordinator of the ‘Modern Languages and Intercultural Peer Assisted Learning (PAL)’ scheme (2017-2020)

Education

• University of York
  PhD in Education (2011)
• University of Nottingham
  MA in Information Technology (2002)
• Universidad Mesoamericana
  Bachelor of Business Management (1999)

Certifications

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) (2024)
• 2015: Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP)
• 2015: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Departmental roles

• Teaching and Learning of the Spanish degree programme (2012 – present)
• Year Abroad Coordinator for Spanish and Italian placements (2019 – present)
• Member of the Department’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee (2025 – present)
• Member of the Standing Academic Misconduct Panel (StAMP) (2025 – present)
• Local Safeguarding Officer (LSO) (2023 – present)

University roles

• Elected Faculty of Arts and Humanities Senate member (2024 – 2026)
• Member of the Editorial Board for the York Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Journal (2025 – present)
• Fellow of the Vanbrugh College Council (2022 – present)