Luziris Pineda Turi is a first-generation Latine academic with a Ph.D. in U.S. Latine Literature from the University of Houston with certificates in Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and the Cornell School of Criticism & Theory. Their teaching experiences have included courses on Spanish and Gender Studies at the University of Houston, UH-Downtown, and Lonestar College while working as an archivist at the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project.

Their research interests include Pedagogy for Spanish for Medical Professions, DEI in the Language Classroom, and Leadership & Higher Ed. Administration. At Rice, they are recipients of the CLIC Summer Technology Grant, two Brown Teaching Grants, and the Excellence in Academic Advising Award. In addition, they are pursuing a Master’s in Higher Ed. Administration and are a part of the Subgroup of Undergraduate Medical Spanish for the Medical Spanish Taskforce.

Most recently, they were named Associate Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. They aim to continue advocating for systemically excluded students and colleagues by promoting equity and inclusivity in academia.