Dr. Nelly Ossia holds a Ph.D. in French studies, with a doctoral focus on Francophone-Maghrebi literature from Rice University. She obtained her maîtrise in Anglophone studies from the Sorbonne University in Paris, where she grew up. In 2020, she received her Master of Arts in Teaching with a special emphasis in World Language Education from Boston University.

Prior joining Rice University as a Lecturer, Professor Ossia taught intermediate and advanced French courses at the University of Houston. She also worked as a secondary school teacher in Massachusetts, where she taught the AP French Language and Culture course.

As a World Language Educator, Professor Ossia is particularly interested in connecting the teaching of second languages and social justice pedagogy. In 2021, she was the recipient of the Boston University Wheelock’s Trailblazer Award in recognition of her teaching practice and commitment to decolonize and diversify her curriculum.