Dr. Ellen Nagasawa is an academic specializing in applied linguistics, with over a decade of experience teaching and researching Portuguese as an Additional Language. She earned her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). Dr. Nagasawa joined Johns Hopkins University as a faculty member in Fall 2024 and is an Assistant Professor at Unisinos (Brazil) since 2019, where she trains future Portuguese and English language teachers.

Her portfolio includes publications in journals, books, and international conferences, focusing on corpus-informed language testing, textual complexity, and language assessment. Dr. Nagasawa’s experience also includes her work with the Brazilian government’s Portuguese proficiency exam, Celpe-Bras, where she provided support for the development of the educational program for oral evaluators operating worldwide. Her academic expertise is complemented by her role in developing proficiency tests, curricula, and content for Learning Experience Platforms, utilizing various technological tools and multimedia materials to deliver engaging e-learning classes.