William Luis

William Luis is the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Spanish at Vanderbilt University, where he has held a faculty appointment since 1991.

Early life and education

He was born and raised in New York City to parents of Afro-Cuban and Chinese heritage. He received a bachelor of arts degree from Binghamton University in 1971, followed by a master of arts degree in Ibero-American Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master of arts degree from Cornell University. He graduated from Cornell with Ph.D. in 1980.

Career

At Vanderbilt University, Luis served as the director of Latino and Latina Studies and is the editor of the Afro-Hispanic Review. He has also taught at Dartmouth College, Washington University in St. Louis, Binghamton University, and Yale University. He was a Guggenheim Fellow.