Currently Camões Lecturer in Portuguese Studies at King’s College London, I combine research in Lusophone visual cultures—particularly graphic novels—with postcolonial and transnational studies and extensive experience in language teaching. I teach Portuguese language, comics studies, and Lusophone literature at undergraduate level, adopting inclusive and creative approaches to learning. I have developed digital instructional materials across my modules—particularly for language learning—and continue to design scenario-based resources that enhance student engagement in diverse contexts. My work brings together scholarship, pedagogy, and digital innovation to examine how languages and cultures interact, overlap, and circulate globally.

Research interests and PhD supervision

• Comics Studies – The graphic novel in the Lusophone world
• e-Learning and Technology-Enhanced Language Learning
• Dyslexia, Brain Science, and Creative Approaches to Learning – Exploring the potential of divergent learning

Teaching

My teaching is distinguished by innovation in language pedagogy, recognised through my nomination for the King’s Education Award (2025). Since first implementing blended learning in 2015, I have developed digital toolkits, interactive resources, and AI-driven materials to support diverse learners, including the Decolonised Dictionary of the Portuguese Language and Dyslexic Lexic. My research combines Lusophone visual cultures—particularly graphic novels—with postcolonial and transnational studies, examining visual–literary intersections and colonial/postcolonial memory across the Lusophone world. I also collaborate internationally with institutions in Brazil, Mozambique, and East Timor, advancing both research and inclusive curriculum design.

Expertise and public engagement

June 2025 – University of Coimbra & Lisbon Book Fair: Delivered a presentation at the launch of 7 Mulheres, 7 Musas, a commemorative anthology marking the 500th anniversary of Luís de Camões, which I coordinated and co-edited. The volume features adaptations of Camões’ lyric poetry into comics by contemporary Portuguese artists.

Selected publications

Books

• Dias, A.L. (2020). A novela gráfica como género literário. Peter Lang.
• Dias, A.L. (2019). O Diário da Morte do Palhaço K. - Um Exemplo de Transposição Intersemiótica. Novas Edições Académicas. ISBN-10: 613976209X.

Peer-reviewed papers

• Dias, A. L. (2024). Illustrating history: April 25th in Portuguese comics. International Public History, 7(2), 79–88.
• Dias, A. L. (2023). [Contribution pp. 82–90]. In J. Scholz & J. Wrobel (Eds.), re/traçar história/s: quadrinhos e resistência negra | geschichte/n über/zeichnen: comics und schwarzer widerstand. Köln: Cadernos do Instituto Luso-Brasileiro. ISBN 978-3-948399-06-1
• Dias, A. (2023). Ensino de literaturas gráficas em português língua estrangeira no contexto da descolonização do currículo. Portuguese Literary & Cultural Studies, 38/39, 215. 
• Dias, A. L. (2022). [Review of the book O caso do quarto fechado, by M. André]. Literature Book Reviews, Portugal, 580–585.