A first-generation scholar, Maria João Maciel Jorge immigrated to Canada from the Azores in 1989 and holds a PhD from the University of Toronto. She is an Associate Professor of Portuguese and Luso-Brazilian Studies and Associate Dean of Global and Community Engagement in the faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies at York University in Toronto, Canada. Her research and academic publications focus on early modern Spanish and Portuguese literature, colonial and New World encounters, and Portuguese island culture and literature. For her work in raising the profile of the Azores abroad, including the creation of an undergraduate course at York University focused on the culture and literature of the Azores, Professor Maciel Jorge received a Medal for Professional Merit from the Government of the Azores in 2019. She lives in Brampton, Ontario.