Mini bio

Lorena Bort-Mir holds her Ph.D. in Applied Languages, Literature, and Translation, and she’s is a Ph.D. Full-time Associate Professor at Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain, within the Applied Linguistics Department. She is interested in multimodal metaphor analysis and processing in films. She developed FILMIP, the filmic metaphor identification procedure, in her doctoral thesis. She published articles and papers in various journals, and she was invited as a keynote in various international conferences.

Extended bio

I started studying English Philology because they told us at a conference that this Degree meant having to travel, and I wanted to do it, and far away! Besides, I loved English, so I didn’t hesitate.
However, during the 4 years of study, I discovered how much I was interested in literature (both English and American), history, and linguistics. I loved what I was learning.
I finished in 2003 with a strong desire to explore the professional world outside the classroom walls, so I threw myself into the working world both in my city and in other locations and countries. From my professional experience in private companies, I highlight the creative capacity I saw growing in me (in non-teaching jobs), and the ability I had to connect with the students (in teaching jobs).


I had a big dream, though: to be a professor of English literature at university, and so I enrolled in doctoral studies in 2005, under the tutelage of Professor José Ramón Prado at the University Jaume I of Castellón. I wanted to do something related to Shakespeare, as this author had stolen my heart during the degree ( I even got a scholarship to collaborate with the Department of English Studies), but the following year I was forced to quit due to personal issues in the family.
However, I kept on working and advancing, until one day I came up with my first entrepreneurial project called Kankiü. With this idea, I won the iWeekend2011 award in a weekend event with 60 other professionals who had to vote on the ideas. I prepared my elevator pitch, and I won. I discovered, at that very moment, that I was highly competitive, and that I loved to win 🙂

This business idea didn’t grow, but I could not stop having other ideas. I developed several skills from 2011 to 2015. I learned website development and graphic design, business management, and online marketing strategies. In 2015, and with a 3-year-old kid, I decided to enroll again at the university and complete my Ph.D., which I did in 2019. During these doctoral years, I had my second child, won a part-time teaching position at the university, and created a start-up. Crazy, I agree… I also won several prizes regarding my research and teaching proposals. And above all, I met colleagues that today I consider my friends, and I developed a new passion: a love for metaphors!

Finally, and two years after my thesis defense, I won a full-time teaching position at Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) within the Applied Linguistics Department. I have also sold my business and co-founded a new start-up.

From now on, I must confess that I have a lot of plans for my research career and also for my life as a university teacher. I love what I do, and I love to do it every day.

Teaching philosophy statement

In this statement of educational philosophy, I will address my beliefs and my vision of the purpose of education and my own role as an educator.
In particular, my teaching philosophy focuses on attending to the integral formation of students, not only from the cognitive area but also in the social, emotional, and affective aspects for their full personal development. It is also important to encourage the autonomy of the students so that they obtain the necessary practical tools to develop in the future and to promote teamwork to solve problems together.
I believe that the educational environment should promote exchange and interaction among students, mainly through the discussion of topics related to the discipline, in my case, the English language.
Nowadays, information is available everywhere: articles, books, television, internet; therefore, teaching processes should focus on inquiry and research, the posing of conjectures and positions, discussion, and agreement of possible answers or solutions.
Likewise, there is a general effort in society to create entrepreneurial environments, and whenever the content allows me to do so, I carry out activities for students to start creating ideas and developing projects, either if it entails creating a company or solving a social problem.
Another characteristic that I consider important in a teacher and, in fact, something I always do, is to learn the names of all the students. In this way, a more personalized and warm connection is established, even though in an educational environment with a large number of students it will obviously take longer to learn all the names.
It also seems important to me to maintain a flexible posture, open to other teaching perspectives, and have a constant search for improvement and training.

The motto that defines me as a teacher is Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote: “Tell me and I forget; Teach me and I remember; Involve me, and I learn”.

Statement of teaching responsibilities

  • Have the content knowledge and pedagogical practice to meet the diverse needs of all students
  • Leading the development of curriculum policies and programs
  • Plan and implement a range of teaching programs or courses of study
  • Monitor, evaluate, and report student progress in key learning areas
  • Implement strategies to achieve targets related to student learning outcomes
  • Maintain records of class attendance and record student progress
  • To participate in professional development planning, implementation and reflection and developing a professional portfolio
  • Organize supplies and resources for lectures and presentations
  • Develop and issue educational content including notes, tests, and assignments
  • Consider the student as the center of the educational process.
  • Educate people who fully exercise the principles that guarantee social coexistence
  • Offer students the opportunity to learn significantly.
  • Educate people capable of being an active part in the development of society.
  • Encourage creativity, analysis, self-esteem, and practicing good habits and values that guide the student towards the respect for life and honor of all his fellows.
  • Improve the quality of life of human beings through the awareness of preserving, protecting, and improving the environment.
  • Improve the institutional conditions to achieve the expected learning for all students.