Personal Statement
Raúl Marchena Magadán completed his undergraduate degree in Education and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in Havana, Cuba. He subsequently completed an Advanced Diploma in Educational Technology and an MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of Manchester.

Before joining the University of Liverpool in 2024, Raúl taught at the University of Havana, the University of Reading, the University of Manchester and the Instituto Cervantes, accumulating more than 30 years of experience in language education. Throughout his career, he has contributed to the development of a new university degree programme in Spanish and Latin American Studies, led curriculum design and innovation, developed language assessment practices, and worked closely with colleagues to enhance teaching, learning and the overall student experience. In 2018, he was awarded Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in recognition of his sustained leadership and impact in higher education teaching.

Raúl's research interests include language pedagogy, technology-enhanced learning, educational innovation and internationalisation. His current research explores the experiences of deaf and hard-of-hearing students learning foreign spoken languages in higher education, with the aim of developing more inclusive teaching practices and accessible learning resources. He also investigates the role of sign languages in intercultural learning and the opportunities and challenges that generative artificial intelligence presents for language teaching and assessment.