Joana Morêdo Pereira has a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies - Deaf Studies from University College London (UCL), where she developed research on the cultural impact of songs in signed languages, as a full-time Ph.D. fellow financed by FCT (Fundação para Ciência e a Tecnologia). Her prior studies are: an Advanced Studies Diploma in Languages, Literature and Cultures, specializing in Cultural Studies, by the New University of Lisbon (2014); a Master of Sciences in LGP and Deaf Education by the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (2008); and a graduate degree in Translation/Interpretation of Portuguese Sign Language (LGP) by the School for Higher Education - Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal (2005). She is currently a lecturer in Deaf Studies at the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal. She has also taught/tutored at the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra and the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Portugal. Morêdo Pereira was a practicing Portuguese Sign Language interpreter for 15 years in community, education, arts and university settings, having retired due to severe injury. Throughout her career, she has studied and worked in the USA, Sweden, Italy and the United Kingdom with the local Deaf communities. Joana Morêdo Pereira has authored and co-authored a number of articles in the field of signed languages, education, linguistics, signed language interpretation and Deaf culture, and published a book on Deaf Culture in 2013. Her research interests are in Deaf Studies, most particularly Deaf Culture Studies. Within this field, she specifically aims to contribute to the register and preservation of Portuguese Deaf Culture, both by conducting interdisciplinary work with Performance Studies regarding the agency of Deaf artists, and by collecting Deaf testimonies and life stories in Portugal.