César Santos is a PhD Candidate in Studies of the Portuguese-speaking World and a Graduate Advising Associate in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. 

Santos earned his master's degree in literature in 2019 at Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho," in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. His thesis focused on Chicano literature, analyzing the structuring of identity in Tomás Rivera's novel ...y no se lo tragó la tierra. 

His dissertation examines the relevance of the geographical context along with the intersections of the gender and race as determinant factors for both the publication and circulation of Afro-Brazilian literature during the 19th century, as well as its permanence within the Brazilian literature. His research focuses on the Northeastern female teacher/author Maria Firmina dos Reis (1825-1917) and the Northeastern journalist/poet based in São Paulo Luís Gama (1830-1882), analyzing the role of their geographical locations, race, and gender for their literary careers.

Santos has served as a Graduate Teaching Associate, a Graduate Advising Associate, in departmental committees, and in graduate students' organizations for the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, teaching Spanish and Portuguese language and culture courses, besides supporting undergraduate students seeking a Spanish or Portuguese major or minor.