He is a Professor of Indigenous American Linguistics and Cultures at Leiden University.
[1] He has written broadly about the Quechua, Aymara and Mapuche languages.
[2] In 1994, he was given a newly created Professorial chair in "Languages and Cultures of Native America" at the University of Leiden.
[3] In 2014, he was made Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion in recognition of his scientific achievements.
[4] He also holds an honorary doctorate from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos of Lima, Peru.