Benedetta Albani is Professor at the Universidad de los Andes in Santiago de Chile since May 2023 and Leader of the research group 'Normative Knowledge in the Praxis of the Congregation of the Council' since January 2022. She has maintained a dual academic career as Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory in Frankfurt since May 2010, where she previously led the Max Planck research group 'The Governance of the Universal Church after the Council of Trent' (2014-2021). Ph.D. in 'Storia politica e sociale dell'Europa Moderna e Contemporanea' from University of Rome 'Tor Vergata' (2005-2009) Diploma di Archivisitica from 'Scuola Vaticana di Paleografia, Diplomatica e Archivistica' (2005-2006) Born in Rome, Italy in 1981 Her research integrates historical methodology with digital tools to analyze the Roman Curia's governance structures, particularly focusing on the Congregation of the Council's role in implementing Tridentine reforms globally. She examines how normative knowledge was produced and applied across diverse cultural contexts, especially in the Ibero-American world. Dr. Albani leads major digital humanities projects including SCC Explorer (an interactive platform on the Congregation of the Council's history) and Orbis Dioecesium (authority data on legal-historical changes of Catholic dioceses). Her work bridges archival research with innovative data modeling to visualize complex historical legal processes. Recipient of H2020-MSCA-RISE-2017 research funding Collaborator with Vatican Secret Archive (2009-2010) Conducts comparative studies on ecclesiastical administration across continents Her methodological approach combines traditional archival research with digital humanities techniques to create accessible resources for studying the global dimensions of canon law implementation during the Early Modern Period.
Mariagrazia Russo is a full professor of Portuguese and Brazilian Language and Translation at the University of International Studies of Rome (UNINT), where she also serves as Rector and Scientific Director of the University Language Center. Previously, she held roles at the University of Tuscia, including Associate Professor and coordinator of international doctoral programs. Her research focuses on medieval Portuguese philology, intercultural relations, Lusophone literary and historical studies, and missionary linguistics. She has extensively studied documents from Vatican archives, Portuguese diplomatic missions, and Italian-Portuguese cultural exchanges across centuries. Educated at Sapienza University of Rome and the Sorbonne, Russo leads research groups in Italy and Portugal, including roles in the CLEPUL and CHAM centers. She has coordinated over 20 international research projects, published critically edited works on figures like Vasco da Gama and António Vieira, and organized conferences on topics ranging from colonial diplomacy to gender studies in Lusophone literature. A key member of organizations like the Italian Association of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies (AISPEB), she chairs the Vasco da Gama Institute (Camões Institute) and directs editorial series in Lusophone studies. Russo’s work bridges philology, history, and cultural studies, emphasizing linguistic contact, toponymic analysis, and the role of language in identity formation. Her projects often involve archival discoveries, such as unpublished documents on the expulsion of Jesuits from Portugal and the diplomatic missions of Alexandre Metelo to China. She has advised doctoral theses on topics like Portuguese naming conventions and 16th-century song culture.
Michael Rodríguez-Muñiz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, where he co-directs the Latinx Social Science Pipeline initiative and the Anticolonial Lab. He joined Berkeley's faculty through the Latinx and Democracy cluster, focusing on critical race and Latinx studies within academic and community contexts. His educational background includes: PhD in Sociology from Brown University MA in Sociology from the University of Illinois-Chicago BA in Political Science and Mexican and Caribbean Studies from Northeastern Illinois University His research centers on race, knowledge production, and temporality within Latinx communities, with emphasis on demographic politics, anticolonial movements, and Du Boisian theory . Current projects examine Puerto Rican diasporic resistance, state repression, and the political construction of population statistics, utilizing ethnographic and qualitative methodologies to challenge dominant demographic narratives. His publication portfolio reveals consistent engagement with Latinx political representation, demographic change discourse, and racial knowledge systems. Recent works critically analyze majority-minority projections, ethnoracial diversification attitudes, and the intersection of race with political trust, demonstrating methodological rigor through community-engaged scholarship. His award-winning book Figures of the Future: Latino Civil Rights and the Politics of Demographic Change (2021) received: Otis Dudley Duncan Book Award (2023) Mary Douglas Book Prize (2022) ASA Latino/a Section Best Book Award (2022) Charles Tilly Distinguished Book Award Honorable Mention (2022) As co-director of the Anticolonial Lab and Latinx Social Science Pipeline, Rodríguez-Muñiz bridges academic research with community action through initiatives like Digitizing the Barrio—a Puerto Rican community archive in Chicago—advancing anticolonial praxis and Latinx representation in knowledge production.
Trinh T. Minh-ha is a Professor in the Department of Gender & Women's Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She is an interdisciplinary scholar, filmmaker, and theorist known for her work in feminist, postcolonial, and critical theory. Her affiliations include teaching appointments at Harvard, Smith, Cornell, and other institutions globally. She holds degrees from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, where she earned two master's degrees and a Ph.D. in music composition. Her research integrates cultural politics, postcolonial discourse, and artistic practice. Minh-ha has produced six feature films—including Reassemblage (1982), Naked Spaces (1985), and A Tale of Love (1996)—which have been featured in 27 international retrospectives. She has also authored eight books and created multimedia installations addressing intersectional identity, decolonial aesthetics, and feminist epistemologies. Minh-ha’s work emphasizes ethical storytelling, challenging dominant narratives through experimental formats. While no specific awards are named, her films and writings have garnered significant academic and artistic recognition. She is currently on Academic Personnel Leave but maintains an office at 660 Social Sciences Building, Berkeley.
Brendan Dooley is a Professor of Renaissance Studies at University College Cork (UCC), Ireland. He holds additional roles, including Adjunct Professor of History at Jacobs University Bremen and served as Distinguished Visiting Professor of Italian at the University of Virginia. His academic journey includes positions at Harvard University, Notre Dame, and the Medici Archive Project in Florence. He earned his PhD in History from the University of Chicago in 1986. Education: PhD in History, University of Chicago, 1986 Research Interests: Dooley specializes in Renaissance Studies, with a focus on cultural history, knowledge transmission, digital humanities, and media history. His work explores topics such as book history, the history of education, and the intersections of science, religion, and politics in early modern Europe. Awards and Grants: 2019 Irish Research Council Advanced Laureate Award (EUR 1 million) 2010 PRTLI Grant (EUR 1.6 million) 2009 Distinguished Visiting Professorship, University of Virginia 1994 Rome Prize, American Academy in Rome Extensive fellowships from institutions including the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton) and the Fulbright Commission Grants and Projects: He leads the EURONEWS project on early modern newsletters and co-founded UCC’s Digital Arts and Humanities program. His research spans the history of communication, cultural transitions, and interdisciplinary digital humanities. Labs/Teams: Active in the Digital Arts and Humanities program at UCC, fostering transdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in humanities research.
Prof. Dr. Gabriele Rippl is a Full Professor and Chair of Literatures in English/North American Literature and Culture at the University of Bern, Switzerland, where she has served as Director of the Department of English since 2005. She previously held professorial positions at the University of Göttingen (2003-2005), and lecturing positions at the Universities of Freiburg, Zurich, Bern, Tübingen, and Bielefeld. Her extensive administrative experience includes serving as Dean of the Faculty of Humanities (2021-2023), Vice-Dean (2019-2021), and President of the Collegium generale (2007-2015) at the University of Bern. Her educational background includes a 'Habilitation' at the University of Constance (2002), a PhD in English and American Studies from the same institution (1995), and a DFG doctoral grant at the postgraduate school 'Theory of Literature and Communication' (1989-1995). She has held numerous prestigious fellowships including at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (2002), the University of Wales (2003), UCLA (2015), and the Center for Advanced Studies in the Humanities Morphomata Kolleg, Cologne (2017). Current Research Focus: Cultural Sustainability Key Area: Intermediality (text-picture relationships, particularly ekphrasis and eco-ekphrasis) Specialization: Anglophone world literatures across historical periods Theoretical Framework: Literary theory with emphasis on postcolonial and transcultural perspectives Additional Interests: Autobiography and life writing, literature and anthropology, seriality studies Prof. Rippl's recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory toward environmental humanities, particularly through the lens of eco-ekphrasis, while maintaining her longstanding expertise in intermedial studies. Her work bridges literary analysis with broader cultural, ecological, and sustainability concerns, reflecting an increasingly interdisciplinary approach that connects literary studies with environmental science and cultural sustainability frameworks. The publications reveal a sophisticated integration of visual culture studies with contemporary ecological concerns, particularly in how literary texts represent and engage with environmental imperatives. 2020-present: Member and President of Specialised Committee Careers, Swiss National Research Council 2017: Fellowship at Center for Advanced Studies in the Humanities Morphomata Kolleg, Cologne 2015: Visiting Scholarship at UCLA supported by SNSF 2014-present: Member of AcademiaNet – European Expert Database of Outstanding Female Academics 2008: Fellowship at University of Western Ontario As an advisor, Prof. Rippl has supervised numerous doctoral candidates working on diverse topics including world literature, intermediality, postcolonial studies, and environmental humanities. Her current research projects include 'Anglophone Life Writing Today: Transcultural Figurations – Intermedial Constellations,' 'Mediating the Ecological Imperative: Modes and Formats of Engagement,' and interdisciplinary work on 'Cultural Sustainability.' She leads the 'Der ökologische Imperative' SNSF Sinergia project (2021-2024), which brings together scholars from English studies, art history, and social anthropology. She also serves on multiple Swiss National Science Foundation committees, demonstrating significant influence in national research policy. Prof. Rippl directs the interdisciplinary Walter-Benjamin-Kolleg research platform 'Auto_Bio_Graphie,' collaborating with Dance Studies, Spanish Literature, and Visual Anthropology. She previously led the SNF Doctoral research group on 'Seriality and Intermediality in Graphic Novels' and the project 'Cosmopolitanism and Identity in Contemporary Indian Literatures in English.' Her editorial work includes the peer-reviewed journal Anglia and the Anglia Book Series, where she has published extensively on intermediality, cultural sustainability, and world literatures.
Minerva Peinador is a Researcher at the University of Regensburg's Department of Interdisciplinary and Multiscalar Area Studies (DIMAS), affiliated with Prof. Anne Brüske's chair. Her work examines gender-based violence narratives, postmemory, and docufiction in Ibero-American and Francophone contexts. She holds a PhD in Romance Philology from the University of Rostock and an interdisciplinary doctorate from the University of La Plata, Argentina. Education PhD in Romance Philology (2021), University of Rostock Double PhD in Interdisciplinary Social Studies (Europe/Latin America, 2019), Universities of Rostock and La Plata M.A. in Literary Studies (2010), Universidad Complutense de Madrid German Philology degree (2007), Universidad Complutense de Madrid Research Focus Her Habilitation project investigates feminist and gender-dissident narratives addressing machista violence in contemporary Ibero-American and Francophone literature. Key themes include decolonial theory, cultural memory, and transnational migration. Recent works analyze texts like Selva Almada's Chicas muertas and Gabriela Wiener's Huaco retrato , exploring how literature confronts systemic oppression and reconstructs identities. Professional Contributions Supervised Bachelor's theses on Spanish music as generational change medium and queer cinema in Cuba Organized panels on popular culture and migration narratives at conferences like LASA 2024 Reviewer for Estudios Culturales Hispánicos and Diablotexto Digital Member of organizations including DHV (German Hispanistics Association) and CALITHI (Capitalism-Literature Research Group) Awards 2023 Karrierewegepreis from the German Hispanistics Association for her Habilitation project
Dr. Kathleen Curtius is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), affiliated with the Division of Biomedical Informatics and the UCSD Moores Cancer Center. She leads the Quantitative Cancer Control laboratory, focusing on early cancer detection and prevention through mathematical modeling and multi-scale data analysis. Previously, she held a Medical Research Council Rutherford Fellowship at Barts Cancer Institute (London) and completed postdoctoral training in Prof. Trevor Graham's lab. Her research integrates applied mathematics, computational biology, and clinical oncology to address cancer evolution and screening strategies. Education: PhD in Applied Mathematics, University of Washington (2015) MS in Applied Mathematics, University of Washington (2011) BS in Mathematics, UCLA (2010) Research Interests: Mathematical oncology Cancer evolution modeling Epigenetic drift analysis Screening optimization Multiscale tumor dynamics Her work bridges disciplines to develop predictive tools for early cancer detection and personalized surveillance strategies. Publications: Recent work includes studies on metagenomic data bias (Nature Communications 2025), AI-driven cancer biomarker discovery (JCI Insight 2022), and computational models of Barrett's esophagus progression (Gut 2020). Her research emphasizes translational applications in clinical oncology and public health. Awards: Recognized with the 2024 Leah Edelstein-Keshet Prize, 2022 AGA Research Scholar Award, and 2018 MRC Rutherford Fellowship. Her work has been cited over 1,000 times across key oncology journals. Funding: Principal Investigator on NIH grants (R01CA270235, I01BX005958) supporting projects on Barrett's esophagus modeling and colitis-associated colorectal cancer surveillance optimization. Collaborates with clinicians, geneticists, and computational biologists to advance cancer control efforts. Labs/Teams: Leads the Quantitative Cancer Control Lab at UCSD, part of the Bioinformatics and Systems Biology division. Active in interdisciplinary initiatives like the Moores Cancer Center's Cancer Control Program.
Zachary Turpin is an Associate Professor in the English Department at the University of Idaho, affiliated with the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences. His research focuses on 19th-century periodical culture, digital humanities, textual recovery, and the history of epistemology and sciences. He is renowned for rediscovering lost works by Walt Whitman and other American authors, including Whitman’s novella *Life and Adventures of Jack Engle* (1852) and wellness manifesto *Manly Health and Training* (1858). Turpin’s work often involves collaborative archival research to uncover unaccounted-for writings by figures like Rebecca Harding Davis, Emma Lazarus, and Paul Laurence Dunbar. Education: Ph.D., English Language and Literature, University of Houston (2017) M.A., English Literature, College of Charleston and The Citadel (2007) B.A., English Literature, New York University (2004) Research Interests: Turpin’s work bridges traditional literary scholarship and digital methods. He explores how periodicals shaped 19th-century literary culture, emphasizing textual recovery and the intersection of science and literature. His projects include editing Whitman’s journalism and compiling *Radicals: Audacious Writings by American Women, 1830–1930*, which recovers feminist voices. Publications Trends: His articles and books focus on recovering lost texts, analyzing authorial networks, and contextualizing works within broader historical frameworks. Recent projects highlight Whitman’s New Orleans period and interdisciplinary approaches to Melville’s philosophical influences. Awards: He has received prestigious fellowships such as the Kluge Fellowship (Library of Congress, 2017–18) and Peterson Fellowship (American Antiquarian Society, 2020–21), alongside teaching awards and grants supporting digital scholarship. Teaching & Advising: Turpin teaches courses on American literature, archival methods, and Whitman/Melville studies. His advising emphasizes hands-on archival research, reflected in student projects and collaborative publications. Labs/Teams: While no formal lab is mentioned, his work involves collaborations with institutions like the Library of Congress and digital humanities initiatives at the University of Idaho.
Anatoly Pinsky is a Visiting Professor at the Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki, specializing in Soviet and post-Soviet studies. His work focuses on late Soviet subjectivity, cultural history, and political analysis. He has edited anthologies such as Subjectivity after Stalin (2019) and authored studies on Khrushchev-era diaries and Cold War intellectual history. His research bridges literary analysis, political theory, and cultural studies. Key research areas include post-Stalin individuality, Soviet cultural policy, and modern Russian political dynamics. Recent publications analyze the Ukraine conflict's geopolitical dimensions and the role of dissent in Putin's Russia. Pinsky also engages with contemporary issues like the Prigozhin protests, linking them to broader authoritarian regime strategies. His articles span book reviews, peer-reviewed analyses, and public-facing commentary. Notable contributions include critiques of Evgeny Dobrenko's work on Stalinist aesthetics and Eleonory Gilburd's studies on Soviet cultural exchange. He regularly publishes in journals like Kritika and Russian Review , emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to understanding Soviet and post-Soviet cultural and political landscapes.
Stephen J. Leisz is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Geography at Colorado State University (CSU). As a leading scholar in land change science and remote sensing, he directs the Land Change Science and Remote Sensing Laboratory and co-directs the Center for Archaeology and Remote Sensing. His research integrates remote sensing, GIS, and participatory methods to study human-environment interactions in Southeast Asia, Melanesia, and West Africa. Key areas include land-use transitions, peri-urbanization, agricultural systems, and climate change impacts. Leisz holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Copenhagen (2007), an M.Sc. in Environmental Monitoring from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a B.A. in American Studies from Georgetown University. Leisz’s recent work focuses on agrarian transitions in Vietnam’s Mekong and Red River Deltas, impacts of transportation corridors on rural transformations, and applications of LiDAR in archaeology. He has led projects funded by NASA’s Land Cover/Land Use Change program and co-founded the Earth Archive Initiative to digitally preserve global landscapes. His fieldwork spans over 30 years in Southeast Asia and Melanesia, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration and policy-relevant outcomes. Leisz advises graduate students in CSU’s International Development Studies program and the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology (GDPE). He teaches courses on remote sensing, spatial analysis, and land change science. His career includes Peace Corps service in Senegal (1980s) and recognition as a First-Generation College Graduate.
Colter Harper is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University at Buffalo's College of Arts and Sciences, specializing in ethnomusicology with dual expertise as a performing guitarist. His work bridges academic research and musical practice, focusing on West African traditions and African American jazz history through interdisciplinary anthropological frameworks. His educational credentials include: PhD in Music (Ethnomusicology) from the University of Pittsburgh (2011) BA from Duquesne University Harper's research investigates the socio-cultural dimensions of music across Ghana and Pittsburgh, examining jazz historiography, Highlife evolution, traditional Seperewa performance, and proverb-based analytical frameworks. His fieldwork at the University of Ghana explored contemporary music production within audio archiving contexts, while Pittsburgh research analyzes Black musical labor and neighborhood narratives through jazz's social history. Current projects address pitch cognition in African instruments, cultural sustainability of music archives, and intellectual legacies of scholars like J.H. Kwabena Nketia. Publication trends reveal consistent thematic focus across 15+ years: West African music studies (40%), Pittsburgh jazz historiography (30%), and theoretical frameworks for ethnomusicological analysis (30%). Key subfields include oral tradition transmission, cultural labor dynamics, and decolonial approaches to music archiving, with recent work expanding into cognitive analysis of traditional instruments. Scientific recognition includes: Fulbright Scholar award (2020) for research at the University of Ghana's Department of Music
Dr. Laura Estill is a Canada Research Chair in Digital Humanities (Tier 2) at St. Francis Xavier University, appointed in 2018 and renewed in 2024. Her work focuses on leveraging digital resources to advance humanities research, particularly in early modern literature and Shakespeare studies. She co-edits The Routledge Companion to Digital Humanities in Practice and leads the development of the Canadian Certificate in Digital Humanities, expanding training across Atlantic Canada and beyond. Her research team applies digital methods to build interdisciplinary communities and resources for understanding cultural history. Her research interests include digital pedagogy, manuscript studies, and the intersection of technology with early modern texts. Notable projects include Digital Shakespeare and investigations into early modern readership practices via dramatic extracts in manuscripts. Estill advocates for open scholarship and collaborative knowledge creation, exemplified through Wikipedia integration in university courses and global DH training initiatives. Awards: Canada Research Chair Tier 2 (SSHRC-funded) Grants: Supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Estill’s work bridges historical research with modern digital tools, emphasizing accessibility and community-building in humanities scholarship. She actively contributes to conferences and editorial projects, shaping the future of digital humanities education and practice.
Michael J. Bustamante is an Associate Professor and the Emilio Bacardí Moreau Chair in Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the University of Miami's College of Arts and Sciences. He holds dual directorships: leading the Cuban Studies program and academic initiatives at the Cuban Heritage Collection within the University Libraries. Research Focus: Bustamante specializes in 20th-century Cuban history, memory politics, and transnational migration. His work interrogates how revolutionary narratives are constructed, contested, and preserved across political divides. Key themes include Cold War diasporic networks, material culture's role in maintaining connections (e.g., paquetería parcel systems), and comparative refugee studies (e.g., Cuban and Vietnamese diasporas). His book Cuban Memory Wars challenges monolithic interpretations of the Cuban Revolution, emphasizing contested historical narratives among both supporters and exiles. Publications Trends: Recent articles (2021-2024) highlight his interdisciplinary approach, blending diplomatic history with cultural analysis. Notable topics include musical diplomacy's role in US-Cuba relations, racial politics in Miami, and the socio-economic impacts of Cold War-era sanctions. Peer-reviewed reviews demonstrate his engagement with contemporary scholarship on Cuban political economy and revolutionary leadership. Awards & Affiliations: While no specific awards are listed, his endowed chair position indicates institutional recognition of his expertise. He actively bridges academia and public heritage through the Cuban Heritage Collection, curating academic programs that digitize archival materials and foster scholarly collaboration. Grants & Teams: His research leverages institutional resources at the Cuban Heritage Collection, though specific grant details are not disclosed. Collaborations appear interdisciplinary, evidenced by co-authored works on refugee comparisons and material culture studies.
Elizabeth Rhoads is a Senior Lecturer and Researcher at the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University, under The Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology. She is also a member of the LU Profile Area on Human Rights, reflecting her deep engagement with human rights issues in Southeast Asia. Her work is interdisciplinary, bridging law, anthropology, geography, and urban studies. Education: PhD in Law, King's College London (Dickson Poon Fellow) M.A. in Human Rights Law, SOAS A.B. in Anthropology, Bryn Mawr College Her research focuses on citizenship, displacement, property relations, and minority-state dynamics in Myanmar and Indonesia. She employs a multidisciplinary approach combining legal history, legal anthropology, and urban studies to examine how law shapes everyday life in contexts of political upheaval and marginalization. Her fieldwork in Myanmar and Indonesia includes work on land disputes, transitional justice, women’s political participation, and violent extremism. The analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on legal and social exclusion in Southeast Asia, particularly around citizenship and urban informality. Her work often explores how legal frameworks produce statelessness, displacement, and spatial violence, especially in Myanmar. She frequently collaborates with local organizations and researchers, emphasizing participatory and ethical research practices during crises. Her publications span journal articles, reports, book chapters, and reviews, with increasing attention to post-coup dynamics and community resilience. Scientific Awards and Honors: Dickson Poon Fellow, King's College London Blakemore-Freeman Fellowship for advanced Burmese language study British Academy Co-Investigator and Post-Doctoral Fellowship Elizabeth Rhoads is actively involved in advising and research grants. She is currently leading a Swedish Research Council-funded project on citizenship and displacement in Myanmar in collaboration with a Burmese organization. She is also a Co-Investigator on the EU-funded EUVIP project under Horizon Europe, examining the EU’s role in the Indo-Pacific. She serves on the editorial board and as Guest Editor for Jurnal HAM , contributing to academic discourse on human rights in the region. She has been involved in collaborative research networks focusing on spatial violence, urban informality, and legal pluralism in Southeast Asian cities. Her work emphasizes community-based and interdisciplinary methodologies, often co-producing knowledge with local actors. She contributes to public engagement through web publications and digital storytelling, such as the 'Yangon Stories' initiative.
