Winnie Wong is a Professor of Rhetoric at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research focuses on art history, particularly exploring themes of fakes, forgeries, and authorship through interdisciplinary approaches. She examines the global artistic networks of Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, challenging Western narratives of Chinese artistic practices. Wong holds a PhD from MIT's History, Theory + Criticism program and was a Harvard Society of Fellows Junior Fellow. Her major works include Van Gogh on Demand: China and the Readymade (2014, Joseph Levenson Prize winner), Learning from Shenzhen (2017), and a forthcoming book on Canton trade portraitists. She teaches courses like Theory of the Copy and Rhetoric of the Image , mentoring undergraduates through the Undergraduate Research Apprentices program and advising PhD students in art history and visual studies. Wong's research has been supported by grants from Mellon Foundation, ACLS, SSRC, and others. Her work has been translated into multiple languages and appears in journals like Current Anthropology and Law & Literature . She frequently discusses her work on podcasts and collaborates with museums including M+ and the Asian Art Museum.
Robert Kaufman is a Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. He holds a B.A. (1979), J.D. (1982), and Ph.D. (1995) from UC Berkeley. Prior to academia, he practiced labor and employment law. His career includes positions at McGill University, Stanford University (where he was an Assistant Professor of English and affiliated with German Studies and Modern Thought & Literature), and visiting roles at the University of Chicago and UC Berkeley. He has held fellowships including Stanford Humanities Center, Hellman Family, and Institute of International Studies. He co-chairs Berkeley's Program in Critical Theory. His research focuses on 20th-21st century American poetry, Latin American poetry, Romantic-era poetics, Frankfurt School Critical Theory, and aesthetic philosophy. Key projects include Negative Romanticism: Adornian Aesthetics in Keats, Shelley, and Modern Poetry , and studies on César Vallejo, Paul Celan, and Robert Duncan. His work bridges Marxist theory, lyric form, and sociopolitical critique. Kaufman's essays analyze Adorno's influence on modern poetry, the ethics of lyric form, and intersections between poetry and democracy. His recent work engages postmodernism's aftermath and contemporary political crises. He frequently collaborates on translation projects and public humanities initiatives, including events on Paul Celan's centenary.
Professor Hutan Ashrafian is a clinician-scientist and surgeon at the University of Leeds Business School, holding dual roles as Professor of Research Impact and Senior Research Fellow at Imperial College London. His expertise spans AI in healthcare, metabolic surgery, and ancient history. He pioneered STARD-AI and QUADAS-AI guidelines for AI diagnostics, collaborated on AI-driven breast cancer screening with Google and NHS, and led global health policy initiatives. Ashrafian’s work bridges medicine, history, and philosophy, including his contributions to understanding historical figures’ medical conditions, such as King Tutankhamun’s epilepsy. He has authored over 550 publications, 12 books, and holds a PhD in computational physiology and an MBA with distinction. Awards include the Hunterian Prize and Wellcome Trust Fellowship. His research also explores AI ethics, quantum physics paradoxes, and art-based medical diagnostics. Education: PhD in Computational Physiology (Imperial College London) MBA (Warwick Business School) MD (University College London) Bachelor of Science in Immunology (University College London) Research Interests: Ashrafian’s work spans: AI in Medicine: Diagnostic algorithms, guideline development (STARD-AI/QUADAS-AI), and ethical frameworks. Metabolic Surgery: Bariatric interventions, gut microbiome, and obesity treatments. Ancient History: Medical analyses of historical figures (e.g., Tutankhamun, Julius Caesar) and art-based pathology identification. Philosophy: AI rights (AIONAI law), temporal paradoxes, and the Simulation Argument. Awards: Royal College of Surgeons Arris and Gale Lectureship Hunterian Prize Wellcome Trust Research Fellowship Advising & Innovation: Supervised >50 PhD students, co-founded Oxford Medical Products (weight loss tech), and serves as CSO at Flagship Pioneering’s Preemptive Health division. He advises on NHS digital transformation and global health policy. Labs/Teams: Leads AI initiatives at Imperial’s Institute of Global Health Innovation and collaborates with Google, NICE, and international institutions on health tech solutions.
Beth Piatote is an Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a PhD in Modern Thought and Literature from Stanford University and is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (Nez Perce). Her work bridges scholarly and creative realms, focusing on Indigenous literature, law, language revitalization, and cultural studies. Education: PhD in Modern Thought and Literature (Stanford University). Research interests include Native American legal systems, Nez Perce language preservation, global Indigenous literatures, and creative writing. She co-founded and chairs Berkeley’s Designated Emphasis in Indigenous Language Revitalization and directs the Arts Research Center, where she leads the Indigenous Poetics Lab. Her publications include Domestic Subjects: Gender, Citizenship, and Law in Native American Literature (2013) and the short story collection The Beadworkers (2019), which received multiple literary recognitions. Her plays Antíkoni and Tricksters, Unite! explore Indigenous narratives through performance. Awards include MLA honorable mentions, PEN/Bingham Prize longlistings, and a 2020 Playwrights Retreat win. Current projects involve a scholarly monograph on sensory representations of Indigenous law and creative works in poetry and essays.
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States
Lily L. Tsai is the Ford Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and founder/director of the MIT Governance Lab (MIT GOV/LAB). She previously chaired the MIT Faculty and focuses her research on governance, accountability, and political participation in developing contexts, particularly Asia and Africa. Her research explores how decentralization, democratic reforms, informal institutions, and economic development influence public goods provision. She also investigates the dual impacts of social capital and civil society on political outcomes, and analyzes political behavior in authoritarian and transitional systems through surveys, interviews, and field experiments. Recent publications span topics including collective governance, vaccine compliance in Uganda, anticorruption strategies in China, and the role of informal institutions in rural China. Tsai’s work appears in journals like American Political Science Review and World Development . Dogan Award for best book in comparative research (2007-08) She leads interdisciplinary projects such as the Compass Initiative (SHASS Education Innovation Fund) and The Science of Respect with MIT’s Brain and Cognitive Sciences department. MIT GOV/LAB, which she founded in 2014, emphasizes real-time empirical collaboration between researchers and practitioners to address governance challenges.
Kin Tak Raymond Tsang is a Lecturer in Cinema Studies at the University of Southern California (USC) within the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. and M.Phil. in Cinema Studies from New York University, an M.A. in Comparative Literature from Peking University, and a B.A. in Cultural Studies from Lingnan University. Previously, he served as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University from 2022 to 2023. Education: B.A., Cultural Studies, Lingnan University M.A., Comparative Literature, Peking University M.Phil., Cinema Studies, New York University Ph.D., Cinema Studies, New York University Dr. Tsang’s research interrogates the geopolitical dimensions of cinema, particularly focusing on Hong Kong martial arts films, Third Cinema, and Cold War-era activism. His first book project, The 'law' outside the Law: The Political History of Hong Kong Martial Arts Cinema, 1949 to 1976 , redefines the genre by analyzing its ties to colonial governance, transnational networks, and cultural containment strategies. He also explores the translocal circulation of progressive films and literature, connecting Hong Kong to Cuba, China, and Malaysia during the Cold War. In 2023, Dr. Tsang published a special issue of the Journal of Chinese Cinemas examining Hong Kong’s leftist film movements (1950–1979). His scholarship extends Third Cinema theory to bridge Asia, Africa, and Latin America, emphasizing alternative globalization through cultural exchange. He teaches courses such as EASC 150: East Asian Societies , addressing topics like Cold War geopolitics and Southeast Asian film networks. His work intersects film history, cultural studies, and political activism, offering critical insights into colonial and transnational cinema.
Erik Ketzan is a Lecturer in Digital Humanities and Cultural Computation at King's College London. He holds a PhD in English/Digital Humanities from Birkbeck, University of London, and has held postdoctoral roles at the University of Cologne and Trinity College Dublin, where he coordinated the MA in Digital Humanities and Culture. His research focuses on computational literary studies, legal/ethical issues in digital research, and corpus stylistics. He has published widely on topics such as Thomas Pynchon’s computational stylistics, legal frameworks for digital humanities research, and gender bias in historical texts. His work includes developing tools like Coleto for textual variant analysis and co-authoring the book *Thomas Pynchon and the Digital Humanities* (2022). Ketzan actively engages in policy advocacy, advising on copyright and data protection in DH, and has contributed to projects like CLARIN and the Leibniz Institute for the German Language. Education: PhD in English/Digital Humanities, Birkbeck, University of London Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Cologne (EncycNet Project) Postdoctoral Research and Teaching Fellow, Trinity College Dublin Research Interests: Computational approaches to literary analysis, legal challenges in data-driven research, corpus stylistics, and gender studies in historical corpora. Teaching: Courses include Python for the humanities, computational literary studies, and legal issues in digital humanities.
Steven Jackson is a Professor of Information Science and Science and Technology Studies at Cornell University's Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, with additional graduate field appointments in Communication and Public Affairs. Since July 2023, he has served as Vice-Provost for Academic Innovation at Cornell, and previously held leadership positions as Chair of Information Science and Dean of William Keeton House. His work bridges academic research with significant institutional leadership in higher education innovation. Dr. Jackson's research focuses on critical intersections of technology, society, and the environment, with three primary strands: technology ethics, law and policy; maintenance, repair and sustainability; and technology, inequality and global development. His work draws from American pragmatism, political economy, and science and technology studies, integrating methods from sociology, anthropology, philosophy, and media studies. He is particularly interested in how computing practices meet social and material worlds, with implications for infrastructure, collaboration, sustainability, and cultural practice. His recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on repair as both theoretical concept and practical methodology, exploring 'ordinary hope' as a framework for technological engagement and examining unmaking as a necessary counterpart to design. The research spans diverse geographical contexts from the global North to South, addressing caste dynamics in computing, digital authoritarianism, and infrastructure challenges in developing contexts. Dr. Jackson has received significant recognition including an NSF CAREER award and more than twenty paper awards at leading computing and information science venues. His research has been supported by major organizations including the U.S. National Science Foundation, Social Science Research Council, Ford Foundation, Sloan Foundation, World Bank, Intel Research, Atkinson Center for Sustainability, and the Canadian Social Science and Humanities Research Council. As an advisor, Dr. Jackson has mentored numerous graduate students who have gone on to prominent positions at institutions worldwide. He currently advises Jen Liu, Amy Cheatle, Daniel Mwesigwa, Johan Michalove, and Ritik Batra, while his former students include Palashi Vaghela (Assistant Professor at Simon Fraser University), Samir Passi (Responsible AI Researcher at Microsoft), Maggie Jack (Assistant Professor at NYU), and Ranjit Singh (Senior Researcher at Data and Society). Dr. Jackson convenes the Computing On Earth Lab, an experimental collaboration bringing together social scientists, humanists, artists, and engineers to rethink the material and planetary foundations of computing. The lab reflects his commitment to interdisciplinary approaches that address computing's environmental impacts and sustainability challenges.
Anette Mikes is an Associate Professor of Accounting at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and a Hertford College Fellow. She specializes in risk management, corporate governance, and sustainability, with a focus on the intersection of ethics and organizational control systems. Her research explores how risk frameworks shape corporate decision-making, particularly in climate change and decarbonization contexts. Education: PhD in Accounting from the London School of Economics (2005) Pre-doctoral work in the City of London (2006–2007) studying Chief Risk Officer roles Research Interests: Behavioral approaches to risk management Management control systems for sustainability Ethics in corporate governance Decarbonization strategies in heavy industries Her 2012 Harvard Business Review article (with Robert Kaplan) on risk frameworks remains influential, while her documentary on the Kursk submarine disaster highlights crisis management failures. Awards: 2025 Honorary Doctorate from Uppsala University 2017 ACA Prize for Risk Management Contributions 2014 Global Risk Forum Film Award Key Contributions: Co-developed Harvard’s Risk Management executive program Leads research on ‘Values at Risk’ and corporate purpose Published widely on climate risk governance and ethical leadership Her recent work emphasizes decarbonization strategies and moral accountability in business, bridging accounting practices with environmental and ethical imperatives.
Mulki Al-Sharmani is a Professor at the University of Helsinki, affiliated with the Faculty of Arts and the Department of Cultures (specializing in Middle Eastern Studies). Her research focuses on Islamic feminism, Muslim family law, gender studies, and transnational migrant communities. She examines how religious texts and practices intersect with legal frameworks and social dynamics in contexts like Egypt, Finland, and the Somali diaspora. Her work includes analyzing Islamic legal reform, gender equality in marriage, and the lived experiences of Muslim women. Key publications explore Qur'anic hermeneutics, the role of feminist activism in legal change, and the wellbeing of transnational families. She has contributed to projects like 'Reclaiming Adl and Ihsan in Muslim Marriage' and co-edited volumes on Islamic ethics and family law reform. Research interests: Islamic feminist theory, Middle Eastern legal traditions, transnational family dynamics, and religious praxis. Recent articles highlight themes like Qur'anic ethics of marriage, legal pluralism in Finland, and the political dimensions of Egyptian family law reform. Active in international conferences, including presentations at SOAS University of London, American University in Cairo, and panels on Islamic law and gender at venues like MESA and EASR. Involved in interdisciplinary initiatives such as the Africa Research Forum and Musawah's global network for equality in Muslim family laws.
Susan Fino is a Professor at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Wayne State University. Her research focuses on public law, American constitutional law, administrative law, and the role of state supreme courts. She holds a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University, an M.A. and Ph.D. from Rutgers University. She has received the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Her courses include American Government (PS1010) and Constitutional Law (PS5110/PS5120), taught across multiple terms from 2023 to 2025. Dr. Fino's research explores judicial federalism, state constitutional frameworks, and legal interpretations of rights. Her work analyzes topics like church-state relations, taxation provisions in state constitutions, and assisted suicide debates. She has written extensively on state supreme court dynamics, including landmark cases and institutional performance metrics. Her scholarship bridges legal theory with practical governance challenges at both state and federal levels. Her publications span over three decades, addressing evolving legal landscapes such as the Rehnquist Court’s federalism approach and technological impacts on criminal sentencing. She consistently engages with issues at the intersection of law, politics, and societal values.
Alessandro Bausi is a Full Professor of Ethiopian Studies at Sapienza University of Rome since November 2023, where he focuses on Ethiopic language, literature, and manuscript cultures. Prior to this, he served as a Professor for Ethiopian Studies at the University of Hamburg (2009–2023) and held academic roles at the University of Naples 'L’Orientale' and Addis Ababa University. MA (1988, University of Florence) PhD (1992, Naples Oriental Institute) His research spans Ethiopian textual and manuscript cultures, Aksumite history, textual criticism, hagiography, and Semitic studies. He has led major projects like TraCES and Beta maṣāḥǝft , emphasizing linguistic evolution and manuscript digitization. He is a member of prestigious academies including the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (foreign member since 2023), Academia Europaea, and the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences. His editorial roles include editing Aethiopica and the Encyclopaedia Aethiopica .
Scott D. Sagan is the Caroline S.G. Munro Professor of Political Science at Stanford University and a Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. He serves as Co-Director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) and holds the position of Bass University Fellow in Undergraduate Education. Sagan also co-chairs the American Academy of Arts and Sciences' Committee on International Security Studies, demonstrating his significant influence in the field of international security. Sagan received his Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University in 1983 and his B.A. in Government from Oberlin College in 1977. Prior to joining Stanford, he taught at Harvard University and served as special assistant to the director of the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon, providing him with valuable practical experience in defense policy. Professor Sagan's research primarily focuses on nuclear weapons policy, international security, arms control, and nonproliferation. His work examines the organizational, political, and ethical dimensions of nuclear strategy, with particular attention to the risks of nuclear accidents, the effectiveness of nonproliferation policies, and public attitudes toward nuclear weapons use. He has pioneered important theoretical frameworks regarding the organizational causes of nuclear accidents and the normative constraints on nuclear weapons use. Sagan's publications reveal a consistent focus on nuclear deterrence theory, the organizational aspects of nuclear command and control, and the ethical dimensions of nuclear weapons policy. His work bridges theoretical analysis with practical policy implications, often challenging conventional wisdom about nuclear strategy and proliferation. Recent publications show increasing attention to public opinion on nuclear weapons use, the evolving nature of nuclear deterrence in the contemporary security environment, and the relationship between international law and nuclear strategy. Thérèse Delpech Memorial Award (2022) Susan Strange Award, International Studies Association (2017) William and Katherine Estes Award, National Academy of Sciences (2015) International Security Studies Section Distinguished Scholar Award (2013) Stanford's Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching (1998-99) Stanford's Hoagland Prize for Undergraduate Teaching (1996) International Studies Association's Innovative Teaching Award (2008) Monterey Institute for International Studies' Nonproliferation Education Award (2009) Sagan has been instrumental in shaping the research agenda at CISAC, mentoring numerous students and junior scholars in the field of international security. His work has been supported by various research grants from foundations and government agencies focused on nuclear security issues. At Stanford, he has led numerous research initiatives examining nuclear weapons policy, arms control, and nonproliferation challenges. As Co-Director of CISAC, Sagan oversees one of the world's leading research centers on international security, nuclear policy, and arms control. The center brings together scholars, practitioners, and students to address pressing security challenges through interdisciplinary research, policy-relevant analysis, and educational programs. Under his leadership, CISAC has maintained its position as a premier institution for security studies research and policy engagement.
Swantje Falcke is an Assistant Professor in Economic and Social History at Utrecht University's Department of History and Art History. As part of the College of Humanities, her research focuses on migrant integration, naturalization, and the interplay between environmental change and migration patterns. Areas of Expertise: Migration and Societal Change, Pathways to Sustainability, In-Equality Studies Academic Background: PhD in Economics (2017) at Utrecht University, Post-Doc in Political Science at Maastricht University Her interdisciplinary work examines: Education-labor market mismatches among Dutch migrants Impact of German citizenship law reforms on naturalization Long-term effectiveness of refugee integration policies Environmental change effects on migration dynamics Scientific recognition includes: Duncan Black Award (2014) for political economy research NWO XS grant (2024) for environmental migration studies Her publications demonstrate methodological rigor, combining longitudinal analysis, policy evaluation, and empirical economic testing.
Laurie Shannon is the Franklyn Bliss Snyder Professor of English at Northwestern University, with a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. She studies English literature and culture in the long sixteenth century, focusing on the history of ideas in language, stakeholdership, embodiment, and cross-species relations. She serves as convener of The Anne Lister Society and is collaborating with Oxford University Press on a scholarly edition of Anne Lister’s Journal. Education: J.D., Harvard Law School; Ph.D., University of Chicago Shannon’s research explores the political imagination in early modern literature, particularly through friendship (Sovereign Amity: Figures of Friendship in Shakespearean Contexts) and animal studies (The Accommodated Animal: Cosmopolity in Shakespearean Locales). Her current monograph, 'Frailty’s Name: Shakespeare and the Natural History of Human Being,' examines human negative exceptionalism in Renaissance thought and its implications for climate crisis ethics. Her publications span Shakespeare studies, queer theory, environmental humanities, and textual editing. Notable awards include the Elizabeth Dietz Memorial Award, Robert B. Cox Teaching Award, and Dean’s Award for Graduate Mentoring. She has held NEH, ACLS, and Guggenheim fellowships. Scientific Awards: Elizabeth Dietz Memorial Award, Robert B. Cox Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award, Dean's Award for Graduate Mentoring, NEH Fellowship, ACLS Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship Shannon contributes to the Anne Lister Diary Transcription Project and has served as English Department Chair at Northwestern. Her recent articles focus on Shakespeare’s engagement with natural history, queer cosmology, and animal sovereignty, reflecting her interdisciplinary approach.
