Find Academic Supervisors

Michele E. CommercioView profile

Associate Professor

• Comparative Politics
• Russian Politics
• Central Asian Politics
• +5 more

Michele E. Commercio is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Vermont, specializing in Russian and Central Asian comparative politics. She serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies and Transfer Affairs and teaches courses on international relations, Russian politics, Central Asian politics, and post-Soviet ethnic conflict. Education: BA from Boston College, MSc in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics, MA in Soviet and East European Studies from the University of Connecticut, and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on regime transitions, ethnic politics, gender dynamics, and Islamic practices in post-Soviet states. She has authored two books: Russian Minority Politics in Post-Soviet Latvia and Kyrgyzstan (2010) and Polygynous Marriages Among the Kyrgyz (2022). Current projects examine women's political participation in Kyrgyzstan. Her publications span journals like Politics and Gender , Studies in Comparative International Development , and Post-Soviet Affairs , with thematic trends including structural violence, ethnic interconnectivity, and retraditionalization processes. Research has been funded by IREX, NCEEER, NSF, and the University of Vermont. Consulting Services: Political asylum cases analysis.

Tim Futing LiaoView profile

Professor

• Inequality & Mobility
• Life Course Analysis
• Quantitative Methodology
• +4 more

Tim Futing Liao is a Professor of Sociology & Statistics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, holding the LAS Alumni Distinguished Professorial Scholar title. He serves as President of the Sequence Analysis Association and incoming Editor of Socius . His research focuses on inequality, life course analysis, quantitative methodology, population studies, and collective memory. Liao earned his PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Research Interests: Dr. Liao's work spans migration patterns (especially Filipino/Indonesian domestic workers), health disparities, sequence analysis methodologies, and social stratification. He combines advanced statistical techniques with sociological theory to explore topics like wage inequality, mental health among migrants, and the role of collective memory in social movements. Awards & Roles: Recipient of the ASA Methodology's Paul F. Lazarsfeld Award (2021), he has held editorial roles at top journals including Sociological Methodology , Demography , and Advances in Life Course Research . He also developed influential software tools for sequence analysis and inequality measurement. Grants & Collaborations: Active in interdisciplinary projects, his work involves collaborations on migrant labor conditions, health policy analysis, and methodological advancements. Notable outputs include R/Stata packages for sequence analysis and inequality decomposition. Labs/Teams: Leads research initiatives on life course trajectories and quantitative sociology methodologies at the University of Illinois, contributing to both theoretical advancements and practical applications in social science research.

Colleen Chiu-SheeView profile

Assistant Professor

• China
• Chinese Social Sciences
• Planning Education
• +5 more

Colleen Chiu-Shee is an Assistant Professor in Urban and Regional Planning and an affiliated researcher at the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her work bridges urban planning practices in China and the U.S., focusing on cross-border education dynamics and socio-spatial policies in Chinese cities. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Studies and Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2021), a Master of Science in Architectural Studies from Washington University in St. Louis (2013), and dual degrees in Architecture and Urban Design (MArch, MUD, 2012). Her research interests center on China’s urban development, including topics like planning education’s impact on Chinese practitioners, resistance to gated communities, collective land tenure systems, and design innovations in socio-political contexts. She also explores digital surveillance infrastructures in urban exceptionalism and cinematic representations of hyperurbanization. Her work intersects disciplines such as cultural studies, architecture, and public policy, with a strong emphasis on institutional learning and cultural shifts. Dr. Chiu-Shee’s articles analyze themes like cosmopolitan competence among returnees, biopower in urban governance, and ecological city frameworks. Her contributions highlight trends in urban resilience, cross-cultural adaptation, and socio-spatial equity. Though no formal awards are listed, her research garners significant attention, as evidenced by high readership on platforms like Mendeley and social media engagement. In advising roles, she supports students in urban studies and planning, though specific advisee names are not provided. Her grants and funding sources remain unspecified, but her work often involves international collaborations, particularly with institutions in China and the U.S. She is also associated with interdisciplinary initiatives through the Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies, contributing to studies on Asia’s urban transformation and policy frameworks.

Andrew HardieView profile

Associate Professor

• Corpus Linguistics
• Computational Linguistics
• Corpus Methodology
• +6 more

Dr. Andrew Hardie is a Reader in Linguistics at Lancaster University, holding a position equivalent to Associate Professor. He is affiliated with the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences and the Department of Linguistics and English Language within the School of Social Sciences. His primary research specialism focuses on corpus-based methodology and its applications across various disciplines: Corpus design and construction methodologies Development of corpus analysis software tools Applications in grammar of English and other languages Extensions to discourse analysis, language teaching, and other humanities and social sciences fields Dr. Hardie's work spans both theoretical and applied linguistics, with particular emphasis on adapting corpus methods for social scientists and humanists in fields including Psychology, Geography, History, and English Literature. His expertise extends to multiple languages, with special focus on South Asian languages such as Nepali, Urdu, and Hindi. He has developed several significant software tools for corpus linguistics, including Corpus Workbench (as a lead developer), CQPweb (as creator), Unicodify, and Unitag, which have substantially advanced the field of corpus linguistics methodology. His research portfolio includes major projects like the ESRC Centre for Corpus Approaches to Social Science (where he serves as Deputy Director) and UCREL (where he is Chair), demonstrating his leadership in the field. His work bridges theoretical linguistics, computational methods, and practical applications across multiple disciplines. Dr. Hardie actively supervises PhD students working on diverse topics from collocational errors in language learning to sociolinguistics of swearing in Arabic, reflecting the breadth of his research interests and influence across linguistic subfields.

Aike Peter RotsView profile

Professor

• Religion and Ecology
• Sacred Space and Ritual Theory
• Heritage-Making and Tourism
• +5 more

Professor Aike Peter Rots holds a position at the University of Oslo's Faculty of Humanities, Department of Japanese Studies. His research examines religion, culture, and nature in contemporary Asia, with specialization in Japan and Vietnam. Rots leads the ERC-funded project 'Whales of Power' (2019-2025) investigating cetacean worship and environmental change in maritime East Asia. His scholarship spans multiple domains: sacred space and ritual theory; heritage-making processes; environmental humanities; Shinto transformations; indigenous traditions; and religion-corporate interactions. His work critically analyzes how religious practices adapt to environmental crises and heritage preservation efforts. Publications demonstrate consistent focus on nature-culture relationships, with recent work examining Vietnamese whale worship amid plastic pollution crises, Japanese whale festivals, and East Asian perspectives on utopia and ritual. His research methodology emphasizes cross-cultural comparison and challenges methodological nationalism. Rots received the prestigious European Research Council Starting Grant for his innovative work on human-aquatic mammal relationships. He has authored 'Shinto, Nature and Ideology in Contemporary Japan' and co-edited volumes including 'Sacred Heritage in Japan'. Current projects include monographs on whale rituals in Japan/Vietnam and an introductory Shinto textbook.

Xiaoling ShuView profile

Professor

• Social Stratification
• Gender Inequalities
• Quantitative Methods
• +5 more

Xiaoling Shu is a Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Davis. Her research focuses on marketization, globalization, gender inequalities, and data science methodologies. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Shu has served as director of East Asian Studies at UC Davis (2017-22), chair of the American Sociological Association's Section on Asia and Asian America (2018-21), and president of the International Chinese Sociological Association (2016-17). Her expertise includes knowledge discovery, data mining, and advanced quantitative methods. She is affiliated with multiple institutes, including Computational Social Science, Communication, and the Global Tea Institute. Notable awards include a MacArthur Fellowship (1991-95) and multiple Faculty Career Development Awards. Education: Ph.D. Sociology (Minnesota), M.S. Computer Science (Minnesota), B.A. English & Economics (Beijing Foreign Studies University) Key Research Areas: Social Stratification, Gender Attitudes, Data Mining, Cohort Analysis Affiliations: East Asian Studies, Feminist Research Institute, Data Science & Informatics Her recent work examines global gender ideologies, health inequalities, and transitional marital dynamics in China. She has authored influential books like Knowledge Discovery in the Social Sciences and Chinese Marriages in Transition , demonstrating interdisciplinary integration of computational methods with sociological inquiry.

Anna M. Bardone-ConeView profile

Professor

• Eating Disorders
• Body Image
• Clinical Psychology
• +7 more

Dr. Anna M. Bardone-Cone is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, leading the Bardone-Cone Lab. Her research focuses on eating disorders, body image, and mental health disparities, with a strong emphasis on cultural and intersectional perspectives. She is committed to training diverse students and conducting research that addresses underrepresented groups such as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and first-generation scholars. Her recent work explores topics like family influences on disordered eating, cultural pressures on South Asian populations, and neurocognitive profiles in eating disorders. She has presented at major conferences like the International Conference on Eating Disorders (ICED) and published in outlets like the UNC JOURney. In 2023, she was selected as a Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholar for her community-focused scholarship. Dr. Bardone-Cone advises multiple students, including Ale Miller, Emily Walsh, and Lauren Wash, whose theses and dissertations address eating disorder risk factors, body shame, and cultural influences. Her lab actively collaborates on projects like the South Asian Body Image Study (SABI) and advocates for inclusive research practices. Awards: Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholar (2023-2025) Grants & Funding: Supported by engaged scholarship initiatives through UNC. Her research bridges clinical and cultural psychology, with a focus on translating findings into practical interventions for marginalized groups. The lab’s future work continues to prioritize longitudinal studies on neuropsychological functioning and community-based mental health initiatives.

Stefan BächtoldView profile

Lecturer

• Digital Technologies
• International Political Sociology
• Peacebuilding
• +5 more

Stefan Bächtold is a Lecturer at the School of Arts and Social Sciences, Monash University Malaysia. His research focuses on the intersection of digital technologies, state authority, and conflict in Southeast Asia, particularly Myanmar and Malaysia. He has held visiting positions at the Technical University of Munich (Germany) and Swisspeace Institute (University of Basel, Switzerland). His work critically examines how digital technologies shape political dynamics and state intervention in contexts of conflict and pandemic response. **Education:** PhD in Political Science (University of Basel, 2016) MA in Sociology and Political Science (University of Fribourg, 2011) **Research Interests:** Bächtold explores technologies' role in peacebuilding, international development, and conflict transformation using methods like ethnography and discourse analysis. His current projects analyze digital tech’s impact on state authority during the pandemic and Southeast Asia’s policy networks for regulating technology. **Grants & Projects:** Lead investigator for 'Building policy networks for regulating digital tech in Southeast Asia' (2024) Co-investigator in 'Digital Technologies as a New Agenda for Korea-Southeast Asia Diplomacy' (2025) **Activities:** Organized workshops on digital governance, including the Southeast Asia Research Center for Digital Technology and Society (SEADS) Roundtables and Monash University Malaysia’s 2024 Graduate Research Week. **Collaborations:** Engages with global institutions like the United Nations, European Union, and local NGOs to evaluate complex interventions in conflict zones.

Sohail AhmadView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Sustainable Urban Development
• Climate Change Mitigation
• Housing Inequality
• +3 more

Sohail Ahmad is a Senior Lecturer in Town Planning and Programme Leader of the BSc (Hons) Town Planning Programme at the School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of the West of Scotland. He holds a PhD in City Planning from Seoul National University and is a Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI), Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS). His career includes roles at the University of York (Lecturer in Sustainable Cities), University of Glasgow (contributor to SHLC and CaCHE research initiatives), and postdoctoral fellowships at the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (Berlin) and UNU-IAS (Tokyo). He previously served as an Assistant Professor at Vijayawada’s School of Planning and Architecture. Research focuses on four themes: climate change mitigation in cities (e.g., heat pumps in Scotland), housing inequality in Indian subcontinent cities, urbanisation impacts on well-being, and neighbourhood governance in Asia/Africa. Over 35 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters highlight his work, funded by organisations like the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and Scottish Funding Council. Teaching emphasizes student-centred learning with problem-based approaches. Current research directions include heating/cooling strategies for Global North/South cities. Collaborations target housing developers, energy companies, and think tanks like ICLEI and C40. He serves as External Examiner at Heriot-Watt University (2023–2027).

• Southeast Asian Studies
• Indonesian History
• Balinese Art
• +4 more

Professor Adrian Vickers is a renowned scholar in Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Sydney, holding the title of Professor of Southeast Asian Studies. He is affiliated with the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre and the Vere Gordon Childe Centre. His research focuses on Indonesian history, Balinese art, and Australian-Indonesian relations, with a particular emphasis on cultural history and digital humanities. Education: PhD (Sydney), BA (Hons) (Sydney). His work has been supported by grants from the Australian Research Council and the Getty Foundation. Notable projects include the Multilingual Australia and Virtual Museum of Balinese Painting . Research Interests: Asia-Australia relations, labour history, maritime Southeast Asia, and Panji epic traditions. He has authored influential books like The Pearl Frontier (2015) and A History of Modern Indonesia (2013). His articles explore themes like Indonesian revolutionary solidarity, historical revisionism, and inter-Asia referencing methodologies. Awards: Elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (2014), Brayton Wilbur Jr Fellowship (2018), and multiple literary awards for The Pearl Frontier . He has supervised over 35 PhD candidates and teaches courses on Southeast Asian history and culture. Current Projects: Leading Opening Australia’s Multilingual Archive (ARC Discovery Grant) and Site and Space in Southeast Asia (Getty Foundation). Serves on editorial boards of journals like Journal of the Society for Asian Humanities .

Joshua K. LeonView profile

Professor

• Urban History
• International Relations
• Global Health
• +4 more

Joshua K. Leon is a Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Political Science Department at Iona University. He specializes in urban history, global cities, and international relations. His research explores urban networks across millennia, from ancient Mesopotamia to modern globalized cities. He currently holds the 2022-23 Robert David Lion Gardiner Fellowship at the New-York Historical Society, supporting his work on New York 1860: City on a Precipice , under contract with Columbia University Press. His recent book, World Cities in History (Cambridge University Press), analyzes 6,000 years of urban networks. Education: Ph.D. in Political Science from Temple University (2010), M.A. in International Affairs from California State University, Sacramento (2004). Research focuses on how urban networks shape political and social structures, global governance of urban issues, and the intersection of development with inequality. His work spans historical case studies and contemporary debates on topics like global health governance, urbanization in the Global South, and the impact of neoliberal policies on cities. His articles address themes such as global housing governance, municipal mercantilism, and the role of global cities in land grabs. He has also written extensively for popular outlets like The Progressive and Dissent , addressing pandemic responses, urban inequality, and urban planning. Awards: 2022-23 Robert David Lion Gardiner Fellowship. Grants: Fellowship support from New-York Historical Society for current book project. Teaching includes courses on global health, urban politics, and New York City studies. He has previously taught at Villanova, Temple, and Drexel Universities.

• Buddhism and Modernity
• South Asian Buddhism
• Meditation Traditions
• +4 more

David L. McMahan is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Religious Studies at Franklin & Marshall College , specializing in Buddhism and its intersections with modernity, science, psychology, literature, romanticism, and transcendentalism. He teaches courses on Asian religions, Buddhist traditions, and comparative religious studies. Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara His research focuses on Buddhist meditation practices across cultural and historical contexts, including their secular adaptations in modern settings. Key themes include the relationship between Buddhism and science, the emergence of "Scientific Buddhism" in colonial contexts, and the global transformation of Buddhist traditions. Recent publications include Rethinking Meditation: Buddhist Meditative Practices in Ancient and Modern Worlds (Oxford University Press, 2023) and collaborative work on meditation's role in corporate and psychotherapeutic environments. His academic contributions span historical analysis of Buddhist modernism, critiques of secular mindfulness, and explorations of Buddhist visionary literature. His work has been presented at major conferences including Harvard University, University of Toronto, and the Mind & Life Summer Research Institute Active in interdisciplinary dialogues about Buddhist studies

Fatih ErenView profile

Associate Professor

• Urban Planning
• GIS and Data Management in Planning
• Real Estate in Urban Planning
• +3 more

Fatih Eren is an Associate Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Istanbul Technical University's Faculty of Architecture. He holds a PhD from the University of Sheffield (2007-2013), focusing on Istanbul's real estate market internationalization. His career includes roles as Director of the Urban Studies Center at CESRAN (2010-2016) and Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Architecture and Planning (ICONARP). Expertise: Urban Planning, Real Estate, Digital Twin Cities, Platform Urbanism Leadership: Over 20 years in academia, managing projects on AR technology, psychometric tests, and urban acupuncture Research Interests : GIS-driven urban data management Property market dynamics Innovative urban redevelopment strategies Awards : Emerald Outstanding Reviewer (2023), Autodesk DesignNext Award (2014), and multiple teaching/research grants (EELISA, Erasmus+). Recent projects include strategic planning for Çayırova and digital platform analysis of Istanbul's urban morphology. Active in international conferences and serves on editorial boards for journals like ICONARP.

Rohit K DasguptaView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Cultural Industries
• Queer Studies
• South Asian Studies
• +4 more

Rohit K Dasgupta is a Senior Lecturer in Cultural Industries and Convenor of the MSc in Creative Industries and Cultural Policy at the University of Glasgow’s School of Culture & Creative Arts. He holds an Honorary Senior Research Fellow title and is a Visiting Fellow at Loughborough University’s Institute for Media and Creative Industries. His research focuses on India’s cultural industries, queer identities, digital culture, and South Asian studies. He has authored and co-authored books such as *Digital Queer Cultures in India* and contributed to edited volumes on topics like queer digital activism and South Asian cinemas. Dasgupta’s work bridges disciplines including sociology, media studies, and cultural policy. His current projects include a Carnegie-funded study on queer film festivals in India and an AHRC-funded initiative on UK-India creative industry collaboration. He has been awarded grants from the British Academy, Wellcome Trust, and others for projects on queer migration, digital health advocacy, and diasporic identity. His teaching includes courses on cultural policy, creative industries, and research methods. He supervises PhD students exploring topics like decolonial digital cultures and representations of Muslims in Bollywood. External roles include examiner positions at King’s College London and Central Saint Martins. Key research themes include queer kinship, South Asian queer cultures post-authoritarianism, and the intersection of faith, fashion, and decoloniality in diaspora communities. His publications span peer-reviewed articles in journals like *Cultural Trends* and *South Asian Popular Culture*, reflecting his commitment to interdisciplinary and socially engaged scholarship.

Barry WilliamsView profile

Associate Professor

• Banking
• Bank Risk
• Multinational Banking
• +3 more

Barry Williams is an Associate Professor in the Department of Banking and Finance at Monash University. Previously, he held roles at Bond University as a Professor of Finance and founding Co-Director of the Globalisation and Development Center. He also serves as a Visiting Research Professor at the KOF Swiss Economic Institute (ETH Zurich) and collaborates with the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). His academic journey includes prior positions at The University of Queensland and Monash University, preceded by experience in the State Bank of Victoria's Economics Department. Education: PhD in Finance (date unspecified), MCom in Economics from the University of Melbourne (1987–1991), and BEc in Economics from La Trobe University (1985). Research focuses on banking industry dynamics, including bank performance, risk, and multinational operations. Key areas include non-interest income impacts, systemic risk, and cross-border banking efficiency. His work explores regulatory frameworks, capital buffers, and crisis management in global contexts. Notable collaborations span Asia-Pacific regions and involve studies on foreign bank efficiency and governance. Recent articles highlight bankruptcy resolution mechanisms, bank risk dynamics, and capital structure strategies. His projects include analyzing foreign bank contributions in Australia and investigating national governance effects on financial stability. Barry actively supervises PhD students and maintains affiliations with leading institutions in finance and economics. Professional contributions include advisory roles at APRA and KOF, emphasizing policy-relevant research. His interdisciplinary approach bridges theoretical frameworks with practical banking challenges, influencing both academic discourse and regulatory practices.