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.
Dr. Heather Inwood serves as University Associate Professor in Modern Chinese Literature and Culture within the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge. She is also a Fellow and Director of Studies at Trinity Hall, maintaining dual institutional affiliations that support her teaching and research activities across undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Her educational background includes a BA in Chinese Studies from the University of Cambridge (Trinity Hall), followed by advanced studies at Tsinghua University and Peking University, culminating in a PhD in modern Chinese literature from SOAS, University of London in 2008. Prior academic appointments include Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University (2008-2013) and Lecturer in Chinese Cultural Studies at the University of Manchester before returning to Cambridge in 2016. Professor Inwood's research program investigates the dynamic interactions between digital media and literary production in contemporary China, with particular focus on poetry communities, genre fiction, and transmedia storytelling. Her work bridges traditional literary analysis with digital humanities approaches, examining how online platforms transform authorship, reception, and cultural value. She has pioneered scholarship on internet poetry scenes, demonstrating their vitality despite public perceptions of poetry's decline in modern China. Her publication trajectory reveals a clear evolution from early work on poetry communities ( Verse Going Viral: China's New Media Scenes , 2014) toward broader investigations of digital narrative forms, game studies, and Sinophone cyberspace. Recent publications increasingly engage with science fiction, transmedia storytelling, and the algorithmic structures shaping literary production, reflecting both the changing digital landscape and her expanding methodological toolkit. Professor Inwood actively supervises five PhD students working on diverse projects spanning Misty poetry, queer narratives, gender studies, and poetic animality, demonstrating her commitment to nurturing next-generation scholarship in Chinese literary studies. Her research has been supported by British Academy Small Grants and similar funding mechanisms that enable sustained fieldwork and publication. Her teaching responsibilities include undergraduate courses on East Asian media and popular culture, Modern Chinese texts, and Modern Chinese literature, connecting classroom instruction directly to her research expertise. She also maintains public engagement through Chinese-language columns for BBC China and other media outlets, bridging academic and public discourse on contemporary Chinese culture.
Laura Maria Lojo Rodriguez is a Professor in the Department of English and German Philology at the University of Santiago de Compostela , specializing in British literature and modernist/postmodernist fiction. She leads the Discourse and Identity research group (GI DI-1924), focusing on English language, literature, and culture through interdisciplinary frameworks. Her work intersects with the Humanities Research Institute (iHUS) . Her research spans: Gender and identity in Woolfian studies Migration narratives in contemporary short fiction Postcolonial themes in British-Irish literature Ecocritical and posthuman anxieties in Johnson's works Recent publications examine border politics, maternal discourses, and cross-cultural literary bonds. She has also contributed to translation studies, particularly Woolf's Spanish reception. Her academic output bridges literary theory with socio-political analysis.
Roger Luckhurst is Professor of Modern Literature and currently holds the prestigious Geoffrey Tillotson Chair of Nineteenth Century Studies at Birkbeck College, University of London. A leading scholar in Gothic literature, science fiction, and trauma studies, he has been affiliated with Birkbeck for over 25 years, contributing significantly to interdisciplinary literary and cultural studies. Education and Career Trajectory: 2020-present: Geoffrey Tillotson Chair of Nineteenth Century Studies, Birkbeck College 2008-2020: Professor of Modern and Contemporary Literature, Birkbeck College 2004-2008: Senior Lecturer, Birkbeck College 1994-2004: Lecturer, Birkbeck College 1992-1994: Lecturer, University of Hull Research Interests and Scholarly Contributions: Luckhurst's research spans multiple interconnected fields, establishing him as a preeminent voice in literary and cultural studies. His work on late 19th century English literature examines the intersections of Victorian culture with emerging scientific discourses. His expertise in science fiction studies encompasses both literary analysis and cultural theory, exploring how speculative fiction reflects and shapes contemporary anxieties. In Gothic studies , he investigates the persistence of Gothic aesthetics and themes across different media and historical periods. His groundbreaking work in trauma studies has contributed significantly to understanding how literature and culture process collective trauma. Publications and Scholarly Impact: His extensive publication record demonstrates a remarkable breadth of scholarly inquiry. From his early work on J.G. Ballard to his recent comprehensive study of Gothic culture, Luckhurst has consistently produced influential scholarship. His books have been translated into multiple languages including French, Japanese, Turkish, and German, indicating significant international impact. His forthcoming The Gothic: An Illustrated History (2021) promises to be a definitive work in the field. Honors and Awards: 2009: Visiting Research Fellow, University of Birmingham 2009: Visiting Research Fellow, Flemish Academic Centre for Science and the Arts (VLAC), Brussels January-June 2011: AHRC Fellowship, Birkbeck College Spring 2016: Mellon Distinguished Visiting Professor, Department of English, Columbia University, New York Public Engagement and Media Presence: Beyond academia, Luckhurst has demonstrated exceptional commitment to public scholarship. He has served as a broadcaster for BBC radio, bringing literary criticism to wider audiences. His journalism has appeared in leading British newspapers, bridging the gap between academic research and public discourse. This dual role as academic and public intellectual exemplifies Birkbeck's tradition of making scholarship accessible to broader communities. Interdisciplinary Approach and Institutional Contributions: At Birkbeck College, Luckhurst has been instrumental in fostering the institution's renowned culture of interdisciplinary studies. His work seamlessly integrates literary analysis with cultural theory, film studies, architectural history, and scientific discourse. This approach has influenced generations of students and scholars, establishing Birkbeck as a leading center for innovative literary and cultural research.
Matthew Santa serves as Professor of Music Theory and Chair of the Music Theory and Composition Area at Texas Tech University School of Music, with prior teaching appointments at Queens College and Hunter College. His leadership shapes curriculum development and academic initiatives within the department. Academic credentials include advanced degrees from Louisiana State University and The City University of New York, establishing foundational expertise in theoretical frameworks and analytical methodologies. Research focuses on post-tonal analysis , diatonic set theory , and parsimonious voice leading , bridging complex theoretical concepts with practical pedagogy. His work integrates popular music analysis and metrical studies, emphasizing accessibility for diverse learners through innovative teaching resources. Publications demonstrate evolving scholarly trends from late-20th century set theory toward contemporary applications in musical form and rhythm. Recent textbooks synthesize Rothstein, Krebs, and Mirka's theories into unified analytical approaches for undergraduate and graduate education. Scientific recognition includes: MTSNYS Young Scholar Award (1998) Mentorship encompasses graduate and undergraduate students across composition and theory disciplines, though specific advisees aren't documented in source materials. No grant funding details appear in available records. Collaborative projects include the Flute/Theory Workout series with Lisa Garner Santa and Thomas Hughes, blending performance technique with theoretical concepts through MIDI accompaniment systems.
Dr Stella Bolaki is Reader in American Literature and Medical Humanities at the School of English, University of Kent, and Co-Director of the Centre for Health and Medical Humanities. She has been a faculty member since 2011, after holding positions at the University of Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh, where she also held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH). Her educational background includes a BA from Athens and an MSc and PhD from the University of Edinburgh. BA, Athens MSc, University of Edinburgh PhD, University of Edinburgh Stella’s research spans interdisciplinary fields including contemporary American literature, medical humanities, disability studies, and Black feminist theory. Her work critically examines narratives of illness, chronic conditions, self-care, and the intersection of art and health. She has pioneered research on artists’ books as tools for wellbeing, testimony, and community engagement, particularly in contexts of trauma and social injustice. Her recent publications and projects reveal a consistent focus on expanding narrative forms in medical humanities—moving beyond traditional literary modes to include photography, performance, film, and digital storytelling. Themes of inequality, mental health, climate anxiety, and embodiment recur across her work, especially in her ongoing monograph on self-care. Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Wellcome Trust funding recipient British Academy funding recipient Research England grant awardee Kent’s AHRC Impact Acceleration Account funding Stella supervises doctoral research across a wide range of interdisciplinary topics and has co-supervised a CHASE-funded project on health zines. She contributes to teaching in American literature and medical humanities at the Kent and Medway Medical School. Her professional service includes editorial roles for Contemporary Cultural Studies in Illness, Health and Medicine and the Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies , and leadership in the Eastern Arc Medical and Health Humanities Network and the Kent Medical Humanities Network. She leads public-facing research through creative workshops, exhibitions, and events such as ‘Artists’ Books and the Medical Humanities’ and ‘Mending the Psyche: Art as Reparation’, often in collaboration with NHS partners and community organizations.
Benjamin Morgan is the Department Chair and Associate Professor at the University of Chicago, Department of English. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 2010 and has been teaching at UChicago since 2010. Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley, 2010 His research focuses on literature, science, and aesthetics in the Victorian period and early twentieth century, with specific interests in nineteenth-century sciences of mind and emotion; aestheticism and decadence; speculative and science fiction; and environmental humanities topics like extinction, energy cultures, and the literary history of climate change. Methodologically, his work engages aesthetic theory, affect theory, and science studies. His publications explore scalar disjunctures, the interplay of geological time with human narratives, and materialist approaches to art and literature. Key themes include the Victorian origins of cognitive science, the politics of aesthetic autonomy, and formal strategies for representing ecological devastation. Benjamin Morgan advises students on projects spanning nineteenth and early-twentieth century British literature, literature and the environment, embodiment and affect, science fiction, and aesthetic theory. He is affiliated with the University of Chicago's English Research Labs and contributes to intellectual life through collaborative projects like the V21 Collective.
Lara Choksey is a Lecturer in Colonial and Postcolonial Literatures in English (1800–present) at University College London, where she is also a Faculty Associate at the Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation. Her research bridges literature, science and technology studies, and political philosophy, focusing on how genomic and biotechnological narratives shape conceptions of human identity and temporality. Education BA in English, University of Leeds (2010) MA in Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths College (2011) PhD in English and Comparative Literary Studies, University of Warwick (2017) Choksey’s work interrogates the intersections of colonialism, postcolonialism, and scientific discourse. Her book Narrative in the Age of the Genome: Genetic Worlds (2021) explores how DNA sequencing technologies influence speculative fiction and bioethical frameworks, earning a shortlisting for the British Society for Literature and Science Book Prize. She is a series editor for Bloomsbury's Explorations in Science and Literature . Recent publications engage ecological collapse, racialized environments, and welfare systems, reflecting her interest in transnational narratives and material histories. She has held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Exeter's Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health (2018–21) and the University of Warwick's Institute of Advanced Study (2017–18). Scientific Awards Shortlisted, British Society for Literature and Science Book Prize (2021) As a supervisor, Choksey guides PhD projects on James Baldwin and visual culture, pandemic fiction in American literature, and Brian Catling's novels. Her professional activities include media engagements on colonialism, soil science, and agricultural history, alongside talks on AI’s colonial legacies and decolonizing literary canons.
Harry Warwick is a Teaching Professor in Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Literature at the Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies, University of Warwick. His research focuses on British and American speculative literature and cinema, environmental and energy humanities, and critical theory. Education: BA, University of Southampton MA, University of Southampton PhD, University of Southampton His scholarship examines speculative fiction and film through lenses of energy infrastructure, capitalist enclosure, and utopian/dystopian social worlds. Recent publications analyze Battersea Power Station's symbolism, Marxian interpretations of "cognitive estrangement," and critiques of neoliberalism in media. Scientific Awards: Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship in English Warwick's 2023 monograph Dystopia and Dispossession in the Hollywood Science-Fiction Film, 1979-2017 investigates enclosure theory in sci-fi aesthetics, while his ongoing project A Second Modernity explores energy futures in speculative culture.
The University of Tennessee at ChattanoogaUnited States
Thomas P. Balázs is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga . He specializes in Creative Writing , Speculative Fiction , and Comics and Graphic Novels , blending literary craft with cultural and religious commentary. His teaching extends to Western Humanities , British Literature , and Modernism , with a focus on psychoanalytic themes in literature. Research Focus: Balázs explores intersections of Jewish identity, antisemitism, and cultural memory through fiction and nonfiction. His work often critiques contemporary societal issues, such as in Art Over Man: The Roger Waters Test Case (2024) and The Nihilism of Antisemitism (2023). Publications: He has authored the short story collection Omicron Ceti III (2012) and contributed to anthologies like Horror Library and journals such as Tablet Magazine and Quillette . His narratives frequently merge supernatural elements with Jewish theological concepts. Engagement: Balázs participates in literary conferences (e.g., StokerCon, Meacham Writers Conference) and community events, often discussing diversity in comics and horror fiction. His Substack features biweekly reflections on culture and identity.
María del Pilar Blanco is a Professor of Spanish American and Comparative Literature at the University of Oxford, where she is also a Fellow and Tutor at Trinity College and Associate Lecturer at Worcester College. Her research intersects Spanish American literature with comparative frameworks, focusing on literature and science, spectrality, landscape, and transnational literary exchanges. Research explores popular science writing in late 19th-early 20th century Spanish American periodicals Current book project: Modernist Laboratories: Science and the Poetics of Progress in Fin-de-Siècle Spanish America (Oxford University Press) Supervision interests: literature/science intersections, spectrality, comparative projects on hemispheric American literature Key awards include the British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship (2017-18) and the Ray and Pat Browne Award (2010). Her publications span spectral theory, modernist studies, Latinx literature, and scientific modernity in Latin America.
Matt Denny is a Teaching Fellow in Film & Television Studies at the University of Warwick's Faculty of Arts, where he also serves as Widening Participation and Outreach Officer. He convenes core modules including Visual Cultures, Transnational Action Cinema, and Film Analysis and Methods for both undergraduate and postgraduate students, while acting as primary contact for SMLC Joint Honours students. He earned his First Class BA, MA for Research, and PhD (2016) all in Film and Television Studies from Warwick. His doctoral thesis examined film authorship and postmodern cinema, establishing foundations for his ongoing research trajectory. Denny's research centers on Film Theory with emphasis on authorship and representation, Contemporary Hollywood Cinema specializing in action genres, British Horror Cinema including folk horror and gothic traditions, and Film-Philosophy exploring post-structuralism and posthumanism. His work consistently examines intersections between genre conventions, philosophical frameworks, and contemporary socio-technological concerns. His 15 most recent publications reveal strong thematic continuity in folk horror studies, posthuman representations, and genre theory. Denny frequently analyzes how horror and science fiction reflect contemporary anxieties about technology, identity, and temporality, with recurring focus on folk horror's resurgence and AI's philosophical implications in cinema. Denny actively contributes to academic communities through memberships in The Fear Network, British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies (BAFTSS), and International Gothic Association. His public engagement includes podcast appearances on Gender and AI, Eavesdropping at the Movies, and TRT World discussions about Scorsese and Marvel cinema. Though previously conducting research primarily in personal time without institutional funding, Denny now benefits from 10% research allocation under Warwick's new workload model. He has presented at numerous international conferences while maintaining significant teaching responsibilities across multiple course levels. Denny leads departmental outreach initiatives and collaborates with Warwick's Institute of Advanced Studies through The Fear Network. His interdisciplinary approach connects film studies with philosophy, gender studies, and emerging technologies through projects like the Genetics: Science and Society module with IATL.
Matthew Lester Eatough is Associate Professor of English and Affiliate Faculty of Black and Latino Studies at Baruch College, City University of New York (CUNY), within the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences. He teaches courses on twentieth- and twenty-first century novels, publishing and book history, world literature, and African literature, with recent Spring 2025 offerings including The Global Business of Lit and Horror Fiction. His educational background features a Ph.D. and M.A. in English from Vanderbilt University, an M.A. in Humanities from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. in English/History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This interdisciplinary foundation informs his cross-cultural research approach. Eatough's research centers on global modernisms through African and Irish literary lenses, examining corporate ideology in contemporary African fiction, globalization of Irish literature, and translated fiction in Anglo-American small presses. His work consistently interrogates how literary forms engage with world-systems theory, postcolonial economies, and infrastructural time, revealing connections between cultural production and global power structures. Particular attention is paid to small-press networks as sites of transnational literary circulation. His recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory from modernist studies to contemporary global literature, with increasing focus on African science fiction and Irish literary networks. A recurring theme is the role of cultural institutions (like the Goethe-Institut) in shaping literary futures, while his book projects analyze corporate influence in African fiction and the international networks of Irish literature. His scientific recognition includes: Abioseh Porter Best Essay Award (2019) from the African Literature Association Margaret Church Modern Fiction Studies Memorial Prize (2016) Shortlisting for Modernist Studies Association Best Book Award (2013) Robert Manson Myers Graduate Award for Best Dissertation Prospectus (2011) Rose Alley Press Award (2010) John M. Aden Award for Best Graduate Paper (2009) Phi Beta Kappa (2004) Eatough has secured eight consecutive PSC-CUNY research grants (2015-2023) totaling over $35,000, supporting projects on small presses, translation, and global literary networks. His current grant-funded work examines Irish fiction in small presses and the Goethe-Institut's role in African literary futurity. While specific graduate students aren't listed, his extensive teaching of Global Studies Capstone courses and independent studies demonstrates significant undergraduate mentorship in global literary studies. He serves as Committee Chair for Baruch's Global Studies Minor and co-edits special journal issues, including Literary Geographies' 'Geographies of African Futures' (2022). His professional activities include editorial board membership for NANO: New American Notes Online and active participation in the Modernist Studies Association as Treasurer.
Sophie Seita is a London-based artist, researcher, and Lecturer in Fine Art & History of Art at Goldsmiths, University of London, where she also serves as Director of Critical Studies for the BA Fine Art Extension Degree and Deputy Director of Research for the Department of Art. Her interdisciplinary practice spans performance, video, sound, textiles, books, and installations, with language as a central material. Previously, she was a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Boston University (2019-2022) and a Junior Research Fellow at Queens' College, University of Cambridge (2016-2019). Seita's research interests encompass lecture-performances, poetic essays, video essays, practice-based research, queer studies, trans studies, affect theory, disability studies, deaf studies, creative access, experimental captions and audio descriptions, speculative approaches to archives, fictional collectives, concepts of play, difficulty, opacity, absurdity, ornamentation, deep listening, histories of avant-garde group formation, translation studies, multilingualism, queer ecology, decolonial ecology, and experimental pedagogy. Her creative curiosities include opacity, playfulness, difficulty, artifice, queer abstraction, minor genres, ornamentation, materiality beyond objects, the materiality of language, listening beyond hearing, ambiguity, non-linear narratives, and provisional ideas. Her recent publications demonstrate strong trends in examining the intersections of performance, language, and experimental publishing, particularly focusing on lecture-performances as critical knowledge production, the materiality of language, and speculative approaches to archives. Her work consistently engages with queer and feminist perspectives on avant-garde practices while exploring experimental forms of documentation and presentation. Werner Düttmann Fellowship at Akademie der Künste Berlin (2024) Vice-Chancellor's Public Engagement Award (University of Cambridge) Eccles Centre Fellowship (British Library) PEN/Heim Translation Award Wonder Book Prize Dorothea Schlegel Artist in Residence Seita supervises and examines PhD projects at Goldsmiths and has secured numerous research grants, including funding from the British Academy, Arts Council England, Canada Council for the Arts, and the Early Career Research Fund Award from Goldsmiths. She is co-founder of The Hildegard von Bingen Society for Gardening Companions, an ongoing queer collaborative project with musician Naomi Woo that explores speculative archives and queer ecology through sound, performance, and publications. Her artistic practice often involves collaborative work across disciplines, particularly with The Hildegard von Bingen Society for Gardening Companions, which creates experimental pedagogical frameworks and community-based environmental projects.
Professor Kiera Vaclavik is a Professor at Queen Mary University of London, affiliated with the Department of Comparative Literature and Culture within the School of Languages, Linguistics and Film. She serves as Director of the Centre for Childhood Cultures. With a PhD from the same institution, her research focuses on children’s literature, material culture, adaptation studies, and fashion’s intersection with literature. Her work bridges disciplines such as postcolonial studies and museum studies, emphasizing global and comparative approaches. Her research explores how stories adapt across media and borders, with a particular focus on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, children’s creativity, and well-being. Notable projects include the AHRC-funded The Alice Sound collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra and the V&A Museum of Childhood exhibition The Alice Look . She has secured funding from organizations like the British Academy and Medical Research Council. Professor Vaclavik has supervised over 14 PhD students, addressing topics ranging from child migration to speculative fiction. Her awards include a REF2021 Impact Case Study and recognition for public engagement. Her publications span monographs, journal articles, and book chapters, with a focus on children’s literature’s cultural and historical dimensions. Her work extends beyond academia through collaborations with institutions like Liberty, Fevered Sleep, and the London Symphony Orchestra, emphasizing creative and public impact. She regularly engages with media and public lectures, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and community outreach.
