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Sarah Pickering is an Associate Professor in Fine Art at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London (UCL), where she has been actively contributing to undergraduate, graduate, and PhD student practice-led research since 2008. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges fine art photography with scientific and emergency service practices, resulting in internationally recognized work exhibited in over 71 venues worldwide. Her research centers on themes of falsity and deception, using photographic image-making as a method to examine mediated versions of reality. Pickering investigates subjects including fakes, tests, hierarchy, science-fiction, explosions, photography, and gunfire through an intense scrutiny of their implications. Her work often involves collaboration with scientists, police, pickpockets, fire services, forensic investigators, historians, and firearms experts, creating innovative interdisciplinary engagement that has positioned her as a leading figure in photographic fine art practice. Pickering's artistic output shows a consistent exploration of simulated environments and staged realities. Her most recent works examine constructed spaces related to conflict, national identity, and scientific concepts, while maintaining her signature focus on the relationship between truth and perception. The articles reflect her evolving interest in how society represents and processes traumatic events, with increasing attention to political divisions, gender studies, and interdisciplinary connections between art and science. Pickering has made significant contributions to academic discourse through her role as co-founder of the Global Photographies Network, established in 2020 with partners across multiple international institutions. She has supervised PhD researchers including Feiyi Wen, Dana Ariel (both completed), and currently supervises Richard Muller (Geography) and Lucy Helton (Slade School of Fine Art). Her teaching spans over 20 years, including tutorials and talks at 22 universities worldwide. Her work is held in significant art collections including Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art USA, and the Victoria & Albert Museum UK. Pickering's monograph Explosions, Fires & Public Order (124 pages) was published by Aperture, and her work has been featured in key survey books on photographic practice since 2006.

• Photography
• Fine Art
• Interdisciplinary Art
• +3 more

Dr. Xiao Zhang is an Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems in the Department of Information Systems at Lamar University's College of Business. He teaches courses including MBA ERP, E-Commerce, Bachelors E-Commerce Design and Development, and Principles of Management Information Systems, demonstrating expertise across both business applications and technical aspects of information systems. His educational background includes a Ph.D. from the University of Texas San Antonio and an MBA from Pittsburgh State University. He is also a Microsoft Certified System Engineer, combining academic credentials with practical technical expertise. Dr. Zhang's research focuses on electronic word-of-mouth communication, cybersecurity, and information systems. His work examines consumer skepticism toward online reviews, trust formation in digital environments, and security challenges in information systems. He has developed measurement scales for assessing skepticism toward eWOM and has published extensively on deception detection in online user-generated content. His research spans from 2012 to 2020, with multiple publications in reputable journals including Computers in Human Behavior and IEEE Engineering Management Review. His academic service includes: Reviewer for journals including Information Systems Frontiers (2019-2021), The DATA BASE for Advances in Information Systems (2021), and Journal of Information, Communication & Ethics in Society (2020) Reviewer for conferences like AMCIS (2018) and IEEE ATC (2021) Active participation in departmental and college committees at Lamar University including the Accounting and Information Systems Chair Search Committee (2020) and MIS Faculty Search Committee (2019-2020) Faculty advisor for AIS Student Meeting Dr. Zhang also holds a patent for 'System and Method for Password Verification' (2012), demonstrating his applied research contributions to information security and practical implementation of his scholarly work.

• Electronic Word-of-Mouth
• Cybersecurity
• Information Systems
• +4 more

Roseanna C Sommers serves as Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School and Faculty Associate at the Research Center for Group Dynamics, Institute for Social Research. Her interdisciplinary work bridges legal theory with empirical social science to examine systemic misunderstandings between law and human cognition. Her research pioneers experimental jurisprudence, investigating how people intuitively interpret legal concepts like consent, autonomy, and moral responsibility. Key studies analyze voluntary action determinants and autonomy interferences including coercion, deception, incapacity, and manipulation. This work critically evaluates whether existing legal doctrines align with empirical findings from cognitive and social sciences. Professor Sommers has received prestigious recognition including: SAGE Early Career Trajectory Award (2024) - first law professor honored for social psychology research excellence Rising Star designation by the Association for Psychological Science (2025) Funded by the National Science Foundation, she founded the Psychology and Law Studies (PALS) Lab for original research at the law-psychology intersection. She co-organizes the Chicago/Michigan PALS speaker series with the University of Chicago Law School, fostering academic collaboration through virtual workshops. Her laboratory initiatives include directing the PALS Lab and developing the Chicago/Michigan speaker series as key platforms for advancing experimental jurisprudence research.

• Experimental Jurisprudence
• Law and Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• +3 more

Wei Liang is a Professor at Hainan Normal University in Haikou, China, where he has been employed since October 2007. He holds a PhD from Beijing Normal University (1997-2000). His research focuses on behavioral ecology and coevolutionary dynamics, with specialization in avian brood parasitism systems, particularly cuckoo-host interactions across China. Primary research interests include: Behavioral adaptations of birds to urbanization Coevolutionary arms races in avian brood parasitism Geographic variation in anti-parasite defenses Acoustic communication and deception in birds Urban ecology and conservation bioindicators Liang's recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate strong focus on: Avian responses to urban environments Cuckoo-host behavioral interactions Egg rejection cognition across species Acoustic signaling and deception Morphological predictors of avian traits with fieldwork concentrated across diverse Chinese ecosystems.

• Behavioral Ecology
• Ornithology
• Coevolution
• +2 more

Dr. Mark Nunes serves as a Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at Appalachian State University, where he contributes to the academic exploration of digital culture and new media. His position bridges multiple disciplines, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of his scholarly work which examines how digital technologies reshape contemporary social experience. Dr. Nunes earned his interdisciplinary Ph.D. from Emory University's Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts, with additional Master of Arts degrees in English from the University of Virginia and Psychology from Columbia University. This diverse educational background informs his cross-disciplinary approach to studying digital culture. His research focuses primarily on the cultural impact of new media on contemporary society, with particular attention to how digital spaces reconfigure our understanding of public and private life, local and global connections. Dr. Nunes explores how networked technologies transform everyday experience, examining concepts like digital agency, spatial theory in virtual environments, and the philosophical implications of living in a networked society. His work often engages with critical theory, particularly drawing on thinkers like Baudrillard to analyze contemporary digital phenomena. The trajectory of Dr. Nunes' publications reveals a consistent engagement with evolving digital landscapes, from early explorations of cyberculture in the 1990s through contemporary analyses of social media and digital representation. His work spans theoretical examinations of digital space, critical analyses of social media platforms, investigations into digital errors and disruptions, and studies of regional digital representation as seen in his work on Appalachian visual culture. This breadth demonstrates his ability to adapt theoretical frameworks to emerging digital phenomena while maintaining a critical perspective on technology's societal impact. While specific awards aren't documented in the available materials, Dr. Nunes' scholarly contributions include significant monographs and edited collections that have shaped discourse in new media studies. His book Cyberspaces of Everyday Life (2006) and edited volume Error: Glitch, Noise, and Jam in New Media Cultures (2011) represent substantial contributions to the field. Dr. Nunes maintains active scholarly engagement through ongoing publication and likely contributes to academic service within his department and university. His research demonstrates sustained commitment to understanding the complex relationship between digital technologies and human experience across multiple dimensions of social life.

• New Media Studies
• Digital Culture
• Cyberculture
• +5 more